Malto in Bangladesh

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People Name: Malto
Country: Bangladesh
10/40 Window: Yes
Population: 36,000
World Population: 226,000
Primary Language: Mal Paharia
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Christian Adherents: 1.88 %
Evangelicals: 0.00 %
Scripture: Complete Bible
Online Audio NT: No
Jesus Film: Yes
Audio Recordings: Yes
People Cluster: South Asia Tribal - other
Affinity Bloc: South Asian Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

Malto is the language of the Kumarbhag Pahariya people. They speak Malto among themselves and Hindi with others. Malto is from the Dravidian branch of languages, so they probably migrated from southern India at some point.

Where Are they Located?

Malto speakers live mainly in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, and Meghalaya. A smaller number live in Bangladesh.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Malto speakers can be farmers, teachers or politicians. They educate their boys but not their girls. They are not vegetarians and eat wheat and rice as their staple foods.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Hinduism is their religion. Hindus can worship no gods or many gods. Some become "devotees" of a particular one. They do not have a caring or committed relationship with these gods. They believe that at death the soul continues in another life (reincarnation), so eternal salvation is not what they seek. Most Hindus seek to be reincarnated as a member of a higher caste in the next life.

What Are Their Needs?

It is difficult to be a Hindu in a Muslim land like Bangladesh.

Prayer Points

* Pray for the Holy Spirit to give the Malto people teachable and understanding hearts.
* Pray for a strong movement of the Holy Spirit to bring entire Malto families into a rich experience of God's blessing.
* Pray for Malto families to be drawn by the Holy Spirit to seek forgiveness, and to understand the adequacy of Christ's work on the cross.
* Pray for teams of believers to do sustained, focused prayer for the Lord to open the hearts of Malto family leaders to experience God's blessing through a movement of family-based discovery Bible studies.

Text Source:   Keith Carey