Kumangar in India
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Map Source:
People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project
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| People Name: | Kumangar |
| Country: | India |
| 10/40 Window: | Yes |
| Population: | 1,000 |
| World Population: | 2,200 |
| Primary Language: | Dogri |
| Primary Religion: | Islam |
| Christian Adherents: | 0.00 % |
| Evangelicals: | 0.00 % |
| Scripture: | New Testament |
| Ministry Resources: | Yes |
| Jesus Film: | Yes |
| Audio Recordings: | Yes |
| People Cluster: | South Asia Muslim - other |
| Affinity Bloc: | South Asian Peoples |
| Progress Level: |
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Introduction / History
The name Kamangar comes from two Persian words, which combined mean "bow makers." That was their profession in the olden days. They trace their ancestry to a man named Bani Saad and their people migrated with Moghul armies manufacturing instruments of war for them. The Kumangar are a small Muslim community that lives in India's states of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Those in Pakistan live in the Sindh Province and Khyber Paskhtunkwa.
What Are Their Lives Like?
Though the Kumangar people traditionally made weapons, they now make bamboo toys. Some draw pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses, but this is probably a difficult issue for these Muslims. They work in urban and semi-urban environments. Some of them identify with the Quarashi or the Moghuls, two larger communities.
What Are Their Beliefs?
The Kumangar people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the One, Supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship. The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah. In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. The often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.
What Are Their Needs?
The Kumangar people need training to get beyond their subsistence economy. They need to learn skills that will help them earn high paying jobs in urban South Asia.
Prayer Points
Pray for Holy Spirit led workers to go to the Kumangar people, both in India and in Pakistan. Pray for the Kumangar people to have a dissatisfaction with their spiritual lives so they will seek and find solace in Jesus Christ. Pray for a Disciple Making Movement among them this decade.