Heinrich Harrier, famous for his book Seven Years in Tibet, walked through Khampa areas in the 1940s. Harrier described the Khampa: "They live in groups in three or four tents which serve as headquarters for their campaigns. Heavily armed with rifles and swords they force their way into a nomad's tent and insist on hospitable entertainment on the most lavish scale available. The nomad in terror brings out everything he has. The Khampas fill their bellies and their pockets and, taking a few cattle with them for good measure, disappear into the wide open spaces. They repeat the performance at another tent every day till the whole region has been skinned. Stories were told of the cruelty with which they sometimes put their victims to death. They go so far as to slaughter pilgrims and wandering monks and nuns."
The Northern Khampa are part of the Tibetan nationality in China. Anthropologist Michael Peissel described them in 1964: "The Khampas stood a good six feet in height wore great heavy boots and flowing khaki robes that flapped like whips as they walked, advancing with their feet slightly apart as if to trample the grass to extinction. Unlike Tibetans of Lhasa, their features were not Mongoloid."
Northern Khampa is one of three Khampa groups, "each speaking its own language and living in different areas. Due to the migration of peoples and the many political developments, Tibet has become very ethnically complex."
Khampa men are easily identifiable by the red and black tassels braided into their hair. They say that they wear this to protect their scalps during knife fights. Khampa superstition says a man without an earring will be reincarnated as a donkey. Turquoise, red coral, bone, and silver ornaments decorate nomad Khampa women's hair.
Although they profess to be Buddhists, the Khampa nomads' religion is little more than a crude imitation of the ideals of the pure form of Buddhism.
The Northern Khampa are separated by geographic, linguistic, cultural, and religious barriers. There has never been any kind of church or Christian witness in the extremely isolated and practically impenetrable Yushu Prefecture.
Without the guidance of Christ, these people will be lost in this life and the life to come. They need someone to go to them as Christ-bearers.
Pray for the spiritual blindness and bondage to the evil one to be removed so they can understand and respond to Christ.
Pray for the Lord to provide for their physical and spiritual needs as a testimony of his power and love.
Pray that the Khampa people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings.
Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.
Scripture Prayers for the Khampa, Northern in China.
Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Khampa, Northern |
People Name in Country | Khampa, Northern |
Natural Name | Northern Khampa |
Pronunciation | Kum-ba |
Alternate Names | Atuentse; Deqen Tibetan; Kangba; Kham; Khamba; Mekong Tibetan; Nyarong |
Population this Country | 151,000 |
Population all Countries | 151,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 3 |
People ID | 18523 |
ROP3 Code | 114137 |
ROP25 Code | 303929 |
ROP25 Name | Khampa |
Country | China | ||
Region | Asia, Northeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 16 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | A 1987 linguistic study listed 91,000 speakers of the Northern Khampa Tibetan language. They occupy the large, sparsely populated Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southern Qinghai Province. Northern Khampa is spoken as far north as the 5,214-meter-high (17,100 ft.) Mount Yagradagze. In addition, a small number of Northern Khampa spill over the border into northeast Tibet. The nomadic Northern Khampa live on a high plateau where they herd sheep, goats, and yaks. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Country | China |
Region | Asia, Northeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 16 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | A 1987 linguistic study listed 91,000 speakers of the Northern Khampa Tibetan language. They occupy the large, sparsely populated Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southern Qinghai Province. Northern Khampa is spoken as far north as the 5,214-meter-high (17,100 ft.) Mount Yagradagze. In addition, a small number of Northern Khampa spill over the border into northeast Tibet. The nomadic Northern Khampa live on a high plateau where they herd sheep, goats, and yaks.. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Primary Religion: | Buddhism |
Religion Subdivision: | Tibetan |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
99.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.01 %) |
0.02 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.98 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Tibetan, Khams (151,000 speakers) |
Language Code | khg Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Northern Khams |
Dialect Code | 11926 Global Recordings Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Tibetan, Khams (151,000 speakers) |
Language Code | khg Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Northern Khams |
Dialect Code | 11926 Global Recordings Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Tibetan, Khams |
Primary Language: Tibetan, Khams
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (2020) |
Bible-Complete | No |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
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 |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | God's Story video | God's Story |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Tibetan, Khams | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | The Hope Video | Mars Hill Media |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app as APK file | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app from Google Play Store | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Text / Printed Matter | Tools for faith conversations | Campus Crusade for Christ |
Text / Printed Matter | Topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies | World Missionary Press |
Photo Source | Jared Kachurak |
Map Source | People Group location: Asia Harvest. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project |
Video Source | Asia Harvest |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |