Kheng in Bhutan

The Kheng have only been reported in Bhutan
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* Data can be from various sources including official census, agencies, and local research. Data from these sources can sometimes differ even by orders of magnitude. Joshua Project attempts to present a conservative, balanced estimate.

Introduction / History

Kheng people live in southcentral Bhutan. It is the most widely spoken of the Eastern Tibetan languages in Bhutan. The Kheng inhabit a widespread area in the southcentral part of the kingdom, concentrated in Zhamgang District and western Mongar District. Zhamgang was once a collection of tiny principalities that were absorbed into Bhutan in the 17th century. One source gives specific details regarding the distribution of the Kheng: 'Near Zhamgang, the northernmost Kheng speaking village is Wangdugang on the Mangdechu [River]. Around Zhamgang the Mangdechu forms the boundary between the Kheng and Nyenkha speaking areas. South of the village of Takma, however, Kheng is spoken on both sides of the Mangdechu. In the east, the Kurichu River forms the boundary between the Kheng and Tsangla speaking areas. As one crosses the high mountain ridge traveling south from Zhamgang on the main road, one enters Nepali speaking territory. '
The southernmost areas inhabited by the Kheng are off-limits to foreign travelers, because of the threat posed by separatist groups across the border in the Indian State of Assam. Several guerilla groups there have been waging a war against Indian rule, and senseless acts of violence are commonplace.
The Kheng language is part of the Eastern Tibetan branch of Tibeto-Burman. It is closely related to, yet distinct from, Bumthang and Kurtop. Kheng reportedly has 92 per cent lexical similarity with Bumthang, and just 47 per cent with Dzongkha (the national language of Bhutan). George van Driem says, 'Although it could be argued that the two languages Kheng and Kurtop are dialects of Bumthang on grounds of mutual intelligibility, there are essential differences between the phonologies of Kheng and Kurtop on one hand and that of Bumthang on the other. Moreover, the speakers of these three languages identify strongly with their respective homelands in Bumthang, Kurto and Kheng.... The district capital of Kheng is Zhamgang proper. It has three dialects, all of which have significant differences. Within the vast Kheng area there is considerable dialect diversity, both lexically and in the way certain tenses are formed. The differences between the individual Kheng dialects are in some cases as great as the difference between any one of these and a given dialect of Bumthang. '


What Are Their Lives Like?

Like most peoples in Bhutan, the Kheng are farmers, who grow what they can, and they raise livestock.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Tibetan Buddhism is the professed religion of the Kheng, although the pre-Buddhist shamanistic Bon religion also yields great influence. 'The Bon religion is widespread throughout Kheng, where it is practiced in syncretic coexistence with Buddhism. One expert on Tibetan Buddhism noted, that when ‘tantric Buddhism entered Tibet... it began a centuries-long battle with Tibet's native shamanism. In the end, tantric Buddhism prevailed only by absorbing much shamanist practice, and the shamanists survived by adopting a thin veneer of Buddhism. '
In the early 1990s, the first Kheng people believed in Christ. Today there is a small group of believers, struggling to establish the Christian faith among this unreached people group.


What Are Their Needs?

The Kheng people need a gospel witness, no matter where they live.


Prayer Points

Pray for loving workers to go to the Kheng people in Bhutan.
Pray for Kheng disciples to make more disciples.
Pray for a movement to Christ among the Kheng people throughout the Himalayan region.


Scripture Prayers for the Kheng in Bhutan.


References

Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Kheng
People Name in Country Kheng
Pronunciation kayng
Alternate Names Ken; Keng; Khangpa; Khen; Khengkha; Khenkha; खेंग
Population this Country 36,000
Population all Countries 36,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 12658
ROP3 Code 104937
Country Bhutan
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 36  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country The Kheng inhabit a widespread area in the south-central part of the kingdom, concentrated in Zhamgang District and western Mongar District.   Source:  Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004
Total States on file 3
Largest States
Southern
18,000
Eastern
16,000
Western
2,200
Country Bhutan
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 36  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country The Kheng inhabit a widespread area in the south-central part of the kingdom, concentrated in Zhamgang District and western Mongar District..   Source:  Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004
Total States 3
  Southern 18,000
  Eastern 16,000
  Western 2,200
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Buddhism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
99.80 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.20 %)
0.20 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
* From latest Bhutan census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Khengkha (36,000 speakers)
Language Code xkf   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Khengkha (36,000 speakers)
Language Code xkf   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Khengkha

Primary Language:  Khengkha

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (2008)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (2016)
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Mobile App Android Bible app: Kheng New Testament General / Other
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Inside_bhutan - Shutterstock  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
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.


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