People cluster
Gond
Unreached
0%
Evangelicals
Who they are
The Gonds are one of the largest tribal peoples of India, with almost 20 million people. In India, tribal peoples are ancient groups of the forests and mountains, with their own culture and language, outside the caste system. The Gonds live in central India, in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Odisha, in a region that in the past was called Gondwana, the land of the Gonds, where Gond kingdoms existed for several centuries.
The traditional language is Gondi, a distant relative of the languages of southern India, such as Tamil. Many Gonds today also speak, or speak only, Hindi and other regional languages. Most live in villages, growing rice and grains, gathering fruits and leaves from the forest and raising animals. They are famous for their colorful paintings of animals and trees.
Their faith mixes the ancient worship of forest spirits, ancestors and a greater god of the tribe with practices of Hinduism. There are some Christians among the Gonds, but the great majority still have very little access to the gospel in their own language.
What sets the subgroups apart
The Gond subgroups are the same people, but history has separated them into two ways of life. The Rajgonds descend from the families who ruled the old Gond kingdoms. Over time they adopted Hindu customs and are more like their neighbors on the plains.
The Marias and the Murias, on the other hand, live mostly in the forests of Bastar, in southern Chhattisgarh, and keep more of the ancient culture. Among the Murias the ghotul is well known, a common house of the village where young people gather, spend time together and learn the dances, the stories and the rules of the people. Bastar is also a region marked by years of armed conflict, which makes life in these villages even harder.
Where they are still unreached
2
Countries
19.7M
Population
| Country | Share of the people | Population |
|---|---|---|
India
|
99.9%
|
19.683.000 |
Bangladesh
|
0.1%
|
11.000 |
The 16 peoples in this cluster
What to pray for
Intercede for this people
May the Gonds come to know Jesus as the Creator of the forest and the Lord over all spirits.
May the Bible, in audio and in writing, reach the Gond villages in the Gondi language.
For the Marias and Murias of Bastar, that they may have peace and safety amid the conflict in the region.
For Gond Christians, that they may be firm and respected by their own villages.
May Gond families have access to school, healthcare and decent work.
May young Gonds find in Christ identity and hope without losing what is good in their culture.