Bhoksa 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 Bhoksa or Buska are a tribal people who live in the foothills of the Himalayas in north central India. The word Bhoksa comes from the word for mountain goat or an edible root. Most Bhoksa are employed in agriculture. They also raise sheep for meat and wool. Goats provide milk, meat and hides. Bhoksa men have some knowledge of reading and writing whereas most woman not do. Some Bhoksa men work as mountain guides for tourists.

The Bhoksa are classified as a Schedules Caste making them eligible for special consideration for pubic jobs and college admissions.

The primary language of the Bhoksa is their Buksa language. Most men have some knowledge of Hindi so they can communicate with outsiders.


Where Are they Located?

The vast majority of Bhoksa live in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand. A smaller group lives in Uttar Pradesh.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The modern world is slowly coming to the Bhoksa. Most of them still live in rural villages like their ancestors did. A chief along with his council of elders make legal and major economic decisions for the village.

There are more Bhoksa men than women. To gain a bride for its son, a family must demonstrate that the young man can support her by owning some land. They must pay a bride price. The Bhoksa marry within their tribe but not within their particular clan. Cousin marriages are forbidden. Unfortunately, alcoholism is a problem among Bhoksa men. A woman can divorce her husband by returning the bride price.

Some young Bhoksa are leaving the traditional way of life and moving to cities for better economic and educational opportunities.

The main foods for the Bhoksa are fish, rice, wheat, vegetables and milk products.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Bhoksa are Hindus heavily influenced by folk religion. Their main god is Shankar, another name for Shiva, the destroyer god. Their patron goddess is Chamunda, a form of Durga, the mother-warrior goddess. They also worship Rama and Krishna, avatars of Vishnu, the preserver god. Unlike most tribal peoples, the Bhoksa pay Brahmins to officiate at their important family ceremonies like births, weddings and funerals. The Bhoksa cremate their dead. They Bhoksa believe in evil spirits and ghosts who they try to placate with offerings of food, incense, flowers and prayers. The main yearly holidays of the Bhoksa people are Holi, the festival of colors, Diwali, the festival of lights and Navratri, the celebration of autumn.


What Are Their Needs?

The Bhoksa need to hear the life-changing message about Jesus Christ in a way they can understand. They need help in educating their young people, especially their girls. They need the benefits of modern medical care. Agricultural experts could help them increase the crop yield of their lands. The Bhoksa do not have the Bible in their language, although the Jesus film is available.


Prayer Points

Pray the Lord leads some people to translate the Bible into the Buksa language.
Pray for Bhoksa families and communities to discover and embrace the free gift of life found by trusting Christ and his finished work.
Pray the Lord leads the Bhoksa away from their Hindu and folk religion and into the arms of the loving Savior.
Pray God sends loving Christian workers to serve the Bhoksa.


Scripture Prayers for the Bhoksa in India.


References

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhoksa_people
http://alokchantia1.blogspot.com/2009/09/bhoksa-tribe.html
journalijar.com/uploads/968_IJAR-18996.pdf


Profile Source:   David Kugel  

People Name General Bhoksa
People Name in Country Bhoksa
Pronunciation BOOK-sa
Alternate Names Bhuksa; Buksa; Mehra; Mehre; भोक्सा
Population this Country 66,000
Population all Countries 66,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 16500
ROP3 Code 111671
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 2
Largest States
Uttarakhand
61,000
Uttar Pradesh
5,500
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 2
  Uttarakhand 61,000
  Uttar Pradesh 5,500
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
0.03 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
99.46 %
Islam
0.35 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.05 %
Unknown
0.12 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Buksa (53,000 speakers)
Language Code tkb   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 24
Secondary Languages
(only 15 largest shown)
Hindi
4,700
Garhwali
600
Kanauji
70
Nepali
20
Sikkimese
20
Sadri, Oraon
20
Bengali
20
Bhojpuri
20
Punjabi, Eastern
10
Awadhi Urdu Assamese
Wagdi Chhattisgarhi Kurux
Primary Language Buksa (53,000 speakers)
Language Code tkb   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 24
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown)
  Hindi 4,700
  Garhwali 600
  Kanauji 70
  Nepali 20
  Sikkimese 20
  Sadri, Oraon 20
  Bengali 20
  Bhojpuri 20
  Punjabi, Eastern 10
  Awadhi 10
  Urdu 10
  Assamese 0
  Wagdi 0
  Chhattisgarhi 0
  Kurux 0
People Groups Speaking Buksa

Primary Language:  Buksa

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (2016)
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
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Buksa Jesus Film Project
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source (Representative photo)
Toshar Chaudhary - Pexels 
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source David Kugel 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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