People group profile · PG042048
The Kanikkar of India
The Kanikkar of India, numbering about 37,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of the hill forests of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts in Kerala, whose name means hereditary proprietor. Once hunter-gatherers, they now mainly practice settled agriculture and wage labor.
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 Kanikkaran.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 37,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- South Asian Tribal
- Primary language
- Kanikkaran (kev)
- Primary religion
- Folk Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- No Longer Unreached
- Evangelical
- 2% or Greater but Less than 5%
- GSEC ?
- 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
- Lostness priority ?
- Marginally Reached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Karnataka: Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, and Mysore districts; Kerala and Lakshadweep states; Puducherry: Mahe; Tamil Nadu: Colimbatore, The Nilgiris, and Tirunelveli districts
Where they live
Gospel status
The Kanikkar are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 2% evangelical.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Kanikkar
- Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
- Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
- Send out laborers from this people to the nations
Primary religion
Folk Hinduism · Hinduism
95% adherents
Primary language
Kanikkaran · Dravidian family
74% speak Kanikkaran
Gospel resources in Kanikkaran
- Bible not available
- 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 Kanikkar
- 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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