Charumba in India


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.

Identity

Much confusion surrounds the tiny, little-known Zakhring tribe of north-east India. They inhabit the hilly terrain and the banks of the Lohit River in the Walong and Kibithoo area (Hayuliang Subdivision) of the Lohit District in Arunachal Pradesh.

The 1981 census returned a figure of just 14 Zakhring people. However, 235 additional people identified themselves under the ethnic name 'Meyor ', which is a synonym for the Zakhring. Together, then, the total population for this group was 249. In the years since the 1981 census the population for the Zakhring is thought to have surpassed 300. To further complicate their identification, various sources note that neither Zakhring nor Meyor is the name these people use for themselves. In their own language they call themselves Charumba.

Regardless of their small size and the multiplicity of names, the Indian government has granted official status to this group as a Scheduled Tribe, under the name Zakhring.


History

Scholar Dutta Choudhury says the Zakhring arrived from the north (Tibet) in two waves of migration—the first in the late 1800s and the second wave a few years later in the early 1900s. These two separate migrations may explain why such a small group of a few hundred people speak two distinct dialects, which the Ethnologue labels Lower Zyphe and Upper Zyphe. When they first arrived in the Lohit District they 'had to face bitter opposition from the Mishmis. However, the Zakhring migrants overcame the opposition and settled in and around Walong. '


Customs

The Zakhring enjoy close relationships with the Tibetans and Monpa, and intermarriage with these groups is encouraged. Many Tibetan refugees live nearby. In both the 1971 and 1981 censuses, 100 per cent of Zakhring people declared themselves to be followers of Buddhism. Zakhring art reflects their origins in Tibet and their faith in Tibetan Buddhism. The Zakhring 'paint scrolls and murals, make wooden images of Buddha and produce some hand painted wooden objects and masks '.


Religion

Elements of the pre-Buddhist Bon religion seem to have been retained by the Zakhring. 'The Zakhring's Buddhism is tinged with beliefs in animism and shamanism. Their shamanistic priest is known as kahu who practises witchcraft. He is often called in to cure a person suffering from a disease. Besides Lord Buddha and the Bodhistatvas, the Zakhrings also have a community deity or village deity known as Yong or the deity of the hills. Thus each village has a separate Yong. '


Christianity

The tiny Zakhring tribe must rank as one of the most unreached Buddhist people groups in the world. They are isolated in a small area that has little or no access to gospel witness. There has never been a known Christian among the Zakhring. One Christian source states, 'They are a small and insignificant tribe mostly dependent on others. They do not have a Bible nor literature of their own. They are in need of development. '


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the Charumba in India.


Profile Source:   Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©   Used with permission  

People Name General Charumba
People Name in Country Charumba
Alternate Names Meyor; Zakhring; चारूमबा
Population this Country 1,100
Population all Countries 1,900
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 2
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
People ID 18354
ROP3 Code 113908
ROP25 Code 301678
ROP25 Name Charumba
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 The Zakhring (Charumba) inhabit the hilly terrain and the banks of the Lohit River in the Walong and Kibithoo area of the Lohit District in Arunachal Pradesh, India.   Source:  Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004
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 The Zakhring (Charumba) inhabit the hilly terrain and the banks of the Lohit River in the Walong and Kibithoo area of the Lohit District in Arunachal Pradesh, India..   Source:  Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004
Total States 1
  Arunachal Pradesh 1,100
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Buddhism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
84.30 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
7.75 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
3.00 %
Islam
0.10 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.10 %
Unknown
4.75 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Zakhring (900 speakers)
Language Code zkr   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 4
Secondary Languages
Sartang
30
Adi Digaro-Mishmi
Primary Language Zakhring (900 speakers)
Language Code zkr   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 4
Secondary Languages
  Sartang 30
  Adi 10
  Digaro-Mishmi 10
People Groups Speaking Zakhring

Primary Language:  Zakhring

Bible Translation Status:  Unspecified

Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2023  Operation China, Asia Harvest  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©  Used with permission 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.