Church Resources

Why the KJV?

Today, new Christians and seekers are bombarded with dozens of English Bible Translations. How can they know which version to use? Is there only one right answer? Can the Bible version issue really be answered with a one-size fits all answer? In his course, Biblical Bible Translation, former BBTI Director Charles V. Turner answers these questions. Read his article here.

Why the KJV?

NIV Quiz

One of America’s favorite Bible translations is the New International Version. Indeed, at first glance it seems more easily understood than the King James Version, but can it be trusted? Is it complete? This PDF quiz is free to download and it helps demonstrate some issues with the NIV. When you take it, you’ll need an NIV handy. Do not rely on your memory. You may be surprised at what you find!

Using the NIV (not your memory), see how many of these questions you can answer correctly.

Download NIV Quiz

Free 2026 Missions Posters

12”x18” Mission Posters

Promote missions in your church with BBTI’s twenty-four (and counting) beautiful missionary posters (updated 2026). These posters feature the individual countries of Afghanistan, Belarus, Colombia, Djibouti, eSwatini, Faroe Islands, Grenada, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya, Micronesia, Nepal, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Thailand, Uruguay, Venezuela, Wallis and Futuna, Yemen, and Zambia. These posters are available as downloads in two sizes: 11”x17” and 12”x18”.

Bilingual Bloopers

As we learn new languages, mistakes are inevitable. Our missionary graduates often send us bilingual bloopers to share. After all, a missionary with a learner’s mindset can’t take himself too seriously! We hope you’ll laugh along with our contributing missionaries as you read these language bloopers.

A non-native English speaker thought that “thanks for nothing” was a nice thing to say to a person who tried to help you with something but were unable to succeed. So instead of saying, “Thanks anyway,” she would acknowledge their effort by saying, “Thanks for nothing”!

I have been filling the pulpit where needed, and last Sunday I preached in Marianna. I met with one of the elders before service and meant to ask him if he also had a list of the preachers who would be preaching. But instead of saying “predicadores” (preachers), I said “pecadores” (sinners). I had just […]

One day I went to the grocery store to buy cat food. I was excited to use my Ilokano language skills, and knowing makan means “food” and pus means “cat”, I asked the employees, “Ada ti pusa nga nakan? (Is there cat food?)” They responded, “Oh, no, sir. We are out of stock.” I looked […]

The new BIMI missionary in Japan, Ron White, was preaching about sin, or tsumi: “Tsumi are bad. Tsumi cause death. We need to get rid of our tsumi!” But there was a big problem. He said tsuma instead of tsumi and was actually saying, “Wives are bad. Wives cause death. We need to get rid […]

After dismissing his congregation, a missionary in Germany went to the back door to greet people as they left. He greeted each member with a handshake and smile and told them, “Gutten nackt.” They realized that he meant to say “Gutten nacht” meaning good night, but grinned or snickered because he had actually said good […]

Our language tutor was teaching us to pray in the Indonesian language. We write out our prayer for his review and then read/pray them before class begins. My wife was thanking God for his mercy, but omitted an “h” sound in the middle of the word. She thanked God for his spider webs instead! —D.C.

When our language helper, Lilee, asked me what kind of meat I like to eat, I attempted to say “kai kap muu kap NGUA” (chicken and pork and beef). But instead, I came up with ‘kai kap muu kap NGU” (chicken and pork and SNAKE)! Lilee gave me a funny look and replied in English, […]

Although we had been in Laos just a short time, I thought I was making progress in learning the language. So, when our six-month old daughter needed a vaccination, I felt confident to take her to the clinic. I tried to tell the nurses that she needed a sakjaa, meaning “shot of medicine.” But I […]

Since I could not get animal crackers for our Noah’s Ark lesson, I decided to be creative and make cutout cookies. At the store, I found what I thought was flour. The packaging read Heljedino Brašno, and I knew the word for flour was brašno so I grabbed the package and headed to the checkout. […]

