Karmali in Bangladesh

Introduction / History

The Karmali of India are a Scheduled Tribe in the state of Jharkhand. They are mostly in Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Ranchi, Santhal Parganas and Singhbhum. A smaller number are in Bangladesh.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Karmali build their homes with mud walls and with tiles and bamboo. Their houses are rectangular in shape, and they make their own wooden doors. They breed and eat pigs and, as a result, other tribes regard them as low caste and do not accept food and water from them. The Karmali weave baskets and the women wear ornaments.
The Karmali people are monogamous. When the women cannot have children through barrenness, bigamy and trigamy is permitted. They also allow remarriage for widowers and widows. They are endogamous and have clan exogamy. This means they marry within the group but not within their same clan. They do not allow marriage between tribes.
In marriage there is a bride price paid in cash or with goods by the father of the groom. The fathers or guardians arrange the marriage. The boy's father contacts the girl's father to arrange the marriage. The village priest helps to arrange the date of the marriage. Females from both families perform a soil digging ritual. Oil is put on the couple, and they are blessed by the families. They have a feast. The bride stays for a week and the father of the bride takes her home where she stays for a year.
The Karmali make, sharpen and repair tools. They sell them to agricultural communities. They also make house and agriculture tools such as axes and sickles. Today they have difficulty getting the needed raw materials, so some earn their living as day laborers.
The Karmali have a community panchayat and all family leaders are members. The leader is called Mahato and is also the village chief. Cases such as divorce, adultery, rape and unfaithfulness in marriage are listened to and then a decision is given.
The Karmali kinship goes according to parentage and marriage. The lineage is through the fathers. Kin are classed by how near and distant they are.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Karmali are Hindus. The main god they worship is Singbonga but they worship other gods as well. They believe that spirits of their ancestors live in their homes, so they and their priests make sacrifices to these gods. They believe in witchcraft.

What Are Their Needs?

The Karmali people in Bangladesh need more of Jesus in their families, their villages and their communities.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Karmali culture to be renewed and enhanced by a work of the Holy Spirit and shaped into a God-centered and God-honoring mold.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to move among Karmali family and community leaders to seek his face and enjoy his blessings.
Pray for the Lord to thrust out workers who will be compelled to nurture a Disciple Making Movement among the Karmali people.
Pray that soon the Karmali people will have faith that will lead them to live honorable lives that will draw others to the savior.

Text Source:   Joshua Project