People group profile · PG049545
The Thanga of India
The Thanga of India, numbering about 112,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a lake-dwelling community of Loktak Lake's foothills in Manipur, settled since the sixteenth-century reign of Maharaja Khagingamba. Fishing remains their livelihood, alongside gathering wild produce.
They are an indigenous people in the Manipuri people cluster of the Himalayan Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism, and they primarily speak Manipuri.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 112,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Manipuri
- Primary language
- Manipuri (mni)
- Primary religion
- Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Assam: Cachar and Dima Hasao; Mainly Manipur state; Nagaland: Dimapur, Kohima, Peren, Phek; Mizoram: Aizwal and Kolasibi; possibly some in nearby states
Where they live
Gospel status
The Thanga 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 but there has been initial or concentrated church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years Concentrated Church Planting
Next steps for the Thanga
- 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
Primary religion
99% adherents
Primary language
Manipuri · Sino-Tibetan family
100% speak Manipuri
Gospel resources in Manipuri
- Bible available, published 2022
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
Bibles
- 2019 Bibles International · text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Thanga
- 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.
Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.