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Through innovative initiatives, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship focuses on a variety of people groups and ministry areas among the most neglected in a world without borders. Choose among the links below for profiles of some of these fascinating ethno-linguistic people groups. Visit the CBF Store for videos and DVDs featuring some of these groups.
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Albanians
During Communist rule, Albania was declared the world's first atheist state and closed to the outside world. |
Balinese
A Hindu people living within a Muslim majority, the Balinese of Indonesia blend art, life and belief in a way that has made their culture the subject of research and an object of tourism. |
Bedouin
Pastoral nomads located in the Middle East and North Africa, the Bedouin live in the desert and have a strong clan structure. |
The Bisu
The Bisu are one of the smaller ethnic groups within the Tibeto-Burman linguistic family. There are approximately 1,000 Bisu in Thailand, with an additional 6,000 in neighboring countries. |
Kurds
Descendants of the Biblical Medes, the Kurds have suffered oppression for centuries and were recently the subject of a genocidal campaign by Saddam Hussein. |
Lampungese
This Indonesian tribe is comprised of a mixture of fisherman and former headhunters. They have no Bible in their own language. |
Madurese
Staunchly resistant to change and outside influence, the Madurese who live primarily in Indonesia are orthodox Sunni Muslims with a strong belief in spirits. |
The Malay of Malaysia
Although found throughout Southeast Asia, the majority of ethnic Malays live in Malaysia. Making up half the population, the Malay share the country with Chinese and Indian minorities. |
Muang
Virtually every Muang village has a Buddhist temple, and all young men are expected to become monks for at least a few weeks. |
Pattani Malay
The Pattani are Muslim Malays living in Buddhist Thailand, separated from the Thais by race, language, heritage and culture. |
Persian Speakers Worldwide
Since the Iranian revolution in 1979, millions of Persian-speaking peoples migrated to other parts of the Middle East, the United States, Europe and other areas of the world. |
Qashqa'i
A proud, independent minority group in Iran, the Qashqua'i are the least evangelized megapeople group in the world. |
Romany
Although better known as "gypsies," these people speak a language known as Romani, which is based on ancient Sanskrit. Their original homeland is northern India. |
Sundanese
The Sundanese who live primarily in Indonesia, are very resistant to the gospel, due in part to the terrible treatment they received during the hundreds of years of Dutch colonization. |