Rongmei, like other Nagas were head hunters. When a young man turns 17 or 18, he is considered a warrior. In order to prove his worth as a warrior, he has to collect the head of an enemy from another village. One village is one kingdom for Nagas even if they are from the same community. It was prohibited to take the head from someone from the same village. They are believed to have come from Mongolia through China and then into South Asia. For this reason they have Mongoloid features.
They are spread out in 3 states of India: Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.
They mostly live in villages in small pockets. Most live in the hills. Their houses are mostly made with a thatch roof and wooden pole. Rice is the main staple diet for them. They hunt for and gather other food sources. Since the forest receives heavy rainfall, edible leaves of all kinds are abundant. These wild vegetables are healthy and organic, so they stay healthy.
Their religion is unknown, but they believe that God is a spirit. They do not worship idols. For them, God lives in heaven and we are to sacrifice blood for remission of sin. But in many villages, after the freedom movement from the British government they embraced the "Babuan" religion. This religion was started by the Rongmei freedom fighters Rani Gaidinliu and Heipou Jadonang. The Rongmei living in Assam state and Manipur state still practice this religion. They have a small hill in the Cachar district of the state of Assam, where they go to sacrifice to their deity. This mountain name is called "Babuan Ching" which means "Babuan Mountain."
This people needs to know more about the teaching of Jesus. They think that Christianity is a western religion and therefore they should not follow it. There is a need for more missionaries who would spend time teaching, living with them and testifying of the living God. Miracles and healings can be key in showing God's power. Providing for physical needs is also necessary since there is much lack.
* Scripture Prayers for the Rongmei in India.
Profile Source: Dee-Zane Pamei |
People Name General | Rongmei |
People Name in Country | Rongmei |
World Population | 99,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 3 ● |
Unreached | No |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 6 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | |
Alternate Names | Kabui, Kabul, Puimei, रॉंगमेई |
People ID | 17033 |
ROP3 Code | 112369 |
Country | India | |||||||||
Region | South Asia | |||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||
Persecution Rank | 10 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||||||||
Total States on file | 8 | |||||||||
Largest States |
|
|||||||||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | South Asia |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 10 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 8 |
Manipur 96,000 | |
Nagaland 2,200 | |
Assam 900 | |
Delhi 100 | |
Meghalaya 70 | |
Tripura 40 | |
Arunachal Pradesh 30 | |
Chandigarh 20 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Language | Naga, Inpui (87,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | nkf Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Primary Dialect | Naga, Kabui | |||||||||||||||
Dialect Code | 14523 Global Recordings Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 38 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Naga, Inpui (87,000 speakers) |
Language Code | nkf Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Naga, Kabui |
Dialect Code | 14523 Global Recordings Listing |
Total Languages | 38 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Naga, Rongmei 8,800 | |
Naga, Liangmai 800 | |
Naga, Zeme 700 | |
Hindi 600 | |
Chin, Thado 200 | |
Meitei 200 | |
Gangte 200 | |
Vaiphei 100 | |
Hmar 50 | |
English 40 | |
Khasi 40 | |
Naga, Tangkhul 30 | |
Chin, Paite 20 | |
Naga, Mao 20 | |
Kuvi 10 | |
People Groups | Speaking Naga, Inpui |
Primary Language: Naga, Inpui
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (2000) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (2011) |
Bible-Complete | No |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
World Bibles |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
None reported |
Primary Religion: | Christianity |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.26 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
92.21 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
1.62 %
|
Islam |
0.34 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.07 %
|
Unknown |
5.51 %
|