The Lewa Kunbi are considered a "backward" community. This does not have the negative connotations it has in the West. It simply means they are under-privileged and need government reservations in colleges and high paying jobs.
Most of them live in the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, though a fewer number are scattered in Rajasthan and Karnataka.
The Kadwa Kunbi have been primarily landlords and landholders. Social control is regulated through traditional caste and village councils. The traditional occupation of most of the Kunbi groups is settled farming, followed by animal husbandry and paid labor.
Most Kunbi communities are non-vegetarian, and all the communities eat rice as their staple cereal. Jowar, wheat, bajra and ragi are the other cereals they eat. Both men and women smoke a homemade cheroot (chutta) which results in a high incidence of mouth and throat cancer.
Among the Kunbi people, cross-cousin marriages prevail. They do not permit widows to remarry. They prefer marriages between cousins, but they allow for divorce if the marriage turns out to be unsuitable. Divorcees and the bereaved are allowed to marry again.
They are Hindus who worship their ancestors. Their main festivals are Ugadi, Akshade and Dussehra. They play bhajans and kirtans as part of their festivals. There is much community pressure to remain in the ways of previous generations.
The Kadwa Kunbi speak Gujarati, one of India's major languages. There are very few Gujarati speaking Christian believers, so the Kadwa Kunbi will need to hear the gospel from people outside their language group.
Pray that the Lord will bring economic and spiritual prosperity to the Kunbi Lewa people, and that they will respond with thankfulness to him.
Pray that the leaders of the Kunbi Lewa Association come to Jesus Christ and lead others to the only savior.
Pray for their families to be drawn by the Holy Spirit to seek forgiveness and to understand the adequacy of Christ's work on the cross.
Pray that soon there will be Kunbi Lewa disciples who will make more disciples.
Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among the Kadwa Kunbi people in India and Pakistan.
Scripture Prayers for the Kunbi Lewa in India.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Global Prayer Digest: 2020-02-14 |
People Name General | Kunbi Lewa |
People Name in Country | Kunbi Lewa |
Natural Name | Lewa Kunbi |
Pronunciation | LAY-vah KOON-bee |
Population this Country | 2,381,000 |
Population all Countries | 2,387,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 48 |
Alternate Names | Lewa; Lewa Patil; कुंबी लेवा |
People ID | 21182 |
ROP3 Code | 118005 |
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 | 6 | ||||||
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 | 6 |
Gujarat 2,059,000 | |
Maharashtra 258,000 | |
Daman and Diu 20,000 | |
Rajasthan 18,000 | |
Dadra and Nagar Have 6,400 | |
Karnataka 2,300 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.01 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.02 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.91 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.06 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Gujarati (1,737,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | guj Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 14 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Gujarati (1,737,000 speakers) |
Language Code | guj Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 14 |
Secondary Languages | |
Marathi 121,000 | |
Hindi 66,000 | |
Khandesi 38,000 | |
Konkani 18,000 | |
Ahirani 13,000 | |
Dangi 3,700 | |
Marwari 3,500 | |
Koli, Wadiyari 3,200 | |
Kacchi 2,700 | |
Malvi 500 | |
Mewari 400 | |
Shekhawati 100 | |
Nimadi 80 | |
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 |
Bible-NT Text | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Taslim Arif |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |