Subgroups: 7
Subgroup Name | Population ▼ | |
---|---|---|
Cherua | 54,000 | |
Tanwar | 38,000 | |
Rathia | 24,000 | |
Chanti | 200 | |
Dudh | 200 | |
Kolhia | 200 | |
Paikra | 200 |
The Kawar are primarily located in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, in central India, particularly in the cities of Raipur and Maharashtra. Their language, Kawari, is an Indo-Aryan language that is believed to be a dialect of Halbi. Today, some of the Kawar speak Chhattisgarhi and Hindi, the languages of their neighbors and have begun adopting their cultures as well.
Some of the Kawar tribes have become so absorbed by the cultures of the surrounding peoples that they are no longer considered to be true Kawar. They have completely lost their language and former culture and now speak a different dialect.
The Kawar are considered a scheduled tribe. Although they consider military service their traditional occupation, most have given up military life and have become farmers or wage-workers.
Many of the Kawar live in the northern plains, where they have settled and own farms. However, most still live in the hilly areas and depend on other sources of income such as road construction and agricultural labor. Irrigation facilities are not yet developed in the region. As a result, most of the fertile land is used for a single crop. A large portion of their farm land is mortgaged to the neighboring communities, and many Kawar work as farm servants of the mortgage holders.
The Kawar farmers are being encouraged to adopt a more settled type of farming. However, those in the hills still depend on slash and burn cultivation as well as gathering forest produce for survival. A major source of their cash earnings comes from selling firewood that is collected from the forest. The lower classes also weave ropes and make sleeping cots to sell in the markets.
The staple food of the Kawar is rice. They do not eat beef, pork, or any other foods that are considered unclean by Hindus. However, they love to drink rice-beer and other alcoholic beverages.
The Kawar have several endogamous divisions (only allow marriage within their own groups). These divisions are further divided into a number of exogamous sects called goti. The goti are "totemistic," which means they use symbols of plants and animals to represent their group. A group totem represents their bond of unity and is often considered the ancestor or brother of the group's members.
The Kawar goti are similar to the gotra of the high caste Hindus. Marriages within the same goti are unacceptable. A marriage begins with negotiations, usually initiated by the boy's father. Polygamy is permitted, but not common.
The Kawar who live in the city of Orissa, a predominantly Hindu area, live in spacious houses, but still wear clothing and ornaments similar to the lower caste Hindus. Women wear pewter rings as necklaces as well as silver earrings, but they never wear nose-rings. Also, tattooing is not unusual.
The Kawar are almost exclusively Hindu. They follow Hindu practices, but still mix their traditional beliefs with their practice of Hinduism.
Medical facilities among the Kawar are inadequate. Even where the medical personnel are available, medicines, instruments, and essential provisions for the patients are extremely lacking. Adequate medical equipment and staff are needed, especially for the control of sexually transmitted diseases, leprosy, and other communicable diseases. The funds are low in districts where the needs are the greatest.
There are only a relative few known Christians. There is a great need for Christian doctors, teachers, and pastors.
* Scripture Prayers for the Kawar in India.
* Ask the Lord to send forth laborers into India to share the love of Christ with the Kawar.
* Pray that God will call forth prayer teams that will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession.
* Ask the Holy Spirit to complete the work begun in the hearts of the few Kawar believers through adequate discipleship.
* Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Kawar toward Christians so that they will be receptive to the Gospel.
* Ask the Lord to bring forth a strong and growing Kawar church for the glory of His name!
Profile Source: Bethany World Prayer Center |
People Name General | Kawar |
People Name in Country | Kawar |
World Population | 1,005,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 3 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 20 |
Alternate Names | Cherwa; Kamari; Kanwar; Kanware; Kaoar; Kaur; Kauraw; Kauri; Kawali; कवर |
People ID | 17122 |
ROP3 Code | 112468 |
Affinity Bloc | South Asian Peoples |
People Cluster | South Asia Tribal - Other |
People Group | Kawar |
Ethnic Code | CNN25g |
Affinity Bloc | South Asian Peoples |
People Cluster | South Asia Tribal - Other |
People Group | Kawar |
Ethnic Code | CNN25g |
Total Subgroups | 7 |
Cherua 54,000 | |
Tanwar 38,000 | |
Rathia 24,000 | |
Chanti 200 | |
Dudh 200 | |
Kolhia 200 | |
Paikra 200 |
Country | India | ||||||||||||
Region | Asia, South | ||||||||||||
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 | 11 | ||||||||||||
Largest States |
|
||||||||||||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 10 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 11 |
Chhattisgarh 921,000 | |
Maharashtra 27,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 19,000 | |
West Bengal 13,000 | |
Jharkhand 11,000 | |
Odisha 5,400 | |
Tripura 3,100 | |
Bihar 1,400 | |
Assam 200 | |
Andaman and Nicobar 100 | |
Goa 60 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Language | Hindi (513,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 47 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (513,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 47 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Chhattisgarhi 439,000 | |
Bengali 15,000 | |
Marathi 9,700 | |
Sadri 6,400 | |
Odia 3,300 | |
Telugu 1,800 | |
Kurux 1,500 | |
Halbi 1,200 | |
Bhili 1,100 | |
Sadri, Oraon 600 | |
Gujarati 500 | |
Bhatri 500 | |
Maithili 400 | |
Korwa 300 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 300 | |
People Groups | Speaking Hindi |
Primary Language: Hindi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1806-1962) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1811-1998) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1818-2000) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Bible-NT Text | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
World Bibles |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching (GRN) |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament (FCBH) |
Audio Recordings | Online Scripture (Talking Bibles) |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio (Jesus Film Project) |
Film / Video | A Beautiful Hope (EngSub) |
Film / Video | Coconuts |
Film / Video | Creation to Christ |
Film / Video | Father's Love Letter |
Film / Video | Following Jesus (India, JF Project) |
Film / Video | God's Story Video |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Hindi |
Film / Video | Magdalena (Jesus Film Project) |
Film / Video | My Last Day (Jesus Film Project Anime) |
Film / Video | Rivka (Jesus Film Project) |
Film / Video | Story of Jesus for Children (JF Project) |
Film / Video | The Hope Video |
General | Bible Visuals |
General | Four Spiritual Laws |
General | God's Simple Plan |
General | Got Questions Ministry |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.01 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.12 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.32 %
|
Islam |
0.12 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.04 %
|
Unknown |
0.38 %
|
Photo Source | Bethany World Prayer Center |
Map Source | Bethany World Prayer Center |
Profile Source | Bethany World Prayer Center |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |
* Religion Values | From latest India census data. Current values may differ. |