Before we learned the importance of pronouncing Thai with the proper tones, we would get into a taxi and tell the driver where we wanted to go. The drivers always did a double take and looked at us strangely. We later learned that instead of saying that our destination was Muang Ake, we were saying […]

To get acquainted with people in Siberia, you invite them to your home for tea. As outer clothing is considered dirty and hot to wear inside, a host greets visitors by saying, “Come in. Take off your clothes (meaning hat, coat, gloves, and boots). Have some tea.” A Russian English-speaking teacher/translator was hired to receive […]

Brother Johnny Leslie, missionary to Croatia, was preaching about John the Baptist having his head cut off. He should have said odrezati but instead said narezati. Both words mean “cut,” but the congregation roared with laughter because narezati is only used when talking about slicing something like salami!

We asked our language helper for the two statements: (1) That is a shovel. (2) That is not a shovel. I felt certain he didn’t understand my instructions because the two statements sounded identical. I challenged him by confidently saying, “You are saying the same thing.” What was I doing, correcting my language helper when […]

The missionary’s audience was a little perplexed as he told them the disciples were all on a “rock” in the middle of the sea. The audience wondered why the disciples were there and how they even got there. It was even more confusing when the missionary illustrated that Jesus Christ is our “boat” that never […]

In Nepali culture, as in many cultures around the world, children are often a conversation piece. You often hear compliments such as kasto ramro chhori! which means, “What a GOOD girl!” given to the parents. However, an untrained foreigner who attempts to reproduce this compliment could easily offend the other parent by saying, kasto ramro […]

We finished our first semester of Hebrew a few weeks ago. We are enjoying a break but are also looking forward to getting back to our studies. We now know enough Hebrew to be dangerous, and if we’re not careful, get into conversations past our understanding. The word for the phrase see you later is […]

While visiting a church in the USA, a missionary told of one occasion when he was preaching a sermon (possibly his first) in Japanese. “Sin will ruin your life; you must forsake your sin!” he cried, only to see bewilderment on the faces of the congregation. After the service, a kind Japanese man explained, “I […]

An American missionary was preaching in Romanian on the subject of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Vividly describing how the people shouted praises as Jesus rode into town, he failed to realize that he had mistaken the word Magyar (Hungarian) for măgar (donkey). The Romanians, of course, enjoyed a few laughs over the idea of […]

Years ago a missionary in Indonesia wanted his worker to cut the grass. However, he kept telling the man to get a hair cut. (Rambut means hair, and rumput means grass.) After three hair cuts and a nearly bald head, the error was detected. Another blooper from Indonesia is the frequent misuse of the words […]

Once in Oaxaca, Mexico, while teaching in a home Bible study about Sabbath observance, I meant to say “sabatistas” (those who worship on Saturday), but I said “sabanistas.” “Sabanas” are bed sheets. Someone said, “Yeah, sabanitas are the people that stay in bed on Sunday and worship God between the sheets!” My preaching may not […]

Today I sent my very first text message in Chinese characters (with the help of an English-Chinese dictionary). But I was still admittedly pretty proud of myself until I was double checking the last word… 谢谢 (xie xie-thank you) and realized it was the wrong characters… 腹泻. Although also pronounced xie xie, it has a […]

I wanted to tell my language helper that we were finished for the day. But instead of saying “ta so” (we are finished), I said “ta sio” (go away). Thankfully my helper had a sense of humor and informed me that my way of dismissing people was probably not the best if I want to […]

Yesterday, one of my fellow students said to me, “Tu es belle.” I responded, “Oui, c’est vrai,” because I thought he was saying the weather was beautiful. He chuckled a little. I replayed the short dialogue in my head because his chuckle seemed out of place, and it was an unusual way to remark about […]

I was helping to clean the kitchen after a meal in Peru and called for a rag—or so I thought. The co-laborer to whom I was speaking stopped, looked at me quizzically, and burst out laughing. Since I had asked for a “tropa” instead of a “trapo,” she thought I wanted a “troop” of soldiers […]

