Jenu Kuruba in India

People Name:	Jenu Kuruba
Country:	India
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	53,000
World Population:	53,000
Primary Language:	Kurumba, Jennu
Primary Religion:	Hinduism
Christian Adherents:	0.03 %
Evangelicals:	0.00 %
Scripture:	Portions
Ministry Resources:	No
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	South Asia Tribal - other
Affinity Bloc:	South Asian Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Jenu Kuruba are also referred to by the names "Then Kurumba" or "Kattu Naikar." Their name means honey. They have fought for years to remain in the forests. They are spread out mainly along the border forests of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Most of them work as daily laborers for landlords in plantations in the region. They are very poor and struggle to make ends meet. A large number of their children drop out of school and take to daily labor early in life because of their family's financial situation. As a result, very few of them are literate. There is also a clear need for medical, social and economic development for this community.

Being a close-knit community, they rarely mingle with other neighboring tribal communities. If any Jennu Kurumba becomes friendly with an outsider, he might be expelled from his community.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Jennu Kurumba people practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of South Asia. Hinduism is a catch-all phrase for the local religions of South Asia, so it is very diverse. At the popular level, Hindus worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. They visit Hindu temples and offer prayers, food, flowers, and incense to their gods in hopes of gaining protection and benefits. They do not have a personal or familial relationship with their gods like Christians or Jews. There are other Hindus who are much more philosophical, especially among the Brahmins.

Almost all Hindus participate in yearly celebrations like Holi, the festival of colors and the start of spring / Diwali, the festival of lights / Navratri, the celebration of autumn / and Rama Navami, Rama's birthday.

What Are Their Needs?

They were exposed to the Christian faith almost a century ago, but there are few if any visible results today. To them, Christianity is a foreign religion and below their standards, because Christians eat beef.

There is a need for loving Christian workers to present the gospel in a culturally appropriate manner. The Jennu Kurumbas speak a distinct language and research has shown that they need their own Scripture translation. They could then understand the love of God and enjoy freedom from fear and suspicion.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Jennu Kurumba people to have open hearts to Jesus Christ and his ambassadors.

Pray for God to open doors for the Jennu Kurumba to welcome Jesus into their community.

Pray for missionary families to be encouraged and be a key means for the Jennu Kurumba to come to faith in Jesus.

Pray for wisdom, grace and empowering from above for the Scripture translation team.