The name Tamang means "horse trader." They were involved with a long war with their rivals, the Gurkhas, who eventually defeated them. The Tamangs once had forced labor obligations. Their land was divided by clan. They have about 100 clans. Most of the Tamang live in Nepal or India, but there are smaller numbers of them in Bangladesh and Bhutan. Most of the Tamang live in Nepal.
They are generally very poor, yet they enjoy festivals, music and cultural events. They have their own song and dance style called Tamang Selo. These songs can be about sorrow, humor, joy or satire. Their main festival is Sonam Lhochhar. It welcomes the new year in February or March.
The majority of Tamang follow Tibetan Buddhism but mix this heavily with animism and to a lesser extent, with Hinduism. Their priests, or lamas, have a dominant role in the community and perform ceremonies for funerals, etc. Perhaps the most powerful person in society, however, is the shaman, who exorcises demons and interacts with the spirit world.
The area is more open to outsiders than it has been in previous times, but there is still some difficulty in entering. The smaller Tamang group in India has a significant number of Christian believers. Perhaps these followers of Christ will see the need to carry the gospel to the remainder of their own people in Nepal.
There are some followers of Jesus today among the Tamang of Nepal. Pray for these people to be good ambassadors for Christ in Nepal.
Pray they will seek each other out to fellowship together.
Pray they will be zealous to know Christ and follow his ways.
Pray for the entire Tamang community to be able to care well for their families, to find ways to generate income and meet basic needs.
Scripture Prayers for the Tamang in Nepal.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Tamang |
People Name in Country | Tamang |
Alternate Names | Eastern Tamang; Ishang; Lama; Murmi; Nishang; Nishung; Tamanglama; तमंग |
Population this Country | 1,779,000 |
Population all Countries | 2,064,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 2 ● |
Unreached | No |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 2 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | |
People ID | 18212 |
ROP3 Code | 102861 |
ROP25 Code | 307900 |
ROP25 Name | Tamang |
Affinity Bloc | South Asian Peoples |
People Cluster | South Asia Buddhist |
People Group | Tamang |
Ethnic Code | CNN25 |
Total Subgroups | 18 (only 15 largest shown) |
Lasa 1,600 | |
Bal 300 | |
Bomyan 300 | |
Bopchan 300 | |
Domjan 300 | |
Dong 300 | |
Grongder 300 | |
Gyapole 300 | |
Jhimpa 300 | |
Lopchan 300 |
Country | Nepal | |||||||||||||||
Region | Asia, South | |||||||||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||||||||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked | |||||||||||||||
Total States on file | 14 | |||||||||||||||
Largest States |
|
Country | Nepal |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Total States | 14 |
Bagmati 847,000 | |
Narayani 345,000 | |
Janakpur 242,000 | |
Kosi 107,000 | |
Sagarmatha 75,000 | |
Mechi 73,000 | |
Gandaki 51,000 | |
Karnali 15,000 | |
Lumbini 10,000 | |
Seti 4,000 | |
Bheri 3,700 | |
Mahakali 3,600 | |
Dhaulagiri 1,900 | |
Rapti 1,100 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Buddhism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
81.95 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
6.60 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
10.81 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.53 %
|
Unknown |
0.11 %
|
* From latest Nepal census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Tamang, Eastern (823,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | taj Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 30 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Tamang, Eastern (823,000 speakers) |
Language Code | taj Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 30 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Tamang, Western 406,000 | |
Nepali 165,000 | |
Tamang, Eastern Gorkha 121,000 | |
Sherpa 3,300 | |
Bantawa 3,200 | |
Lepcha 1,900 | |
Bhojpuri 1,900 | |
Maithili 1,500 | |
Chamling 1,300 | |
Wambule 900 | |
Sampang 800 | |
Musasa 700 | |
Kham, Western Parbate 500 | |
Dotyali 400 | |
Humla 400 | |
People Groups | Speaking Tamang, Eastern |
Primary Language: Tamang, Eastern
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (2005) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (2011-2012) |
Bible-Complete | No |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Tamang, Eastern | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels | Bible Media Group/LUMO |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
General | YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | Android Bible app: Tamang, Eastern | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app as APK file | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Mobile App | iOS Bible app: Tamang, Eastern | YouVersion Bibles |
Text / Printed Matter | Download scripture in this language | eBible.org |
Text / Printed Matter | The Ancient Path | Live Global |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2024 Kerry Olson All rights reserved. Used with permission |
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. |