Thami in Nepal


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* From latest Nepal census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.

Introduction / History

The Thami were originally a nomadic tribe that settled just to the east of Katmandu, Nepal's capital. Legend says that the first Thami couple had seven sons and seven daughters. When the parents could not find suitable marriage partners for their children, they allowed them to intermarry. The Thami tribes are their descendants.
The physical characteristics and overall customs of the Thami lead many to believe that they are of Mongolian descent. Their native language, Thangmi, is a Tibeto-Burman language. Thangmi is usually spoken at home, but Nepali is used in outside communication. They have no written script.
Most of the Thami people live either in India or Nepal, but a smaller number are in China. In Nepal they live in the districts of Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The Thami are hard-working and extremely honest but are often easily exploited by neighboring peoples. They are looked down upon; some try to pass themselves as members of other ethnic groups. There are recent efforts to promote Thami art as a way to give them better social standing.
The Thami scarcely manage to survive as farmers or stone quarry workers. Often the men have to carry large heavy stones great distances to make a living. To escape from this hardship, many have traveled to find other work. Their economic conditions are very poor, but the Thami do not seem to be anxious about their circumstances. In fact, they are often willing to go into debt to hold a feast or a celebration.
Their staple diet is fish and dhendo, a mush made of millet or maize flour. They often consume a lot of alcohol and eat the meat of goats, foul, ducks and cows. Still, many people suffer from malnutrition.
They consider marriage to be a very sacred institution. They believe in staying faithful to one partner until death. When a young man desires to marry, a go-between, called a lami, goes to the girl's house with three roti (bread) and two other people. If the lami is received, the bread is placed in front of the girl and her parents. If they accept the bread as a gift, talks proceed and the marriage is arranged. If the gift does not accept the proposal, the lami hides the bag in her house and reports the failure of the negotiations to the man. Three days after a child is born, the floor of the house is cleaned with a mixture of cow dung and water. Both the house and people are sprinkled with cow urine in order to purify them. The child's wrists, waist, and ankles are tied with threads wet with turmeric (yellow dye made from a plant grown in this region). The threads must go around seven times before being tied. The child is then given a name according to the day on which he/she was born. The child's maternal family then feasts on fish, lentils, meat, vegetables, and alcoholic beverages. A large rooster is also sacrificed for the celebration.


What Are Their Beliefs?

A majority of the Thami practice ethnic religions and shamanism. They worship deities that are not in any of the major religions of the region. They tend to lean toward Buddhism but use many of the Hindu rituals in their marriage ceremonies. In sum, their religious beliefs do not fall into any neat category. There are some Christian believers among them, but they lack a sustainable movement to Christ.


What Are Their Needs?

In order to rise above their current situation, the Thami people need better education and job opportunities.


Prayer Points

Pray that the Lord of the harvest will thrust forth Holy Spirit anointed laborers into Thami communities.
Ask the Holy Spirit to stir up hunger within the hearts of the Thami to know the one true God.
Pray for an unstoppable Disciple Making Movement among the Thami people this decade.


Scripture Prayers for the Thami in Nepal.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Thami
People Name in Country Thami
Pronunciation TAH-mee
Alternate Names Thangmi; थमी
Population this Country 34,000
Population all Countries 38,000
Total Countries 3
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 3  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 15461
ROP3 Code 110002
ROP25 Code 308110
ROP25 Name Thami
Country Nepal
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Most live in the Dolakha District of Janakpur Zone and the Sindhu Palchok District of Bagmati Zone in Nepal. Several hundred Thami also live across the border in Zhangmu County, Tibet.   Source:  Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004
Total States on file 13
Largest States
Janakpur
23,000
Bagmati
7,000
Mechi
1,300
Kosi
600
Seti
400
Sagarmatha
400
Narayani
300
Mahakali
300
Lumbini
100
Karnali
100
Bheri
90
Gandaki
70
Rapti
60
Country Nepal
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Most live in the Dolakha District of Janakpur Zone and the Sindhu Palchok District of Bagmati Zone in Nepal. Several hundred Thami also live across the border in Zhangmu County, Tibet..   Source:  Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004
Total States 13
  Janakpur 23,000
  Bagmati 7,000
  Mechi 1,300
  Kosi 600
  Seti 400
  Sagarmatha 400
  Narayani 300
  Mahakali 300
  Lumbini 100
  Karnali 100
  Bheri 90
  Gandaki 70
  Rapti 60
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
4.87 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
0.87 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
92.23 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
1.10 %
Unknown
0.93 %
* From latest Nepal census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Thangmi (23,000 speakers)
Language Code thf   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 3
Secondary Languages
Nepali
5,600
Dotyali
100
Primary Language Thangmi (23,000 speakers)
Language Code thf   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 3
Secondary Languages
  Nepali 5,600
  Dotyali 100
People Groups Speaking Thangmi

Primary Language:  Thangmi

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes
Bible-New Testament Yes  (2019)
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
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Thangmi Jesus Film Project
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source Anonymous 
Map Source People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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