People
Who they are
The Luri are a small people of Bauchi State in northern Nigeria, tied to the localities of Luri and Kayarda. They should not be confused with the Lurs of Iran, a much larger Iranian people who, despite the similarity of the name, have no relation to them.
Their traditional language belongs to the Chadic branch of the great Afro-Asiatic family and is a close relative of Nyamzak, spoken in the same region. Today it is a language on the edge of extinction: the last known speakers were people of very advanced age, and the community has shifted to Hausa, the common language of northern Nigeria.
It is such a small group that it runs the risk of being absorbed by neighboring peoples and no longer being recognized as a distinct people. For that very reason, every Luri family and every preserved memory of their way of life holds a special value before God and for the history of the region.
History and origin
The Luri live in Bauchi State, alongside the Langa people, also called Nyamzak, whose language is very close to their own. Linguistic studies carried out around 2004 describe a Luri village that had to be relocated after the creation of a grazing reserve.
This displacement, together with daily contact with the Hausa and the Nyamzak, led the community to gradually abandon its ancestral language. The last known speakers were the former village chief and his wife, both over eighty years old at that time. Today the Luri story survives mainly in the memory of the elders.
Where they live
1
Country
100
Population
| Country | Share of the people | Population |
|---|---|---|
Nigeria Minimally reached
|
100%
|
100 |
Language and the Bible
The Luri language has no Scriptures of its own, and with so few remaining speakers it is unlikely to ever have any. The path of the Word to the people runs through Hausa, the language the community has already adopted in daily life. In it there are the complete Bible and audio resources, which makes it possible to hear the Scriptures at home, even without knowing how to read.
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.
Hausa
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)10%
Evangelicals2%
What to pray for
Intercede for this people
For the Luri of Bauchi, that they may be seen and loved by God and not forgotten.
For the preservation of the memory, identity and dignity of such a small people.
For access to the Scriptures in Hausa, in audio and in text, in Luri homes.
For every Luri, wherever they may be, that they may know Jesus and find a community of faith.
For Luri families displaced from their lands, that they may find stability and provision.
For people who will carry the gospel with respect and friendship to the Luri and to their neighboring peoples.
Pray for Luri
Intercede for this people alongside Christians around the world.
Open the Prayer Calendar