Lungandan, a tribal language of Uganda, has many short affixes which give an utterance its meaning. These often string together to form long words which are difficult to read; and correct placing of word breaks is very important. When reading a passage in church, a native who was a poor reader caused some laughter and […]

Just before attending BBTI, Tim was visiting western Ukraine. He had learned some Russian, and his friends there asked him what he planned to do when he returned to the US. Not knowing the word for “institute,” he used the word for “university.” He thought he was saying, “I am going to enroll in (pastupayu) […]

After church while we were waiting to eat, some church leaders asked me if we had corn in America. I said, “Yes, but it is not a staple food like it is here in Tanzania.” They then asked me what our staple food was. I answered that there are many different types but my favorite […]

Many words in Bislama are duplicated English words. For example lukluk is look and fatfat is fat. It is easy to make the mistake of thinking this applies to the majority of words. A missionary trying hard to do things the Ni-vanuatu way told the visitors arriving at his hut to come sitsit. Unfortunately, the […]

A newly arrived missionary in Costa Rica wanted to go to the market and begin learning Spanish. He looked up how to ask the price of things in his Spanish-English dictionary and found the words for “how” and “much” to be “como” and “mucho.” Then he walked around the market pointing at things and saying, […]

While preaching in an open air market I was giving an illustration using clean water and dirty water. I held up the clean water bottle and said, “If I hit this water, it brings satisfaction.” Realizing immediately that hitting water is an expression meaning to drink hard liquor, I tried to correct myself before anyone […]

A missionary preaching in Mexico City from the story of Hannah read where Hannah told her husband that she wouldn’t take the child Samuel up to the tabernacle until he was weaned. Instead of saying “destetado” (weaned), he said “destazado” (to chop up). It was even more hilarious when Elkanah responded, “Do what seemeth thee […]

A basic conversation goes something like this: Sabaidii! Jao sabaidii baww? (Hello, how are you?) Khoi sabaidii. Jao dee? (I’m fine. [How are] you?) Khoi sabaidii. (I’m fine.) It’s a good thing Jon was only practicing his language skills because instead of saying, Jao dee (How are you?), he accidentally said, Jao dai! (You die.)! […]

I knew a little Spanish, so our Spanish Pastor asked me to translate his remarks to the English congregation because he was uncomfortable addressing them with his broken English. I was dismissed from this translation assignment after the first practice run. I would have thanked the English congregation for all of their help and chicken […]

We were living in Petrozavodsk when my friend, Laura, came to visit. Conversing with my neighbor, she said that she had arrived Friday. But instead of saying “pyatnitsa” (Friday), she said “p’yanitsa” (drunk). She realized her mistake as soon as the words were out of her mouth, and we all smiled as she frantically exclaimed, […]

The new missionary told his congregation the story of the man with 100 bees. (They were puzzled; they had never read this story!) One bee was lost so the man left the 99 in the fold and searched for it. The man found his beloved bee with a hurt leg. He carefully wrapped it, gently […]

After lunch, the congregation spends time in Q&A about the morning message. People were stumped by a question about how long it took for Elijah to get to Mount Horeb, and several answered that it took three days. I spoke up, boldly saying, “si sip meu.” I mistakenly thought that meu in meu ni (today) […]

When our evangelist friend visited us, he preached through a translator. A story he told began like this: “I was out in the lake swimming with the water over my head.” Our translator stopped abruptly with a very confused look on his face. He could not understand how a person could be both out of […]

Bibleless Nations

For a long time, we as churches have looked at missions with an emphasis on countries. Because many countries around the world have dozens, if not hundreds of languages, it can be helpful for missionaries to consider working with a specific people group. In the Bible, people groups are called nations: Matthew 28:19 says, “Go ye therefore into all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The people groups we’ve chosen to spotlight still don’t have the complete Word of God in their heart languages.

Tumari Kanuri of Niger

Over four million Kanuri people live in the West African countries of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Each of the thirty-four existing Kanuri dialects is distinct. Many have at least a portion of the Scriptures, and some have whole Bibles. The Tumari Kanuri of Niger, however, still need a translation. That is 110,000 souls without […]

Birwa of Zimbabwe

No Birwa photo available. This Sotho man is from a related ethnic group. Photo: Source: Steve Evans – Flickr Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 The Birwa, numbering 165,000, live mainly in the Bobirwa Subdistrict of Zimbabwe with smaller populations in Botswana and South Africa. They migrated from Transvaal (a pre-apartheid former province of South Africa) […]

Banda of Central African Republic

The Banda, numbering 1,317,700 are the largest ethnic group in the Central African Republic. They live in hamlets of scattered homes under the leadership of headmen. Men hunt and fish, and women gather wild foods and cultivate crops of maize, cassava, peanuts, sweet potatoes, yams, and tobacco. The Banda are woodcarvers, crafting both general use […]

Banda of Central African Republic

Nubi, Uganda

In the 1880s, the governor of Southern Sudan was driven from his country into Uganda. He and his soldiers were given protection from the British in return for their service. This group of Muslim soldiers and their descendants eventually became known as the Nubi people. In the 1890s, the British awarded the Nubi soldiers land […]

Teke of Congo

The Teke are one of over five hundred groups of Bantu people. They live in the central plateau of Africa where they grow maize, millet, and tobacco. The tribe’s name comes from their occupation of trading; teke means “to buy.” They also hunt and fish. Teke traditional dress is fashioned from the dried leaves of […]

Roglai of Vietnam

146,000 Roglai people (whose language is also called Roglai) live in the Vietnamese coastal provinces of Khanh and Ninh Thuan. Evangelical Christianity among this people group is estimated at 12%. Due to persecution, an accurate estimate of evangelistic churches is difficult to assess. Since there is no Roglai Bible, pastors and leaders study the Vietnamese […]

Pontic Greeks, Turkey

The Pontic Greeks quite possibly heard the Apostle Paul during his missionary journeys. This people group considers themselves descendants of the Argonauts, who set sail looking for gold and silver. Because of their desire to seek treasure in other lands, this group of Greeks eventually settled in Northeastern Turkey with the majority settling around the […]

Wasa of Ghana

The Wasa face many challenges. The areas where gold is mined are damaged by erosion that causes flooding and ruins the land for farming. Also, many Wasa living in poverty mine gold illegally. These small, unregulated operations use chemicals and heavy metals that contaminate drinking water. A second challenge is the Wasa language. Some of […]

Pame Central of Mexico

Ten thousand Pame live in San Luis Potosi, a state of central Mexico. They call themselves Xiúi meaning “indigenous.” The Pame cultivate maize, beans, squash, and chili which constitute their main diet. However, the soil is poor and rocky and many Pame are migrant workers. Pame traditional religious beliefs in spirits, witches, and gods have […]

Northern Dong of China

> Standing before you is a famed Drum Tower, a remarkable architectural achievement held together with groove joints instead of nails. As you admire the abundance of carvings and paintings on the multi-storied structure, music plays and a traditional song and dance begin. You are at a festival in one of the few Dong villages […]

Bahraini Arab of Bahrain

Al Jazeera – Flickr Creative Commons The Kingdom of Bahrain is an archipelago nation located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia. Most Bahraini live on the main island. The town people usually live in apartments or houses made of cement and lime brick. The villagers live in thatched huts. The arid […]

Odienne Jula of Côte d’Ivoire

There are forty-four subgroups of the Jula, a sub-Saharan people, one of which is the Odienne Jula. The majority of the 183,000 Odienne Jula live in the northwest town of Odienne, Côte d’Ivoire which is an historic trading center. Odienne lies within the savanna region of Côte d’Ivoire where the soil is fertile. People make […]

Golden Palaung of Myanmar

Among the mountains and valleys of the Shan state of Myanmar live the Golden Palaung. Over 200,000 Golden Palaung speak the Shwe dialect of Palaung, which comes from the Mon-Khmer language family. The Palaung are able to grow a number of crops in their area and they trade for additional foods with their pickled tea […]

Phunoi of Laos

The 2000 census lists 45,000 ethnic Phunoi living in north-central Laos. Phunoi is one of eighty-four languages spoken in Laos. It is a Tibeto-Burman language which reflects the Burmese rule in Phunoi history. Phunoi is classified as a Loloish language which reflects a Chinese origin. Experts believe there are 240 ethnic groups in Laos. In […]

Bagobo-Klata of Mindanao

Located in the heart of the second largest island of the Philippines is a tribal people who cling tenaciously to their ancient customs and traditions. The Bagobos are a people steeped in ethnoreligion. They combine spirit worship, ancestral worship, and nature worship into a religion that is strict in ritual and full of fear. They […]

Luobohe Miao of China

Imagine a dark place where superstition and fear rule peoples’ lives. It is a place where daily activities must be done in a prescribed manner or risk the ire of demons and the spirits of ancestors. There are no Christians, no Scriptures, and no hope. This is reality for the 123,000 Luobohe Miao (a group […]

Yörük of Turkey

Tourists gather yearly to see the Yörük caravans depart their winter coastal homes for their summer pastureland in the Taurus Mountains. Excitement abounds. Sheep and goats walk single file, bells ringing. The huge loads of tents and equipment carried by camels are covered by colorful Turkish rugs. Women in their long, flowered skirts and young […]

Brunei Malay of Malaysia

The Brunei Malay people are a native Malay ethnic group that live in Brunei, a little-known nation on the island of Borneo. The country is tiny (a little larger than Delaware), but enjoys the wealth from oil resources. The Brunei also live in Malaysia, Canada, and the United States. The in-country population is 184,000; the […]

Tama of Chad

The Tama people live in eastern Chad and western Sudan. Statistics vary according to source; reports include a population of anywhere from 170,000 to 300,000. The Kimr tribe, numbering 169,000, belongs to the Tama people group and speaks the same language. Tama (also known as Tamok, Tamot, or Tamongobo) is a language in which tone, […]

Sranantongo of Suriname

Bob and Liz PattonSuriname is situated on the northern coast of South America. Its history is almost as diverse as the vegetation that grows in its tropical climate; Suriname was first explored by the Spanish in the 16th century, settled by the British in the mid-17th century, and became a Dutch sugar colony in 1667. […]

Southern Aymara of Peru

The ancient home of the Aymara is perched twelve-thousand feet above sea level on the Altiplano, a high plateau near Lake Titicaca in the Peruvian Andes. Although life is challenging due to very poor soil and a region susceptible to both drought and flood, the nearly three hundred thousand Southern Aymara have found a way […]

West Coast Bajau of Malaysia

The 750,000-900,000 souls comprising the Bajau or Sama people are dispersed throughout the Malaysian section of Borneo and are thought to have originated in the Philippines. There are various Bajau languages, and they are mutually unintelligible. While some of the Bajau have Bible translations or Gospel resources, at least one of them—the West Coast Bajau […]

The Pamari

The Pamiris of Central Asia have never had their own country nor lived independently of surrounding powers. The majority of Pamiris live in an area called the Badakhshan Autonomous Province which covers parts of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Pamiris are linguistically, religiously, and culturally distinct from their Tajik and Afghani landlords. They are a highly misunderstood […]

The Bunu of China

Hidden deep in the mountains of southwest China, the Bunu people are like a treasure waiting to be found. Many of the small Bunu villages are inaccessible by any type of vehicle. The Bunu went into hiding when they were forced to flee the Hunan valley due to violent persecution from the Han and Zhuang […]

Mau Malinké of Côte d’Ivoire

Imagine living your entire life committed to what you believe, dedicated to your people and traditions, following the teachings passed down to you from your parents and their parents, and then dying only to realize that everything you believed in was a lie and you must now spend eternity in torment, separated from God. How […]

Fur of Sudan

“Avilakoa!” a man cries out to you from beside the dirt path. His long white robe brushes the ground as he stands watching over his cattle. In the distance, you see a village of mud houses and hear the sound of women calling out to each other as they get water and prepare food. This […]

Hunza of Pakistan

Tucked away, high in the northeastern mountains of Pakistan, live the Hunza people. They are also known as the Burusha. These people lived for hundreds of years in complete isolation until a highway was built that brings many tourists to see the beauty of the Himalayan mountains contrasted with the lush, terraced gardens of the […]

Larestani of Iran

The Larestani people group of Southwestern Iran has a population of 115,000 Sunni Muslims. The Larestani are surrounded by Shi’ite Muslims, so religious tensions are often very high. The Larestani are farmers and shepherds; but as they are completely dependent on the little rainfall the region receives, are very poor. As a direct result of […]

Lembak of Indonesia

The Lembak, or Cul (population 231,000), live primarily on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. They are farmers whose main crop is rice, though some do farm and sell coffee and rubber. Families are close-knit; two family members accompany anyone leaving Sumatra to receive further training or work experience. When they finish their training, all […]

Moor

The Moor (world-wide population 4,235,100) are originally from North Africa. They are proud of their Arabic ancestry and retain its Islamic influence which varies between the terrorist Quidari and the more peaceful Jajani. Their language is Hassaniya Arabic. They have no Scripture or known missionaries. In 711 AD, the Moor invaded and conquered Spain. They […]

Luri of Iran

An estimated four to five million Luri people live in the Zagros Mountains in the southwestern provinces of Iran. Making up about 7% of Iran’s population, these ancient nomads are believed to be indigenous to the area, descended from ancient Persians. History reports that Luri ancestors were the Elamites and Kassites, dating back to 3000 […]

Uncontacted Tribes of the Amazon Basin

The Amazon Basin contains the largest tropical rainforest in the world, covering an area almost the size of the continental United States. Most of the basin lies within Brazil, but it also encompasses parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. It is home to an estimated twenty-six million people, including isolated and even […]

Banjar of Indonesia

The 4,127,124 Banjar, Indonesia’s tenth largest ethnic group, makes up 1.7% of the nation’s total population. They live mainly in Southern Kalimantan. There are also over a million Banjar in Malaysia. The Banjarese language reflects the influence of the Dayaks, the Javanese, and the Malay peoples from whom the Banjar descended. This is a very […]

Eton of Cameroon

The official languages of the Republic of Cameroon are French and English. There are also 286 indigenous languages, one of which is Eton with an estimated 127,000 speakers. The Eton people live in the tropical rain forest of the Centre Region. They are subsistence farmers, using the slash and burn method to plant root crops […]

The Deaf of the World

Every country in the world has a Deaf population, and they are largely unreached. Many of them have their own culture and a sign language distinct for that country. Some deaf people live in isolation and loneliness, while others move to cities and form deaf communities. There are actually two Englands— two English languages and […]

Svan, Republic of Georgia

Isolated and sheltered from the rest of the world by the high peaks of the Caucasus Mountains, the Svan people have preserved and carried on their ancient culture for centuries. Eastern Orthodoxy arrived around the sixth century, yet, it quickly meshed together with primal customs such as sun worship, blood feuds, and animal sacrifices. This […]

Yemeni Arab of Yemen

There are an estimated 6,934,000 Yemeni Arabs living in the world today. These tribal people are scattered throughout 16 different countries, but the majority of them live in Yemen. Within their social structure are four classes of people: the wealthy, the tribesmen, the merchants and craftsmen, and the slaves. These classes are very predominant and […]

