The name Dhanka is related to the word hill or bow. Others claim their name is related to a term for forest dweller. Some believe they are one of the Bhil subgroups. Dhanka are a scheduled tribe except in Madhya Pradesh. They live in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
They no longer have any land for farming so they migrate to the cities. The Dhanka often work in electricity and waterworks departments. The literacy of the Dhanka is 65%, one of the highest of the tribes of Rajasthan. Although the Dhanka are known as hard workers, they are often very poor. They need a proper share of reservation land. On the death of the father, all of the children get the same share of the property. The bereaved and divorced can marry again. The Dhanka people only marry within their community. They have a traditional council. They prefer traditional medicine, but they use modern medicines in more serious cases.
Hinduism is their religion. Spiritual beliefs of Hindus are very diverse from those who worship only one god to those who worship hundreds of them to those who are philosophical and do not worship any.
Dhanka people need fair job opportunities.
Pray for them to experience the spiritual and social blessings of Christ who came to give life to the full. Pray that gospel recordings and the JESUS Film will give them the willingness to consider the claims of Christ. Pray that Indian believers will help lead them into a disciple making movement.
Scripture Prayers for the Bhil Dhanka in India.
Profile Source: Keith Carey |
Central Bhil profile for Children and Family Missions Activities |
People Name General | Bhil Dhanka |
People Name in Country | Bhil Dhanka |
Natural Name | Dhanka Bhil |
Alternate Names | भील ढँका |
Population this Country | 96,000 |
Population all Countries | 96,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 2 |
People ID | 21012 |
ROP3 Code | 117863 |
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) | |||
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) |
Total States | 2 |
Gujarat 70,000 | |
Maharashtra 24,000 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.48 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.24 %
|
Islam |
0.12 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.01 %
|
Unknown |
0.16 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Gujarati (53,000 speakers) | |||||||||
Language Code | guj Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||
Total Languages | 10 | |||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Gujarati (53,000 speakers) |
Language Code | guj Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 10 |
Secondary Languages | |
Marathi 18,000 | |
Bhili 3,800 | |
Vasavi 3,000 | |
Dungra Bhil 1,400 | |
Khandesi 400 | |
Sindhi Bhil 400 | |
Bareli, Pauri 300 | |
Mawchi 200 | |
Bareli, Rathwi 60 | |
People Groups | Speaking Gujarati |
Primary Language: Gujarati
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1809-1965) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1820-1985) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1823-2021) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Keith Carey |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |