Bibleless Nations

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 uncontacted tribes. Some have denied the existence of as yet uncontacted tribes, but it has been documented by eye witness [...]

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 active language; many of its speakers lack fluency in Indonesian. The script is Arabic. This people has been dominated by [...]

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 (such as cassava, yam, and macabo), plantain, and groundnuts. Fishing and hunting supplement their diet. Cacao is a cash crop. [...]

Many people assume that all people living in the Middle East are Arabic. However, this is not the case. The Azeri Turk people group, located mainly in northern Iran and eastern and western Azerbaijan, are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group. The population of this people group in these two countries is 15.5 million. They are primarily descendants of the Caucasian Albanian and Iranian people (Persians), who lived in the areas of the Caucasus and northern Iran [...]

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 two English cultures that co-exist side by side—the hearing and the Deaf.  Similarly, there are two Germanies, two Frances, two [...]

Photo by Paul Hathaway The Panxian Nasu (pronounced Pan-sheeun Na-soo) live in southwestern China in the Guizhou, Yunnan, and Guangxi Provinces. Different sources number them anywhere from 290,000 to 383,000. They speak one of six distinct languages of the Yi people group, and there are two separate dialects of that one language. Their origin and culture are also distinct from other Yi. Over the centuries, the Panxian Nasu have, in some places, almost [...]

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 syncretized culture still runs deep among the people. Because life became increasingly easier beyond the mountains, and deadly avalanches killed [...]

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 can be distinguished by the types of clothing worn. This people group lives in fortress-like villages and elaborately decorated flat-roofed [...]

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 forest, with a vast knowledge of its animals and plants along with its natural medicines and cures. The women build [...]

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 commonly eaten are thick wheat bread, chickpeas, rice, potatoes, and other garden vegetables. Chicken, eggs, or lamb are often eaten [...]

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 Asian and Western countries. The language family of the Miao includes 35-plus languages, only three of which have Bibles. Most [...]

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 primarily farmers, the Pamiri Tajiks raise sheep, yaks and horses. Their villages consist of small houses built of stone and [...]

The Idaca are one of 68 distinct peoples of Benin and live in the south-central part of the country. Differing sources number them at 41,800 and 140,000. They belong to the Yoruba people cluster, one of the three African people groups from which Voodoo originated. Yams, millet, and sorghum are raised by traditional farming methods and provide the Idaca’s basic diet. This diet may be supplemented by hunting, fishing, and gathering. Most Idaca still practice [...]

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 the textile industry or farming. They wear colorful pakamas (not to be confused with pajamas!) which is a sarong-like garment [...]

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 herds closely, monitoring their safety, giving them food, protecting them, and giving of themselves for the good of their animals. [...]

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 Algeria. They are descendants of the Berbers, a North African people group who were conquered by Muslim invaders in the [...]

In the hot, dry northeastern part of Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) live the 206,000 Kulango people. Their villages consist of many extended families led by the eldest male. Ev-eryone is involved in working the family farm which provides food for the winter. The area has only one rainy season a year, and that is sometimes not enough. Their entire living depends on their crops and the harvest they bring in each year. Thus, when there [...]

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, family is an extremely significant part of their lives. Isolated for many years, schools are now being established throughout the [...]

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 central location of the known civilized world, Sicily was a great treasure that European, African and Persian empires desired to own. [...]

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 (both  tribal and Hindu),  including the supreme sun god, their ancestral god, and the iron demon, Lohasur. When there is [...]

“The just shall live by faith.” 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 they have no Bible.   The Seba live in Katanga, a province in southeastern Democratic [...]

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 vowed that his people would convert to Islam if they survived the Merina invasion. There is much syncretism of Islam [...]

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 of India, no one has ever established a lasting contact with this Stone Age tribe. Since they have a history [...]

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 unique features. Coffee, vegetables, fruit trees and grapes are grown at this high altitude. Also grown is Qat, a narcotic [...]

The 237,000 Xamir are of Cushitic descent and live in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia’s highlands. They are agriculturalists, growing mostly wheat and sorghum. According to the 1998 census, ninety percent of the Xamir speak their ethnic language, Xamtanga, and fifty-nine percent are monolingual. This is an unengaged people group (no one is reaching them), and there are few, if any known believers. There is a great dearth of Christian resources—no evangelical Christians or churches, [...]