The Kadu Kuruba are a tribal people who live in south India. Their name means "tribal people of the forest" in the language of Kannada. Since medieval times they served as soldiers in the armies of south India. Up until recent times they collected and sold honey as their main source of income. They weaved baskets and items from bamboo as another way to get income.
In the 1970s the Kadu Karuba were removed from their forest homes by the Indian government. The trees were cut down for lumber and the land cleared for cultivation. The Kadu Kuruba must now work as day agricultural laborers. As low as their previous standard of living was, it has become lower. These days they suffer from malnutrition, poverty, unemployment and repression. Their forest homeland was distributed to businesses and individuals favored by the government.
The Kadu Kuruba speak Kannada as their primary language. They also speak other regional languages of south India.
The Kadu Kuruba live in the south Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The removal from their forest homes has drastically changed the lives of the Kadu Kuruba for the worse. For hundreds of years they gathered honey and food in the forest. They favorite food was yams with honey. They drank their own homemade liquor.
The Kadu Karuba lived in small but clean wooden huts. A fire pit filled the center of the hut. Girls were married as early as age 12. Modern conveniences like electricity, indoor plumbing and access to clean water were unknown to them. They practiced traditional medicine. Literacy was low. They had no concept of private property. Their own priests not Brahmins performed important life rituals.
Now the lives of the Kadu Kuruba are in a state of flux. They have not adjusted well to their new lives. Their children do now have more access to more educational opportunities, but their poverty forces children to work in the fields with their parents.
The Kadu Kuruba are Hindus. They worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. They worship Shiva and Shakti or energy in the form of a stone. They see stone as the source of all life. As a tribal people they are often excluded from Hindu temples. They also worship their ancestors who they ask to protect them from evil spirits.
The Kadu Kuruba participate in the yearly Hindu holidays of Holi, the festival of colors, Diwali, the festival of lights, Navratri, the nine-day celebration of autumn and
Maha Shivaratri, the great night of Shiva.
The needs of the Kadu Kuruba are overwhelming. They need a regular source of basic income and food. They need homes to live in, access to clean water and modern medicine. Most of all, they need to hear about Jesus Christ who has promised to meet all their needs if they receive him as their Lord and Savior.
Pray that the Lord uses the hardships of the Kadu Kuruba to drive them away from Hinduism and into the love of God in Christ.
Pray the Lord sends Christian workers to help the Kadu Kuruba in both their spiritual and physical needs.
Pray the tiny number of Kadu Kuruba Christians might grow into large Bible believing churches.
Scripture Prayers for the Kadu Kuruba in India.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuruba
indianetzone.com/10/kadu_kuruba_tribe.htm
kamat.com/kalranga/people/kadu_kurubas/index.htm
Profile Source: David Kugel |
People Name General | Kadu Kuruba |
People Name in Country | Kadu Kuruba |
Alternate Names | Betta Kadu; Betta Kuruba; Kadu; Kuruba; कादू कुरुबा |
Population this Country | 28,000 |
Population all Countries | 28,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 18780 |
ROP3 Code | 112567 |
Country | India | |||
Region | Asia, South | |||
Continent | Asia | |||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||
National Bible Society | Website | |||
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||
Total States on file | 2 | |||
Largest States |
|
|||
Districts | Interactive map, listing and data download | |||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 11 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 2 |
Karnataka 14,000 | |
Tamil Nadu 14,000 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.03 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.02 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
98.76 %
|
Islam |
0.14 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.02 %
|
Unknown |
1.03 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Kannada (18,000 speakers) | ||||||
Language Code | kan Ethnologue Listing | ||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||
Total Languages | 7 | ||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Kannada (18,000 speakers) |
Language Code | kan Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 7 |
Secondary Languages | |
Tamil 4,700 | |
Telugu 900 | |
Malayalam 200 | |
Tulu 60 | |
Marathi 60 | |
Konkani 40 | |
People Groups | Speaking Kannada |
Primary Language: Kannada
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1812-1988) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1823-2023) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1827-2022) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Bible-NT Text | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | David Kugel |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |