The Rongmei people, like the larger Naga tribe, were once headhunters. According to Rongmei tradition, when a young man turns 17 or 18, he is considered a warrior. In order to prove his worth as a warrior, he has to collect the head of an enemy from another village. The Rongmei are believed to have come from Mongolia through China and then into South Asia. For this reason they have Mongoloid facial features. The Rongmei are spread out in three states of northeastern India:Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. They mostly live in villages in the hills and forests. Nine of 10 Rongmei claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. The New Testament is available in the main language of the Rongmei, Inpui Naga.
The houses of the Rongmei are mostly made of wood with a thatched roof. They hunt for game and gather other food sources from the forest. Since the forest receives heavy rainfall, edible plants of all kinds are abundant. The Rongmei also engage in small scale agriculture and animal husbandry.
The large majority of the Rongmei claim to follow Jesus Christ due to decades of missionary activity in northeast Indian. However, for many Rongmei their Christianity is superficial and they continue to practice animism, the belief that spirits inhabit the objects of nature. The Rongmei need to learn to read so they are read the Bible in their language and grow spiritually.
This people need to know more about the teaching of Jesus. Many Rongmei still think that Christianity is a western religion. There is a need for more Bible trained pastors who would spend time living with the Rongmei and testifying of the living God. Providing for physical needs is also necessary since there is a lack of modern medicine and electricity.
Pray for a spiritual hunger that will drive the Rongmei people to read the New Testament in their language. Pray for the Lord to raise up trained pastors and teachers who can instruct the Rongmei in the teachings of the Bible. Pray for a disciple making movement to flourish among the Rongmei people this decade. Pray for true Rongmei disciples to take the gospel to other peoples in their area.
Scripture Prayers for the Rongmei in India.
Profile Source: Keith Carey |
People Name General | Rongmei |
People Name in Country | Rongmei |
Alternate Names | Kabui; Kabul; Puimei; रॉंगमेई |
Population this Country | 118,000 |
Population all Countries | 118,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 3 ● |
Unreached | No |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 6 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | |
People ID | 17033 |
ROP3 Code | 112369 |
Country | India | |||||||||
Region | Asia, South | |||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||||||||
Total States on file | 8 | |||||||||
Largest States |
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Districts | Interactive map, listing and data download | |||||||||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 8 |
Manipur 113,000 | |
Nagaland 2,600 | |
Assam 700 | |
Delhi 200 | |
Meghalaya 100 | |
Arunachal Pradesh 50 | |
Tripura 50 | |
Chandigarh 20 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Christianity |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.26 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
92.29 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
1.52 %
|
Islam |
0.34 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.07 %
|
Unknown |
5.52 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Naga, Inpui (86,000 speakers) | ||||||||||||
Language Code | nkf Ethnologue Listing | ||||||||||||
Primary Dialect | Naga, Kabui | ||||||||||||
Dialect Code | 14523 Global Recordings Listing | ||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||||||||
Total Languages | 13 | ||||||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Naga, Inpui (86,000 speakers) |
Language Code | nkf Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Naga, Kabui |
Dialect Code | 14523 Global Recordings Listing |
Total Languages | 13 |
Secondary Languages | |
Naga, Rongmei 8,800 | |
Naga, Liangmai 800 | |
Naga, Zeme 700 | |
Hindi 600 | |
Meitei 200 | |
Gangte 200 | |
Vaiphei 100 | |
Chin, Thado 70 | |
Hmar 50 | |
English 40 | |
Khasi 40 | |
Naga, Tangkhul 30 | |
People Groups | Speaking Naga, Inpui |
Primary Language: Naga, Inpui
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (2000) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (2011) |
Bible-Complete | No |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text, audio, video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Photo Source | Sumita Roy Dutta - Wikimedia Creative Commons |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Keith Carey |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |