A Kumhar legend says that "once Brahma divided sugarcane among his sons and each of them ate his share, but the Kumhara who was greatly absorbed in his work, forgot to eat. The piece which he had kept near his clay lump struck root and soon grew into a sugarcane plant. A few days later, when Brahma asked his sons for sugarcane, none of them could give it to him, excepting the Kumhara who offered a full plant. Brahma was pleased by the devotion of the potter to his work."
The Kumhars are the communities that traditionally made pottery and other clay goods for sale. They also made toys and even Hindu idols with clay or terracotta.
They have low caste status, though they are certainly not at the bottom of the Hindu pecking order.
There are a couple of Kumhar communities, one of which is called Mathuria. This subgroup lives in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan.
Those who remain potters sell their good locally, but the more fortunate have found international markets. It is very hard for these hard working people to make a living as potters. Therefore, a good percentage of them have gravitated to farming and animal husbandry.
Men dominate in the Mathuria Kumhar social structure. Men get credit for the goods they produce even when the wife does a large share of the work. Kumhar girls marry young and seldom get much education.
The Mathuria Kumhar are Hindu and pray to the Lord Shiva, the destroyer god, and Goddess Mother Mata.
Mathuria Kumhars need to learn new job skills. They need good schools for their children. Education is a challenge for the Kumhar since many of them lead nomadic lives. Children often quit school after a few years to help their parents earn a living. The Kumhar frequently lack access to modern medicine and clean water.
Believers can offer them Global Recordings Network materials and Scriptures in Use materials so they can listen to God's word as they work. God's word does not return void!
Since there are no known believers among the Mathuria Kumhars, pray that they will hear and respond to the Lord's voice.
Pray for a movement of Jesus to heal and strengthen Mathuria Kumhar communities.
Pray that Mathuria Kumhar council leaders will come to Christ and lead others to him.
Pray that the church around the world will remember the Kumhar communities in intercession.
Scripture Prayers for the Kumhar Mathuria in India.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumhar
https://www.indianetzone.com/49/kumhar.htm
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Kumhar Mathuria |
People Name in Country | Kumhar Mathuria |
Natural Name | Mathuria Kumhar |
Alternate Names | कुम्हार मतूरिया |
Population this Country | 84,000 |
Population all Countries | 84,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 2 |
People ID | 21177 |
ROP3 Code | 118000 |
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 | 7 | |||||||||
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 | 7 |
Rajasthan 31,000 | |
Uttar Pradesh 26,000 | |
Bihar 12,000 | |
Jharkhand 10,000 | |
Delhi 1,300 | |
Madhya Pradesh 1,100 | |
Chhattisgarh 1,000 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
100.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Hindi (43,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 17 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (43,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 17 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Marwari 12,000 | |
Bhojpuri 4,500 | |
Dhundari 2,000 | |
Shekhawati 1,800 | |
Bagri 1,800 | |
Magahi 1,200 | |
Awadhi 800 | |
Maithili 500 | |
Chhattisgarhi 500 | |
Haroti: Harauti 500 | |
Kanauji 300 | |
Bengali 300 | |
Bundeli 100 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 100 | |
Angika 100 | |
People Groups | Speaking Hindi |
Primary Language: Hindi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1806-1962) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1811-1998) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1818-2022) |
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 | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |