Khasi

The Khasi language began to be written in the Latin alphabet in the nineteenth century through the work of Welsh missionaries. One of them, Thomas Jones, arrived in Sohra in 1841, opened schools, and wrote the first books in the language. He argued that people should first learn to read their own language and only then English.

Christian faith and schooling thus came together to many villages. Some of the people, however, continued to follow the traditional religion, called Niam Khasi.

Among the Khasi, property passes through the female line, and the maternal uncle handles the family’s social and religious matters. Marriage within the same clan is forbidden. Women hold a prominent position in the economy and in managing the household.

Many Khasi work in public service and industry, as well as agriculture. In Bangladesh, many families make their living growing betel, a plant that many people chew, in forest areas called punjis.

There are Catholic and Protestant churches among the Khasi. The traditional religion recognizes a supreme Creator, called U Blei Nongthaw, and spirits associated with waters, mountains, and other elements of nature. Harvest thanksgiving festivals, such as the Nongkrem dance near Shillong, come from this tradition.

Many identify as Christians, but few are Evangelicals. Faith in Jesus needs to be personal and not simply inherited from one’s family or people.

The complete Bible has been available in Khasi for more than a century, and today there are two editions, one of them with audio. There is also an audio recording of the New Testament, the film about Jesus, and a Bible app. Since written Khasi developed alongside Bible reading, the sacred text is closely connected to the people’s own language.

Among the Khasi, the difficulty is nominal faith rather than a lack of knowledge about Jesus: many are officially Christians but have yet to place their full trust in Christ. At the same time, followers of the traditional religion, Hindus, and Muslims need to hear the gospel from Khasi Christians who respect them as relatives and neighbors.

Khasi churches need to help each Christian trust personally in Jesus and take the gospel to Hindu and Muslim neighbors. This calls for leaders who teach the Bible and visit families.

In Bangladesh, Khasi families in the punjis face land disputes: many have no title deeds, and there have been threats of eviction and destruction of crops. Security to live and farm where they have always lived is a concrete need.