A PRAYER PORTRAIT OF THE...

Thado Kuki

of India

The Thadou are a Kuki people located chiefly in the hill country adjacent to the Imphal Valley in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur.Thisareaencompassessome26,000squarekilometers. Thereareapproximately252,000KukilivingintheIndianstatesof Manipur,NagalandandAssamaswellastheadjoiningnationsof Myanmar,BurmaandBhutan. The Thadou feel that they are destined to be rulers of the Earth andeschewanyyokeofdomination.ThisattitudeledtotheKuki rebellionof19181919.Inspiteofdefeat,theThadoumaintainthe beliefthatapromisingfutureawaitsthem.TheimpactofChristian missionaryactivitywasfeltearlyinthe20thcentury.Itisbelieved that their Christianization would improve relations between the Thadou and neighboring peoples (felt by the Thadou to be their inferiors). Thadou settlements are located in dense jungle areas. Their subsistence activities include animal domestication cultivation hunting,andfishing.
People Group: Thadou Kuki Country: Manipur, India Population of India: 1.1 billion Kuki Population: 252,000 Language: Chin, Thado Family: Himalayan/Tibetan Alternate Language Names: Chin,
Thado, Thado-Ubiphei, Thado-Pao Major Religions: 70% Christianity 29% Ethnic Religions 1% Other Scriptures in their own language Whole Bible 2004 (RSV)

PrayerPoints

The economy was ravaged after

the KukiNaga Conflict in which thousands of Kuki people were killedandmorethan500villages wereuprootedanddisplaced.

Thoughthechurchiswidespread
amongthistribalpeople,thereis a great need for Bibles and for soundtheologicaltraining.

Pray for the leaders of the

ThadouKukichurches.

Director: Charles Keen 3148 Franklin Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37128 Phone: 615-796-0043 Email: info@firstbible.net Website: www.firstbible.net

A fundamental approach to the 10/40 Window.

THE

Thado Kuki

of India

Country

The Republic of India, consists of 25 union states and 7 unionterritories,andthenationdominatesSouthAsiaandthe Indian Ocean. Nearly 16% of the world's population is Indian, livingon2.4%oftheworld'slandsurface. The great racial, ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity makes a simple subdivision of the population difficult. India is the world's largest functioning democracy, since becoming independent from Britain in 1947. Internal tensions have steadily increased because of caste, religious and regional loyalties.

Beliefs

FirstBibleandthe ThadoKukiBible

ThegodPathenisbelievedbytheThadoutobetheruler of the universe and the creator of everything. Sacrifices are offeredtoPathenforhealthorhelpintimeoftrouble.Thunder andlightningaremanifestationsofhisanger. The thempu (medicine man/priest) is the chief religious practitioner of the Thadou. They believe illness is caused by supernatural forces and resort to ceremonial and magical methodsoftreatmentalmostexclusively. Ceremonies are also performed for the purposes of ensuring eternal happiness, securing a place in Mithikho (afterworld)andsecuringthevillagefromdiseaseorevilspirits. Otherceremoniesareassociatedwiththeagriculturalcycles.

The Kuki people have a Bible which has been mainly rejected by the Christian community because of its poor translation. There is a New Testament which has been used by the church and recent translation efforts have produced a whole Bible thatismorereliable. ItwillbecalledtheThadouKukiBible forthepurposeofreflectingboththe name of the language (Thadou) and thepeople(Kuki)andforthepurpose ofdistinguishingitfromtheprevious unreliabletranslation. FirstBible will participate in the printingof20,000copiesofthisBible.

Prayer Portraits are published by FirstBible International with information provided in part by Bethany World Prayer Center, JoshuaProject.net, Ethnologue.com. Bibles International and Peoplegroups.org. There is no copyright on this Prayer Portrait except on the FirstBible International Logo where permission has not been expressly granted.