Bantu is a major cluster of Black African peoples from southern and eastern Africa. Some of these people were taken as slaves to Somalia by Arab Muslims in the 1800s, and generations later they became known as Somali Bantu. Ethnically they are not Somali, and they speak a non-Somali language.
During the 1990s, civil war raged in Somalia, and these despised people had their land taken from them, many were killed, and women were raped. They fled to refugee camps in neighboring Kenya where they languished for roughly 10 years before some of them were sent to start new lives in the United States. The first Somali Bantu people arrived in the US in the early 2000s. They are still adjusting to life in America.
Most Somali Bantu live in Somalia or Kenya, but a few are able to come to the United States. They live in cities like Atlanta, Columbus, Salt Lake City, and Pittsburgh where their skills as farmers are almost useless.
Efforts to re-settle the Somali Bantus have been difficult. They don't have the job skills or education needed for America's economy. They have needed housing, which isn't affordable except in depressed areas like Pittsburgh, where there is already a serious problem with unemployment.
Most Somali Bantu are marginally Sunni Muslim. A few are Roman Catholic. Their spiritual lives are affected by traditional animistic religion.
The Somali Bantu desperately need someone to help them until they are ready to stand on their own feet. They need language and job skills. Believers who are able to help them with these needs would be very welcome.
Pray that their hearts will be opened to the gospel as their physical needs are met.
Pray for peace and prosperity for the Somali Bantu, and that this displaced people would find their Heavenly Father.
Pray that the Somali Bantu will encounter the generosity and love of Christ through his followers in Kenya and the United States.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to birth a cascading discipleship movement among the Somali Bantu people in the US.
Scripture Prayers for the Somali Bantu in United States.
https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/20784/US
http://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com/2013/09/somali-bantu-people-hardworking.html
http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/a-number-of-somali-bantu-refugees-have-resettled-in-pittsburgh-but-how-are-they-adjusting/Content?oid=1953072
http://orvillejenkins.com/peoples/somalibantu.html
http://www.globalprayerdigest.org/index.php/issue/day/somali-bantu/
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/news/latest/2003/5/3eccda802/somali-bantus-leave-america-hope-new-life.html
https://wiki.colby.edu/display/AY298B/United+States+Resettlement
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4542221
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weYnP97LeOs
Profile Source: Keith Carey |
Global Prayer Digest: 2017-05-28 |
People Name General | Somali Bantu |
People Name in Country | Somali Bantu |
Natural Name | Bantu Somali |
Pronunciation | BAN-too |
Alternate Names | Jareer |
Population this Country | 53,000 |
Population all Countries | 1,050,000 |
Total Countries | 4 |
Indigenous | No |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 20784 |
ROP3 Code | 103458 |
Country | United States | ||
Region | America, North and Caribbean | ||
Continent | North America | ||
10/40 Window | No | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked | ||
Location in Country | Resettled in a number of American cities and towns, including Columbus, OH. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Bantu |
Country | United States |
Region | America, North and Caribbean |
Continent | North America |
10/40 Window | No |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Location in Country | Resettled in a number of American cities and towns, including Columbus, OH.. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Bantu |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.20 %) |
0.50 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
3.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
96.50 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Maay (53,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ymm Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Maay (53,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ymm Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Maay |
Primary Language: Maay
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (2006-2007) |
Bible-New Testament | No |
Bible-Complete | No |
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 |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Maay | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Magdalena video | Jesus Film Project |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Photo Source | Sergeant G.D. Robinson - Wikimedia Creative Commons |
Profile Source | Keith Carey |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |