The Koch of Bangladesh live in a small pocket of land along the Indian border in northwestern Dhaka division. These Koch speak a Tibeto-Burman language, and this distinguishes them from a much larger group of Koch (sometimes spelled Cooch) who speak an Indo-Aryan language. Within Bangladesh the Tibeto- Burman Koch generally continue to follow their traditional "Sonaton" religion, though some say they are Hindu. Most of the Indo-Aryan Koch speakers in Bangladesh have embraced Islam.
Among the Tibeto-Burman Koch there are two groups in Bangladesh: the Tintekiya and the Chapra. The Titekiya, whose name means "three pieces of clothing" and comes from their traditional dress, live in about 19 villages. The Chapra live in only three villages, and in each they are the minority.
Both the Tintekiya and the Chapra Koch are primarily farmers, with some farming their own land and most working as hired day laborers for neighboring Bengalis. They continue to live primarily in Koch villages in simple homes with mud walls and floors and thatched or corrugated tin roofs.
There are also some Koch living in Gazipur near Dhaka. These people's ancestors apparently spoke a Tibeto-Burman variety of Koch, but today these people speak Bangla as their mother tongue. They have little or no communication with the Koch living in northwesterern Dhaka division, but they do still share some cultural traits. Most of these Koch, too, are Sonaton, but possibly one or two families say they are Christian.
The Koch are poor and uneducated. A Christian education and/or community development organization could possibly be a real blessing to the Koch. At the same time, it seems the Koch tend to equate Christianity with opportunities for education and health care and are in great need of someone to share true Christianity with them.
Scripture Prayers for the Koch (Hindu traditions) in Nepal.
Profile Source: Anonymous |
Other PDF Profile |
People Name General | Koch (Hindu traditions) |
People Name in Country | Koch (Hindu traditions) |
Alternate Names | Bashgaria; Koch; Magan; Sanga; कोच (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 1,800 |
Population all Countries | 97,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 20018 |
ROP3 Code | 105069 |
Country | Nepal | |||||||||
Region | Asia, South | |||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked | |||||||||
Total States on file | 8 | |||||||||
Largest States |
|
Country | Nepal |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Total States | 8 |
Mechi 1,200 | |
Kosi 200 | |
Narayani 100 | |
Bagmati 90 | |
Sagarmatha 80 | |
Janakpur 50 | |
Lumbini 30 | |
Seti 30 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.63 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
91.76 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
7.61 %
|
* From latest Nepal census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Rajbanshi (1,000 speakers) | |||
Language Code | rjs Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||
Total Languages | 4 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Rajbanshi (1,000 speakers) |
Language Code | rjs Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 4 |
Secondary Languages | |
Koch 300 | |
Maithili 100 | |
Rangpuri 100 | |
People Groups | Speaking Rajbanshi |
Primary Language: Rajbanshi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (2005-2016) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (2009) |
Bible-Complete | No |
Bible-NT Audio | 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 | Online New Testament | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Rajbanshi | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels | Bible Media Group/LUMO |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app as APK file | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app as APK file | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Text / Printed Matter | Jesus Messiah comic book | General / Other |
Photo Source | Anonymous |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Anonymous |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |