People group profile · PG042016
The Meda of India
The Meda of India, numbering about 54,500 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of Karnataka comprising two distinct basket-making communities, one confined to Kodagu district and the other found statewide. Basket-making and cultivation remain their occupations.
They are an indigenous people in the South Asian Tribal people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Hinduism, and they primarily speak Kodava.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 54,500
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- South Asian Tribal
- Primary language
- Kodava (kfa)
- Primary religion
- Folk Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Unengaged and Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Karnataka: Bengaluru (Bangalore), Dakshina Kannada (Mangalore), Kodagu (Coorg), and Mysuru (Mysore) districts. 50% live outside of Kodagu district in Karnataka state
Where they live
Gospel status
The Meda are Unengaged and Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, and there has been no reported church planting activity in the past two years. 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 Meda
- Pray that God would send workers to this people group
- Begin sowing the gospel and seek out people of peace
- Plant the first churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice
Primary religion
Folk Hinduism · Hinduism
99% adherents
Primary language
Kodava · Dravidian family
100% speak Kodava
Gospel resources in Kodava
- Bible available, published 2017
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Meda
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
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