People group profile · PG011529
The Kunama of Eritrea
The Kunama of Eritrea, numbering about 163,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Nilo-Saharan-speaking people indigenous to western Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. Traditionally agriculturalists, they are known for their distinctive language, lowland culture, and matrilineal social organization.
They are an indigenous people in the Nilotic people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Animism, and they primarily speak Kunama.
Fast facts
- Country
- Eritrea
- Population
- 163,000
- Affinity group
- Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
- People cluster
- Nilotic
- Primary language
- Kunama (kun)
- Primary religion
- Animism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Eastern Africa, Africa
- Location
- Gash-Barka region: between Gash river and Ethiopia border; Aimara west of Barentu, Barka south of Barentu, Marda north, northeast, and east of Barentu, Barentu
Where they live
Gospel status
The Kunama are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist No
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Kunama
- Continue prayer and fasting for this group
- Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
- Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people
Gospel resources in Kunama
- Bible available, published 2012
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Kunama)
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Kunama
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
Kunama in other countries
The same people is also reported in 2 other countries.
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