Baka of Congo, Africa

For centuries, the Pygmies have been recognized as the oldest inhabitants of the African rainforest. Throughout the forests of Cameroon, Gabon, and Congo, there lives a group of Pygmies known as the Baka. Because they are so remote and widespread, there has been no accurate count of their population. They are the people of the […]

Aimaq, Char of Afghanistan

The Aimaq Char of Afghanistan is a people group comprised of four different tribes: Taimani, Firozkohi, Timuri, and Jamshidi. It is estimated that 250 subtribes exist within these. The population of this group is 334,000 and 148,000 of them live in Afghanistan. Their primary language is Aimaq, but Farsi is spoken in the schools. Foods […]

Miao of China

The Miao are one of the 55 officially recognized minorities in China. With a population of 9.6 million in China alone, they form the country’s fifth largest ethnic minority. Because of past oppression and multiple migrations, they are scattered across several provinces in Southeast China, and many Hmong (a Miao sub-group) have settled in Southeast […]

Pamiri Tajiks of Central Asia

The Pamiri Tajiks live in extreme isolation on the border area of four countries: Tajikistan, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Their traditional homeland is the Pamir Mountains, the world’s second highest mountain range. Different sources recognize between 120,000 and 350,000 Pamiri Tajiks. This number includes several distinct sub-dialects. All of these dialects are still unwritten. Being […]

Lao Phuan of Laos

The Lao Phuan people live in Laos and Thailand. They have a distinct language (Phuan) and culture. The Lao Phuan enjoyed social prominence in Laos for centuries. That changed in the 1800’s. After several decades of war, over half of them migrated to Thailand where they live in small communities. Most Lao Phuans work in […]

Amdo Tibetan

You could walk for weeks and never meet one Amdo Tibetan person who has heard the name of Jesus Christ. These nomadic people travel around the country-side with their herds of animals. They can assemble their houses in just over an hour, and work hard day in and day out to survive. They watch their […]

Chenoua of Algeria

The official language of Algeria is Arabic, and the national language is Berber. However, as Algeria was a French colony for 132 years (1830-1962), French is still widely used in business and education. Algeria also has seventeen ethnic languages, one of which is Chenoua, or Chenoui. There are 81,000 speakers of Chenoua living in northwest […]

Khorasani Turks of Iran

Far removed from the metropolis of Tehran, the Khorasani people have survived centuries of numerous invasions of other peoples. They have retained their culture despite the influences and governing of various Turks, Mongols, Arabs and Afghans. While farming is the main livelihood, they also produce magnificent, original rugs and tapestries. Because of their Islamic beliefs, […]

Secilians of Sicily

Surely only the most isolated people are without a Bible in their language. Well, that is what one might think, but it is not always the case. There is a people group of over 5 million without Scripture in their native language. A society that produced renowned artists, explorers, and scientists: the Sicilians! Once the […]

Agaria, Hindu of India

The Agaria is not only a tribe, but also a caste whose occupation is iron smelting. Their name is a reference to their iron ore kilns; historians state that it comes from either the Hindu god of fire (Agni) or their tribal demon who was born in flame (Agyasur). There are numerous other important deities […]

Seba of Republic of Congo

What an illumination this Scripture brought to the heart of Martin Luther, Roman Catholic monk. God’s work through His Word changed a man, a nation, and the course of church history. Perhaps God would do the same for the 247,000 Seba as they read the Word, freeing them from the darkness of Catholicism – but […]

Antankarana of Madagascar

The 144,000 Antankarana, meaning “people of the rocks,” are one of forty people groups of Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island. Though previously ruled by the Sakalava, the Merina, and the French, they have retained their group identity. Their present leader, Ampanjaka Tsimiharo III (see picture), is a descendant of King Tsimiaro I (1812-1825), who […]

