It is thought that Bakkarwal is derived from the word bakriwale, meaning goat herders, or goat and sheep producers. They have permanent homes but move from one altitude to another in search of green pasture for their goats and sheep. The identification marker of the Bakarwal males is their turban, called dastar. The women, too, wear a special cap, called the topi. They bury their dead, and perform special ceremonies on the fourth and fortieth days after death. They belong to the Sunni sect of Islam. Their literacy level is very low.
The Bakkawal people are said to have a very low literacy rate, and they live in an area that has little access to the good news of Christ. Jammu and Kashmir has been the scene of much fighting between the government of India and Muslim separatists.
Please pray for Gospel radio to become available in the mountains and valleys of Kashmir, in the languages of the people.
Even though there is probably not a single Christian believer today among the Bakkarwal people, please pray for a church planting movement to soon begin within this people group. The Lord is able to do this. Pray for a rising literacy rate among this pastoral group. Pray that parents will desire to provide schooling for their children and will find ways to accomplish this.
Scripture Prayers for the Bakkarwal in India.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Global Prayer Digest: 2008-10-26 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2017-08-26 |
People Name General | Bakkarwal |
People Name in Country | Bakkarwal |
Pronunciation |
BAH-kar-vahl
|
Population this Country | 132,000 |
Population all Countries | 132,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 3 |
Alternate Names | बक्करवाल |
People ID | 16305 |
ROP3 Code | 111433 |
Country | India | |||
Region | Asia, South | |||
Continent | Asia | |||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||
National Bible Society | Website | |||
Persecution Rank | 10 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||
Total States on file | 2 | |||
Largest States |
|
|||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 10 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 2 |
Jammu and Kashmir 132,000 | |
Ladakh 40 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Language | Gujari (52,000 speakers) | ||||||
Language Code | gju Ethnologue Listing | ||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||
Total Languages | 6 | ||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Gujari (52,000 speakers) |
Language Code | gju Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 6 |
Secondary Languages | |
Kashmiri 53,000 | |
Dogri 6,400 | |
Bhadrawahi 700 | |
Urdu 400 | |
Khah 200 | |
People Groups | Speaking Gujari |
Primary Language: Gujari
Bible Translation Status: Unspecified
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching |
Audio Recordings | Oral Bible stories |
General | Gospel resources links |
Text / Printed Matter | Literacy primer for Gujari |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.02 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.05 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
1.24 %
|
Islam |
98.66 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.01 %
|
Unknown |
0.02 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |