Tipera in India


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

The Tipera are primarily concentrated in the Tripura Plains, which are located in the state of Tripura, northeastern India. As their name suggests, they are indigenous to this area. They are the largest tribe in the state, and their land once extended over much of Bengal, Assam, and northern Burma. The ruling family over this vast region belonged to the Tipera tribe.

The Tipera's native language, Kok Borok, is a Baric language belonging to the Tibeto-Burman language family. The phrase kok borok literally means "language people." Kok Borok is the mother tongue of a majority of the tribes in Tripura, and it is the language used in primary schools. There are three main dialects of Kok Borok: Debbarma, Riang, and Halam.

The Bodo, who are ancestors of the Tipera, were once the most important Indo-Mongoloid people in all of eastern India. Even now, their Tiperan descendants have special legal privileges.


What Are Their Lives Like?

In Tripura, many of the state services are reserved for "scheduled tribe" candidates. Today, due to the official state policy of favoring indigenous tribes in matters of social justice and economic affairs, the Tipera have preference in public services, education, land grants, and resettlement projects.

The Tipera are primarily farmers. Traditionally, they lived as semi-nomads and used the slash and burn method of farming. However, in 1976, the government moved the Tipera to the plains and introduced them to settled cultivation. They are still trying to adjust to this new lifestyle. Those living in the plains grow jute, rice, wheat, and sugar cane. Their biggest fear is the seasonal cyclones that flood the area and cause much damage to the crops and villages.

Not all of the Tipera are farmers or farm laborers; some work in the state's industries. They include weaving cloth, milling rice and flour, canning fruit, and producing bamboo and leather items.

The Tipera are known as poor, careless, and not at all industrious. Without a medical college in Tripura State, their state of health is understandably poor. In addition, they have no access to pure drinking water.

There are very few towns in the plains region. The Tipera generally live in small village settlements that are located near the river valleys. Their tiny, one-room houses are made of temporary materials-usually mud or bamboo. A few houses have tin walls, and there is occasionally a home made of wood with a tile roof. Each village is divided into clans and castes, and is run by a headman.

The Tipera only marry within their own tribe. Polygamy is permitted, but rare. Young people are free to choose their own marriage partners, although they must first receive permission from their parents. Promiscuity before marriage is freely tolerated among the Tipera, but accidental pregnancies lead to immediate marriage. Married couples usually do not have their own homes until they have had several children.

Tipera women are especially fond of wearing jewelry, which can be bought from Bengali craftsmen.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Tipera practice ethnic religions, which include worshiping the gods of fire, water, and the forest. The Tipera believe that they must appease these spirits in order to have bountiful harvests. They believe that they are surrounded by spirits that affect their welfare and health. They also believe that after death each man goes to the "underworld" and begins re-living his previous life.


What Are Their Needs?

The Tipera living in the plains have a greater exposure to technology than those in the more remote regions. However, they also have more exposure to other religions; they are surrounded by Hindus, Buddhists, and Lamaists. Christian laborers are needed to go into the plains and share the love of Christ with this tribe.


Prayer Points

Ask the Lord to call people who are willing to go to India and share Christ with the Tipera.
Pray that Tipera believers will have opportunities to share Christ with their own people.
Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Tipera towards Christians so that they will be receptive to the Gospel.
Pray that God will open the hearts of India's governmental leaders to the Gospel.
Pray that God will raise up teams of intercessors who will stand in the gap for these precious people.


Scripture Prayers for the Tipera in India.


Profile Source:   Bethany World Prayer Center  

People Name General Tipera
People Name in Country Tipera
Alternate Names Deb-Barma; Halam; Kachari; Kok Borok; Kokbor; Tippera-Bengali; Tipperah; Tipra; Tiprasa; Tripura; Tripuri; Twiprasa; तिपेरा
Population this Country 775,000
Population all Countries 926,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 2
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 3  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 15498
ROP3 Code 110073
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 31
Largest States
(only 15 largest shown)
Tripura
679,000
Assam
48,000
Mizoram
42,000
Meghalaya
3,100
Nagaland
400
Manipur
300
Gujarat
300
Jammu and Kashmir
200
Rajasthan
200
Maharashtra
100
West Bengal
100
Karnataka
100
Punjab
100
Arunachal Pradesh
90
Delhi
70
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 31  (only 20 largest shown)
  Tripura 679,000
  Assam 48,000
  Mizoram 42,000
  Meghalaya 3,100
  Nagaland 400
  Manipur 300
  Gujarat 300
  Jammu and Kashmir 200
  Rajasthan 200
  Maharashtra 100
  West Bengal 100
  Karnataka 100
  Punjab 100
  Arunachal Pradesh 90
  Delhi 70
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.25 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
8.51 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
90.82 %
Islam
0.18 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.03 %
Unknown
0.21 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Kok Borok (636,000 speakers)
Language Code trp   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 35
Secondary Languages
(only 15 largest shown)
Bengali
40,000
Assamese
2,200
Chin, Falam
700
Hindi
400
Meitei
400
Magahi
300
English
200
Munda
100
Odia
100
Kurux
90
Tamil
70
Santhali
60
Nepali
30
Malayalam
20
Mizo
20
Primary Language Kok Borok (636,000 speakers)
Language Code trp   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 35
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown)
  Bengali 40,000
  Assamese 2,200
  Chin, Falam 700
  Hindi 400
  Meitei 400
  Magahi 300
  English 200
  Munda 100
  Odia 100
  Kurux 90
  Tamil 70
  Santhali 60
  Nepali 30
  Malayalam 20
  Mizo 20
People Groups Speaking Kok Borok
Photo Source Tirengma - Wikimedia  Creative Commons 
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Bethany World Prayer Center 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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