Sentinelese of India

Hidden away from the normal trade routes of the Indian Ocean lies North Sentinel Island, a tiny tropical land all but unknown to the modern world. Within the jungle walls of this island live the Sentinelese, a people thought by many experts to be the most isolated tribe on earth. Although they are officially citizens […]

Sanaani of Northern Yemen

The 7,600,000 (1996) Sanaani reside in the northern mountains and north-eastern deserts of Yemen, a country located on the Arabian Peninsula. This area was once ruled by the Queen of Sheba, and the roots of this proud, tribal people group stem back to pre-Islamic days. Their language is a distinctive variety of Arabic with some […]

Maba of Chad

The 367,000 Maba, also known as Ouaddai (pronounced Wad-aye), are the dominant people group of the Wadai Mountains in eastern Chad. Many living in rural areas speak only their own language, Maba; but most town-based Maba are bilingual, also speaking Chad Arabic. There are no Maba Scriptures. These are non-Arab Muslims, loyal to their local […]

The Kangri Language

Twelve people groups in India speak Kangri as their primary language. The smallest group has only eighty speakers, but the largest, the Hindu Ghirath, has 164,000. Other names for Kangri include Pahari and Dogri. Kangri is written with Hindi script, and Hindi is spoken to outsiders. A Hindi Bible is available, but Kangri speakers are […]

Kho of Pakistan

The Kho, natives of northern Pakistan, live isolated among the world’s highest mountain peaks. The dry, rugged terrain barely supports herding and subsistence farming. Due to poor nutrition and water quality, health problems are many. Generous and hospitable, quiet and peace-loving but also brave, the Kho resent their long domination by the Pushtan. Traditional poems […]

Zhuang of Southern China

The Gwangxi province is home to the largest minority group in China—over seventeen million Zhuang. There are two main groups, the Northern and the Southern Zhuang. While the Northerners are being assimilated into the Han Chinese culture and becoming largely atheistic, the Southerners still maintain their traditional practices of ancestor and spirit worship and their […]

Chaungtha of Myanmar

The hill tribe of Chaungtha, numbering 166,000, is one of one hundred forty distinct people groups of Burma. Chaungtha means people of the valley or people of the river. Their main occupation is growing rice on terraced mountainsides. Buddhism co-exists with the Chaungtha’s traditional animistic ethnic religion in which the spirits (nats) must be appeased. […]

Hazaras of Afghanistan

Because of the Hazaras’ physical, cultural, and language features, many believe they are of Mongolian descent. They were first mentioned as a people in the late 1500’s, and their unwritten language, Hazaragi, is a dialect of Persian. Besides the 1,770,000 Hazaras of Afghanistan, there are major populations in western Pakistan and Iran as well as […]

Red Thai of Vietnam

Red Thai is one of fifty-four distinct ethnic groups in Vietnam. (Some also live in Laos.) Their name is taken from the Red River in Yunnan, a southern province of China where they originated. Thai Daeng is a tonal language spoken by 176,000 people who are without any Scriptures or Gospel recordings. The men are […]

The Western Cham of Cambodia

Champa, an ancient empire, was invaded by Vietnam in 1471. Many Cham fled to Cambodia to escape death. Then, in the late 1970’s, hundreds of thousands were massacred under the rule of the Khmer Rouge. The Cham are a very tight-knit matrilineal community. Polygamy is practiced, but for cultural and religious reasons, there is little […]

The Dimili Kurds of Turkey

The 1,165000 Dimili Kurds live in the Caucasus Mountains. Many are isolated in small villages, accessible only by goat trails; and there is no electricity, medical facilities, or schools. The fertile valleys sustain both farms and animal herds. The Kurds are not recognized as a people group by the Turkish government and have been victims […]

The Daur of China

The Daur (or “cultivator”) live in the river areas of northeast China. These areas are conducive to farming, hunting, and raising animals. The men enjoy wrestling, horseman-ship and archery. Women are skilled in intricate embroidery and the making of ornate home decorations. Traditional music and dance depict themes from life such as an eagle’s flight […]