Birhor 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 name "Birhor" suggests, "men of the forest." Their lives revolve entirely around forests. These dark-skinned, short-statured, long-headed, wavy-haired and broad-nosed people belong to the Mundari group of tribes.


Where Are they Located?

They are found mainly in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. The Birhor population in all three states put together is relatively small and is declining with disappearing forests.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Originally hunters, the Birhors, also known as Mankidias, live entirely on forest produce. They love to eat monkey meat and are extremely skilled in trapping any animal. Trapping rabbits, weaving ropes, selling a few baskets when they can, the Birhors seem to live in a different age.

It is only recently that they have started rope-making as their main economic activity. Their need for rice is met through buying it from others in the area, in exchange for forest products.

The government made huge efforts to settle them, but except for one or two settlements, other Birhors are always on the move.


What Are Their Beliefs?

They are nomadic, moving from one place in the forest to another, setting up their places of worship as they go to a new place. The Birhor follow a mixture of animism and Hinduism. The sun god and ancestral family spirits rank very high in their religion. Due to contacts with Hindu neighbours, they have added some more gods into their list.

Birhors believe that the whole universe is created and presided over by Sing Bonga, the sun god and his wife. Christian ministry has been difficult due to their nomadic nature. Yet there are a few Birhor settlements where there are a few Christians.


What Are Their Needs?

Their birth rate is low and their death rate is high, dwindling their population as the years go by. Most of them are addicted to alcohol. They would like to send their children to school, but cannot afford it. Malnutrition is written across their faces, especially among children.

The Birhor literacy rate is very low and as a result, they fall an easy prey to those who exploit them. Literacy initiatives, hand in hand with Bible translation can bring about a transformation in their lives. They need God's Word in the language that speak to their hearts so that they can understand the love of the Almighty God.


Prayer Points

Pray for God to break the spiritual and physical bondages that keep the Birhors in poverty, superstitions, ill health etc.
Pray for the Birhors who have received the light of the gospel to share effectively with other Birhors.
Pray for God to raise up Christian ministers to work among the Birhor in a culturally appropriate way.
Pray for a mother tongue translation team to be trained well and translate the Scripture into Birhor.


Scripture Prayers for the Birhor in India.


Profile Source:   Anonymous  

People Name General Birhor
People Name in Country Birhor
Alternate Names Birhul; Burlur; Manki; Mankidi; Mankirdia; बिरहोर
Population this Country 23,000
Population all Countries 24,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 2
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 4  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 16461
ROP3 Code 111625
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 9
Largest States
Jharkhand
12,000
Assam
3,700
Chhattisgarh
3,200
West Bengal
2,500
Odisha
1,000
Bihar
400
Maharashtra
300
Madhya Pradesh
200
Tripura
60
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 9
  Jharkhand 12,000
  Assam 3,700
  Chhattisgarh 3,200
  West Bengal 2,500
  Odisha 1,000
  Bihar 400
  Maharashtra 300
  Madhya Pradesh 200
  Tripura 60
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.08 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
5.59 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
83.68 %
Islam
0.41 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.16 %
Unknown
10.08 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Birhor (3,900 speakers)
Language Code biy   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 35
Secondary Languages
(only 15 largest shown)
Hindi
3,300
Santhali
2,200
Assamese
2,100
Bengali
1,900
Maithili
1,700
Sadri
1,500
Mundari
1,300
Chhattisgarhi
900
Ho
500
Oriya, Adivasi
400
Marathi
200
Odia
200
Sadri, Oraon
200
Kurux
100
Magahi
100
Primary Language Birhor (3,900 speakers)
Language Code biy   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 35
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown)
  Hindi 3,300
  Santhali 2,200
  Assamese 2,100
  Bengali 1,900
  Maithili 1,700
  Sadri 1,500
  Mundari 1,300
  Chhattisgarhi 900
  Ho 500
  Oriya, Adivasi 400
  Marathi 200
  Odia 200
  Sadri, Oraon 200
  Kurux 100
  Magahi 100
People Groups Speaking Birhor

Primary Language:  Birhor

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes
Bible-New Testament Yes  (2023)
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
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Anonymous 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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