Few sources have ever mentioned the Khamiyang, although one described them as "a small Buddhist peasant community with a close affinity with the Khamtis of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aiton and Tai Phake of Assam. They are also called Khamjang and use Shyam as their surname." The name Khamiyang means "a place where gold is available." This name probably comes from their homeland. They probably originally lived in the Patkai mountains, but they left because of oppression from the Singpho (Kachin) and moved to Assam between 1807 and 1814.
Khamiyang people live in the north-east Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, inhabiting communities near the Khamtis in the Lohit and Tirap districts. They dwell in the plains drained by the Tengapani and Noa-Dihing rivers and within the vicinity of dense tropical moist and deciduous forests. A small number of Khamiyang live in the Rowai Mukh village within Assam State.
The Khamiyang originally spoke a Tai language, similar to Khamti. Over the centuries, however, the Khamiyang have gradually lost the use of their mother tongue, and most have adopted Assamese, which is spoken by more than 15 million people in north-east India. They also use the Assamese script for reading and writing. Their original Tai script is now used only for Buddhist rituals.
Despite losing their linguistic identity, the Khamiyang retain their cultural and ethnic distinctiveness, which qualifies them as a mission-significant people group.
Since they live in a place with abundant natural resources, the diet of the Khamiyang includes a large variety of wild and domestically grown vegetables, roots and tubers such as pumpkins, brinjals, ginger and onions; mustard leaves; chilies; flower of plantains; mushrooms; shoots of bamboo and cane and many types of leaves.... They eat a variety of fish ... fowls, pigs, goats, wild bears, deer and tigers, but abstain from taking beef.
Theravada Buddhism is the religious choice of an overwhelming number of Khamiyang people. The Khamiyang have been Buddhists since long before their migration from the Shan State area of northern Myanmar many centuries ago.
Buddhism forms a major part of their identity, and few seem open to change. Consequently, there are no known Christians among the Khamiyang people of India today. Each village has its own temple or monastery.
Pray for a movement of Jesus to heal and strengthen Khamiyang communities.
Pray for the Khamiyang people to understand and embrace that Jesus wants to bless their families and neighborhoods.
Pray for Holy Spirit anointed believers from the Khamiyang people to change their society from within.
Pray for a movement in which the Holy Spirit leads and empowers disciples to make more disciples.
Scripture Prayers for the Khamiyang in India.
Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Khamiyang |
People Name in Country | Khamiyang |
Alternate Names | Khamiyan; Khamjang; Khamyang; Nara; Nora; Sham; Shyam; खामियांग |
Population this Country | 1,600 |
Population all Countries | 1,600 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 17173 |
ROP3 Code | 112525 |
Country | India | |||
Region | Asia, South | |||
Continent | Asia | |||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||
National Bible Society | Website | |||
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||
Location in Country | Approximately one thousand Khamiyang people live in the north-east Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, inhabitating communities near the Khamtis in the Lohit and Tirap districts. Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004 | |||
Total States on file | 2 | |||
Largest States |
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Districts | Interactive map, listing and data download | |||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | Approximately one thousand Khamiyang people live in the north-east Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, inhabitating communities near the Khamtis in the Lohit and Tirap districts.. Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004 |
Total States | 2 |
Arunachal Pradesh 1,200 | |
Assam 400 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Buddhism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
96.25 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
1.27 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
1.87 %
|
Islam |
0.07 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.45 %
|
Unknown |
0.07 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Khamyang (700 speakers) | |||
Language Code | ksu Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Unknown | |||
Total Languages | 2 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Khamyang (700 speakers) |
Language Code | ksu Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 2 |
Secondary Languages | |
Assamese 600 | |
People Groups | Speaking Khamyang |
Primary Language: Khamyang
Bible Translation Status: Translation Started
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Photo Source | Aiechengkingchowlu - Wikimedia Creative Commons |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |