Gatti in India

Gatti
Send Joshua Project a photo
of this people group.
Map Source:  People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project
People Name: Gatti
Country: India
10/40 Window: Yes
Population: 7,700
World Population: 7,700
Primary Language: Tulu
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Christian Adherents: 0.00 %
Evangelicals: 0.00 %
Scripture: New Testament
Online Audio NT: Yes
Jesus Film: Yes
Audio Recordings: Yes
People Cluster: South Asia Hindu - other
Affinity Bloc: South Asian Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Gatti are also called Poladava and Holadava, meaning "men of the field." They are a small caste of farmers living mainly near Kumbla and Someswara in South Canara on the coast of Karnataka.

What Are Their Lives Like?

They follow the law of inheritance in the female line and have exogamous septs. This means that the group is divided into one or more segments and marriage only takes place between the segments, never within them. On the day of the final death ceremony they build car-like structures if the deceased was an important local person. The Gattis and Bants dine with each other but do not intermarry. The leader of the Gattis is called Gunkara.

What Are Their Beliefs?

They are Hindu. The god of the Someswara temple is the caste deity and every family pays a yearly fee or else they are excommunicated.

What Are Their Needs?

The Gatti people need to experience the abundant life offered only by Jesus Christ.

Prayer Points

Pray that the Gatti leaders will come to Jesus Christ and lead their community into a Christ-ward movement. Pray that gospel materials will bring the Gatti to put all their faith in Jesus Christ.

Text Source:   Keith Carey