Kolha in India


Population
Main Language
Ho
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 meaning of the word "Ho" in their language is "man.” Ho is also a language spoken by a number of tribes including the Kolha people. Ho language speakers live in the forests in the Singbhum district of Jharkhand state, and in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and a few other districts of Odisha. They are also reported to be in a few districts of West Bengal and Assam. They originally inhabited only the Singbhum district of Jharkhand state, but they moved to the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha due to forest clearance. The Kolhas are zealous about their cultural identity and have a very positive attitude towards their language.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The Kolha people prefer to live in the forest because they exist mainly on forest products. They also do agricultural work, but when their field work is over, the men go to the forests to hunt. They earn money by selling forest goods, such as oil seeds and gum from trees. They also collect the leaves of the Sal tree; they sew them together and make plates and bowls which are in great demand in north India.

Development has not had any impact on their lives. For example, none of the Kolha villages have electricity. Most Kolha live in mud houses with straw-thatched roofs.


What Are Their Beliefs?

They are animists by faith and worship the spirits of their ancestors.

The Ho people are very receptive to the gospel, and, as a result, many churches and worship groups have been established among them. Several Christian organizations work among them.


What Are Their Needs?

The Bible is being translated into the Ho language. Five books of the Old Testament have been translated, and the New Testament translation is nearing completion. The fast growing church will soon have God's Word in its mother tongue. Having the Bible in Ho will help the Christians to study the Scripture and to bear much fruit.


Prayer Points

Pray for this community to have all the basic amenities needed for life.
Pray for the Kolha people to give God praise and honor for his provisions.
Pray for their economic prosperity and for them to attain equality with other neighboring communities.
Pray for the translation of the New Testament to be completed soon and made available to Ho Christians.
Pray for their church to catch the vision of reaching their own people and others for Christ.


Scripture Prayers for the Kolha in India.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Kolha
People Name in Country Kolha
Alternate Names Kohali; Kohli; Kolahi; Kolhi; कोल्हा
Population this Country 800,000
Population all Countries 800,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
Pioneer Workers Needed 16
PeopleID3 17244
ROP3 Code 112612
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 6
Largest States
Odisha
705,000
Maharashtra
92,000
Madhya Pradesh
2,100
Chhattisgarh
1,400
Delhi
100
Chandigarh
50
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 6
  Odisha 705,000
  Maharashtra 92,000
  Madhya Pradesh 2,100
  Chhattisgarh 1,400
  Delhi 100
  Chandigarh 50
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.08 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
1.26 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
95.12 %
Islam
0.09 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.01 %
Unknown
3.44 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Ho (299,000 speakers)
Language Code hoc   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 49
Secondary Languages
(only 15 largest shown)
Odia
142,000
Munda
112,000
Marathi
79,000
Kurux
24,000
Santhali
15,000
Kuvi
13,000
Hindi
11,000
Mundari
10,000
Chhattisgarhi
1,200
Bengali
800
Chin, Thado
700
Tamil
200
Punjabi, Eastern
200
Naga, Mao
100
Juang
100
Primary Language Ho (299,000 speakers)
Language Code hoc   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 49
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown)
  Odia 142,000
  Munda 112,000
  Marathi 79,000
  Kurux 24,000
  Santhali 15,000
  Kuvi 13,000
  Hindi 11,000
  Mundari 10,000
  Chhattisgarhi 1,200
  Bengali 800
  Chin, Thado 700
  Tamil 200
  Punjabi, Eastern 200
  Naga, Mao 100
  Juang 100
People Groups Speaking Ho
Photo Source Anonymous 
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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