The 1991 census in India recorded 675 members of the But Monpa tribe, up from 348 people in the 1981 census. Almost all But Monpa inhabit the villages of Jeriagaon, Sellary, Khoitum, Ralung and Khoina in the Nafra Circle of West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India. The But Monpa inhabit a hilly area 'surrounded by dense coniferous forests where the climate is cool and salubrious'. The But Monpas call themselves Matchopa, Bootpa or Butpa.
This small tribe is one of six Monpa groups, each of which has been granted status as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government. The combined population of all Monpa in India is nearly 50,000. Two distinct Monpa groups also live in Tibet.
Almost all Christian researchers have refused to list these six groups separately. It is generally assumed that because all six tribes call themselves 'Monpa' they must be one group and therefore do not need to be split down into these small components. This presumption is an error from an ethnolinguistic point of view. Others do not consider such numerically small groups worth mentioning. Our aim is to present all distinct people groups, regardless of size, as each is precious to the Saviour and the Bible states that every tribe, language and nation will have representatives worshiping around the throne of Jesus in heaven.
The term 'Monpa' is a generic one, used by the Tibetans to denote mon ('the low country') and pa ('belonging to'). The Monpa are, therefore, people 'belonging to the low country'. In reality, the various Monpa tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, including the But, migrated into the region from diverse places at various times, 'differing with respect to their languages and many other cultural traits. The languages of the Lish Monpas, Chug Monpas and But Monpas differ a lot from the rest of the Monpas, and closely resemble the languages of the Akas, Mijis and Sherdukpens.'
The But Monpa are quite different from the other Monpa groups and could probably be considered the least Buddhist of the various groups. K S Singh notes, 'Though they are listed under the greater Monpa group, except their dress they differ in all aspects (language, socio-cultural life and religion) from the other Monpa.' In another book, Singh states, 'Except for the But Monpa, the rest of [the Monpa groups] belong to the Lamaistic school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is interesting to note that the practice of pre-Buddhist shamanism still persists among them. However, the But Monpa have their own traditional faith, beliefs and festivals. Gradually they are being drawn into the greater fold of Buddhism.' Despite the above indication that the But Monpa are not strong Buddhists, the 1981 census recorded 97.7 per cent of them as Buddhists and 0.86 per cent as Hindus, while 1.44 per cent did not state their religion.
There are no known Christians among the But Monpa tribe, and less than 20 among all the Monpa groups in India. They are one of the most unreached and needy Buddhist groups in the Himalayas.
Scripture Prayers for the Monpa But in India.
Profile Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
People Name General | Monpa But |
People Name in Country | Monpa But |
Natural Name | But Monpa |
Population this Country | 300 |
Population all Countries | 300 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
Alternate Names | Bootpa; But; Matchopa; Menba; Moinba; Monba; Monpa; Nagnoo; मोनपा, बुत |
People ID | 16544 |
ROP3 Code | 111733 |
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) | ||
Location in Country | Almost all But Monpa inhabit the villages of Jeriagaon, Sellary, Khoitum, Ralung and Khoina in the Nafra Circle of West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh. Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004 | ||
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) |
Location in Country | Almost all But Monpa inhabit the villages of Jeriagaon, Sellary, Khoitum, Ralung and Khoina in the Nafra Circle of West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh.. Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004 |
Total States | 1 |
Arunachal Pradesh 300 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
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Primary Language | Sartang (300 speakers) | |||
Language Code | onp Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Unknown | |||
Total Languages | 3 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Sartang (300 speakers) |
Language Code | onp Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 3 |
Secondary Languages | |
Adi 0 | |
Naga, Tangshang: Tangsa 0 | |
People Groups | Speaking Sartang |
Primary Language: Sartang
Bible Translation Status: Translation Started
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching (GRN) |
Audio Recordings | Oral Bible stories in Sartang |
Text / Printed Matter | Online Bible text (Scripture Earth) |
Primary Religion: | Buddhism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
93.54 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
1.14 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
3.04 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.76 %
|
Unknown |
1.52 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2021 Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Profile Source | Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |