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Sandwiched between Nigeria and Chad in a region that Cameroonians call the "Far North," settlements of Mina clan groups dot the countryside. They spend most of their time outside in this dusty sub-Saharan Sahel, storing their limited material goods and sleeping in family huts. Isolated from reliable government services, children usually help in the fields or tend younger siblings rather than attend school. Life revolves around ritual, but few comprehend the beliefs of Islam, relying instead on traditional practices for which they use their own language.

When the short rainy season comes, Mina farmers work hard with hand tools and plows to plant and harvest what their families will eat for the rest of the year. In addition to needed vegetables and staples, some grow cotton as a cash crop. After the rains end, withering heat will scorch whatever is left in the fields.

Over several centuries, the Mina people have gradually conceded to waves of invasion pressing them to accept another world religion. Today, that faith claims a solid majority of devotees among the Mina.

Administrators are working with a local language committee that has been authorized by the government among the Mina to develop their language. The project will produce mother tongue materials, making portions of the Old Testament — also accepted by Muslims — available to Mina speakers

Scripture Prayers for the Hina in Cameroon.