People
Who they are
The Barabaig, the best-known and largest group among the Datooga, live mainly in the volcanic highlands around Mount Hanang, in the Manyara Region of northern Tanzania. They regard the mountain as sacred, and it features in their myths and songs. Cattle herding is central to life: cattle provide milk and also serve as a reserve for families in difficult times.
The Barabaig have no single chief. Each clan has a leader and a council, and the most serious matters are handled by selected elders.
Where they live
1
Country
207K
Population
| Country | Share of the people | Population |
|---|---|---|
Tanzania Partially reached
|
100%
|
201.000 |
How they live
In addition to cattle, they raise sheep and goats. As the availability of water and pasture changes with the seasons, the herds move between grazing areas in rotation. Joshua Project notes that they were once nomadic. Today, many families also grow maize, sorghum and beans, and increasingly sunflowers, during the rainy season. Men care for the animals, and women care for the children.
What they believe
The vast majority follow traditional beliefs, and Christians are a small minority. The Datooga are known for holding firmly to their traditions and resisting cultural change, including Christianity.
Some highly respected elders are buried with a bung’ed, the name for both the tomb and the ceremony. The clan cares for the tomb forever, and relatives visit it for generations to ask the ancestor to intercede with Aset, their God.
The Bible in this people's language
A people only truly understands the gospel when they hear it in the language of their heart. See how far the translation has come.
Datooga
Complete Bible
- Translation started Done
- Portions Done
- New Testament Done
- Whole Bible Current stage
Audio recordings Available
Jesus Film Available
Translation data: Joshua Project.
Gospel progress among the unreached
Christians (all traditions)6%
Evangelicals4%
Needs
Most Barabaig do not speak Swahili, and few can read, so the gospel needs to reach them in Datooga through stories and songs. Droughts and disputes over traditional lands have left insufficient pasture and water for their cattle. A wheat project on the Hanang plateau took over about 40,000 hectares of the best grazing land, and many bung’ed tombs were plowed over.
What to pray for
Intercede for this people
Pray for the gospel to be shared with Barabaig families in Datooga through stories and songs.
Pray for Barabaig Christians to grow in their trust in Jesus.
Pray for Barabaig families who visit bung'ed tombs to know Jesus as the only mediator with God.
Pray for fair solutions to disputes over the traditional lands of the Barabaig.
Pray for the churches among the Barabaig and for leaders who teach in the language of the people.
Pray for Datooga Barabaig
Intercede for this people alongside Christians around the world.
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