Operation China

Nubra September 16 ➤

Location: Several hundred China, including the Gug Christianity: There are no Tielongtan XINJIANG • Nubra people live in the tribe who drove the Keriya known Christians among the southwest corner of the people deep into the Nubra either in China or Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Taklimakan Desert before India. Although there are •Rutog TIBET INDIA Region, near the juncture of retreating back to their about 120 Moravian Xinjiang, Tibet, Pakistan, mountain hideouts.1 believers among the and the Indian state of Ladakhis in India, the Scale 0 KM 160 Jammu and Kashmir. The Customs: The Nubra church has not grown at all majority of Nubra live in experienced a complete since 1922 when they Population in China: 2 500 (1998) India where they are cultural transformation when numbered 158 believers. In 520 (2000) considered a dialect group they converted from Tibetan recent years an Indian 670 (2010) of the Ladakhi. The Nubra in Buddhism (with all its idols, mission, the Cooperative Location: Xinjiang India live in the Nubra Valley demons, ghosts, and spirit Outreach of India, has Religion: Islam Christians: None Known north of the town of Leh. appeasement) to Islam — commenced medical and which abhors idolatry and evangelistic work among the Identity: Historically, the strictly opposes the worship Nubra in India. After one of Overview of the Nubra were part of the of any deity other than Allah. their trips they reported, Nubra Ladahki race. Although the The customs of the Nubra “After having crossed the Countries: India, China Ladahki are primarily reflect their Islamic beliefs. highest motorable road in Pronunciation: “Noo-bra” Tibetan Buddhist, most Many Nubra also herd yaks, the world one reaches the Other Names: Nubran Nubra have converted to the goats, and sheep. Nubra Valley.… We had 20 Population Source: Sunni sect of Islam. The cataract surgeries and over 500 (1998 AMO); Nubra do not appear in Religion: The Nubra live 750 patients who came Also in India Chinese literature, so it is near their fellow Muslims: from far flung areas near Location: SW Xinjiang: Near the 3 town of Tielongtan uncertain how they have the Uygur, Kazak, Tajik, and the borders.” Because of Status: Unidentified; Possibly been officially classified by Kirgiz. Although they speak the tense political situation, included under Uygur or Kirgiz the authorities. Local the Ladakhi language, the little has been done to help Language: Sino-Tibetan, researchers in Xinjiang, major religious differences the Nubra living within Tibeto-Burman, Bodic, Bodish, Tibetan, Western Tibetan, Ladakhi however, are aware of the between the Muslim Nubra China’s borders. The Nubra remain unreached and Dialects: 0 presence of this unique and the Buddhist Ladakhis tribe who identify have caused the Nubra to unevangelized. Religion: Sunni Islam themselves as Nubra or develop a separate ethnicity. Christians: None known Nubran to outsiders. Scripture: Portions 1904 (Ladakhi) Jesus film: Available Language: Linguists Gospel Recordings: consider the Nubra language Ladakhi #00902 a dialect of Ladahki. Traders Christian Broadcasting: None from the two groups have ROPAL code: None little trouble communicating with each other. Most literate Nubra in India use Status of Evangelization the Urdu script, and many 95% are bilingual in Kashmiri, the lingua franca of the area. The Nubra language is Tibetan related, although it now contains many Arabic 5% 0% loanwords due to the A B C influence of Islam. A = Have never heard the gospel B = Were evangelized but did not History: For centuries Nubra become Christians C = Are adherents to any form of merchants have lived along Christianity the trade routes of the Old Silk Roads, which ran east into Tibet and north to Xinjiang and Central Asia. Tribes and bandits from the Ladakh region frequently raided areas inside today’s Dwayne Graybill

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