Bunan in China

The Bunan have only been reported in China
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

Numerous small ethnolinguistic peoples live along the Tibetan border with India and Nepal in very sparsely populated locations. China and India had several armed border clashes in the 1950s and 1960s. China has since claimed thousands of square miles of territory from India, including the area inhabited by the Bunan.

The Bunan are a little-known people group. They are not mentioned in Chinese literature, so it is uncertain how they are officially classified. They may have been included in the Tibetan nationality because of linguistic and religious similarities. The area of China where they live is so remote that it is possible, they were not counted at all in the Chinese census.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Bunan culture has been heavily influenced by their devotion to Tibetan Buddhism. Their lives are a long struggle against harsh winters. Because very little fruit or vegetables can grow in the Bunan region, their diet is comprised almost entirely of meat, fat, and yak yogurt.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Many Bunan make annual pilgrimages to Lake Manasarovar and Mt. Kailas - two holy Buddhist sites in western Tibet. The Bunan are trapped in an endless cycle of doing good works, a vain bid to ensure a better reincarnation in the next life.

The Bunan's isolated homeland is so remote that few outsiders have ever traveled there. The Indian government, who also claim the territory inhabited by the Bunan, did not find out that the Chinese had built a road there until two years after it was completed. The Bunan in India had parts of the Bible translated into their language by missionaries in 1911, but these have been out of print since 1923. Currently the Christians located closest to the Bunan are the small number of Moravian believers found among the Ladakhi people of northern India.


What Are Their Needs?

The Bunan people need to submit to Jesus Christ so they can experience the abundant life he offers them in John 10:10.


Prayer Points

Pray for bold workers who are driven by the love of the Holy Spirit to go to them.

Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.

Pray for the authority of Christ to bind hindering spiritual forces to lead them from darkness to light.

Pray for signs and wonders to happen among them and for great breakthroughs with a rapid multiplication of disciples and house churches.


Scripture Prayers for the Bunan in China.


References

Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Bunan
People Name in Country Bunan
Pronunciation Boo-nun
Alternate Names Boonan; Erankad; Gahri; Ghara; Keylong Boli; Lahaula; Lahul; Lahuli; Lahuli of Bunan; Poonan; Punan
Population this Country 2,200
Population all Countries 2,200
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 18423
ROP3 Code 114018
ROP25 Code 301478
ROP25 Name Bunan
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Approximately 6,000 Gahri (Bunan) people live on both sides of the remote India-China border in the western Himalayan mountains. The Ethnologue lists a 1997 estimate of 4,000 Gahri living in the Gahr Valley in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. A further 1,500 Gahri people live across the border in an extremely isolated area of western Tibet.   Source:  Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Approximately 6,000 Gahri (Bunan) people live on both sides of the remote India-China border in the western Himalayan mountains. The Ethnologue lists a 1997 estimate of 4,000 Gahri living in the Gahr Valley in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. A further 1,500 Gahri people live across the border in an extremely isolated area of western Tibet..   Source:  Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004
Primary Religion: Buddhism
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
99.80 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.20 %)
0.20 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Gahri (2,200 speakers)
Language Code bfu   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Bunan
Dialect Code 2424   Global Recordings Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Gahri (2,200 speakers)
Language Code bfu   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Bunan
Dialect Code 2424   Global Recordings Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Gahri

Primary Language:  Gahri

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1905-1923)
Bible-New Testament No
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Operation China, Asia Harvest  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source Joshua Project / Global Mapping International  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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