The Chenchu of India
The Chenchu live in the hills of southern India, primarily in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The higher ranges of the Amrabad Plateau are pure, dense forests and are almost exclusively inhabited by the Chenchu. Other Chenchu communities can be found in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Orissa. Their native language (also called Chenchu) belongs to the Dravidian language family. Many also speak Telugu, the language of their Hindu neighbors.
Life for the Chenchu revolves around the struggle to survive. Whenever food resources become scarce, they migrate to another place in search of new possibilities. A market economy and sophisticated machinery are totally absent from this group of hunters and gatherers. Likewise, concepts such as 'profit' or 'accumulation of wealth' are unknown to them. As Hindus, the Chenchu hold a relatively high caste (social class) status. They prefer to remain segregated from other groups, living on the outskirts of multi-ethnic villages.
What are their lives like?
The Chenchu depend on nature for 90% of their food supply. They are hunters and gatherers, just as they have been for many generations. In former times, they hunted as a unified tribe. Today, they still hunt with spears or bows and arrows, but it is no longer a cooperative effort. Instead, each individual is responsible to provide for his own family, and their efforts are not very productive. The men are known as expert bamboo cutters and honey collectors. Very few crops are cultivated: tobacco, corn, and some millet. A few cows may be kept in a village for milk, but they are not eaten.
Many Chenchu have been forced out of their wandering, food-gathering lives by the growing number of peasant farmers. They now work as farmers or forest laborers and live in towns and well-settled villages. Their "permanent" villages have an average of seven houses and are occupied for only 10 to 15 years—unless disease ravages the community and causes a massive number of deaths. They live in hive-shaped houses made of wattle thatch (poles intertwined with twigs, reeds, or branches). Temporary shelters, which take only three or four hours to build, are made of grass or leafy branches.
Chenchu society consists of clans (extended family units), local groups, and families. They are exogamous, which means that they do not allow marriage within the same clan. They are also patrilineal, tracing the line of descent through the males. There are four main groups on the upper plateau, and villages usually have a mixture of various clans. The nuclear family (husband, wife, and unmarried children) is the basic unit of Chenchu society. One distinguishing factor of their tribe is the clear division of labor. The men hunt, gather honey, and make baskets, while the women prepare the food. The husband and wife are considered partners with equal rights; even their property is jointly owned.
Within the tribe, there are a number of differences between the older and younger generations. The older people remain rather scantily dressed, while the younger boys like to wear shirts and pants. Girls still wear the traditional sarees (colorful wrap-around dresses) or skirts and blouses, and some may wear more modern styles. Traditionally, both the men and women wore long hair that was tied up in a knot. Today, the older generation still lets their hair grow long, but the young people often cut their hair.
What are their beliefs?
Due to increasing exposure to the plains peoples, the Chenchu have adopted the Hindu deities of the neighboring Telugu tribe. Today, they are virtually all Hindu, worshipping millions of gods and goddesses.
What are their needs?
Alcoholism is a serious problem for many of the Chenchu. Their addictions allow them to temporarily escape from the reality of their difficult lives, but they need to find the permanent source of peace. Although two missions agencies are targeting the Chenchu, they have had very little success. The Bible has not yet been translated into Chenchu, and no Christian broadcasts are available in their area. Prayer is the first step toward reaching these precious people with the Good News.
- Ask the Lord to send laborers to India to share the hope, peace, and love of Jesus Christ with the Chenchu.
- Pray that God will raise up qualified linguists to translate the Bible into the Chenchu language.
- Pray that the Jesus film and Christian broadcasts will soon be made available to the Chenchu.
- Ask the Lord Jesus to begin revealing Himself to these precious people through dreams and visions.
- Ask the Lord to save key leaders among the Chenchu who will boldly declare the Gospel.
- Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Chenchu bound.
- Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin faithfully interceding for the Chenchu.
- Pray that strong local churches will be planted among the Chenchu by the year 2000.
Latest estimates from the World Evangelization Research Center.
- People name: Chenchu
- Country: India
- Their language: Chenchu
- Largest religion:
- Christian: <1%
- Church members: 73
- Scriptures in their own language: None
- Jesus Film in their own language: None
- Christian broadcasts in their own language: None
- Mission agencies working among this people: 2
- Persons who have heard the Gospel: 3,400 (17%)
- Persons who have never heard the Gospel: 17,600 (83%)
- Country: India
- Major peoples in size order:
- Major religions:
- Number of denominations: 163
© Copyright 1997
Bethany World Prayer Center
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