UUPG Kalmyk-Oirat in

People Name Kalmyk-Oirat Country Mongolia Status Unengaged Unreached Population 178,000 Language Mongolian, Halh Religion Ethnic Religions Written Scripture Yes Oral Scripture No Jesus Film Yes Gospel Recordings Yes Christ Followers No Map: Mongolian Traditional Costumes Churches No "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest Workers Needed 3 to send out workers into His harvest." Workers Reported 0 Copyright © Harvest

INTRODUCTION / HISTORY except for one small area in the back that is low life expectancy, and persistence of The Kalmyk are Mongolian in origin. In the reserved for a ponytail. diseases like tuberculosis. 16th century, the Kalmyk, or Oirat, left their homeland, now known as areas of Oral history in an important part of Kalmyk PRAYER POINTS northwest , to avoid political and culture. It is traditionally recited by a poet * Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of economic pressures. They had hopes of and accompanied by a two stringed lute the Kalmyk people so that they will be settling in the rich pastures of the northern called a dombr. Favorite past-times include receptive to the love of Jesus. Causasus Mountains. storytelling and singing. * Pray that God will free the Kalmyk from In 1771, the majority of the Oirat decided WHAT ARE THEIR BELIEFS? occultism and their belief in evil spirits. to move back to their homeland in order to In the late 1500s, the Kalmyk adopted escape the Russian dictatorship, but only a Tibetan . Many were later forced * Pray that God will grant wisdom and favor few survived the long journey. Those who to convert to Russian Orthodoxy. Kalmyk to the missions agencies that may be stayed behind in became known as Buddhism is a mixture of ethnic beliefs and currently focusing on the Kalmyk. the Kalmyk, which means "to remain." As Shamanism (belief in unseen gods, demons, Kalmyks looked for their identity, they and spirits). The people continue to depend * Pray that God will send Christian medical discovered it in Buddhism. on shamans, or medicine men, despite laws teams to work among these precious forbidding their practices to cure the sick by people. WHAT ARE THEIR LIVES LIKE? magic and communication with the gods. In rural areas, there are herdsmen who * Pray that God will raise up teams of raise cattle, sheep, goats, and a few camels. The obo, a heap of stones thought to be intercessors who will faithfully stand in the They are known for their love of fine horses inhabited by local spirits, often serves as a gap for the Kalmyk. and horse racing. Many have a small garden site for performing various rituals. plot in the yard, growing melons, corn, and Occultism is occurring as Kalmyks have the * Ask the Lord to raise up strong local potatoes for their families. Some are custom of going to a Buddhist temple and churches among the Kalmyk. employed in the trades, earning barely inviting the gods to live inside them. Some sustainable wages. Others continue to live are now being persuaded to join the SOURCES as nomads, their lives characterized by Muslim religion. Bethany Prayer profiles seasonal migrations. Their dwellings are https://goo.gl/WJ7cfG portable tents called . WHAT ARE THEIR NEEDS? Medical facilities are inadequate. Limited The traditional Kalmyk dress includes velvet water supply, poor hygiene, deficient diet, hats, loose fitted coats, and heavily padded and alcoholism are common problems. long pants. Men often shave their heads, Kalmyk have a high infant mortality rate,

FTT # 2292 www.finishingthetask.com May 2017