The Kamar consider military service their traditional occupation, and say that they converted to farming and manual labor jobs through force of circumstances. Sadly, their lives are aimed entirely at physical survival and the fight against natural disaster and starvation.

In Bengal and Chota Nagpur, Kamar is an occupational term meaning "iron worker." However, there is no relationship between the Kamar caste and the Kamar ethnic group.

What Are Their Lives Like
Most of the Kamar earn their income by making bamboo items, which they sell and trade in the weekly markets. Many engage in basketry throughout the entire year, and they are well known for this skill. Their fine bamboo baskets can be traded for goods such as rice, tea, and liquor.

Farming is the secondary occupation of the Kamar, followed closely by hunting and fishing. Recently, many Kamar have become workers in large scale industries near their homes. They may supplement their incomes by collecting forest products, especially certain types of leaves, which are sold to contractors. The women do much of the strenuous work in the fields and forests.

Many of the smaller Kamar villages consist of settled farmers, but all Kamar believe that it was their destiny to practice the "slash and burn" method of agriculture. Even those who work on permanent plots burn off the land and practice crop rotation. The fields are plowed with pick axes and spades, and iron sickles are used to harvest the crops.

The Kamar are dispersed in approximately 200 villages, which are generally mixed with other tribal communities. The settlements consist of scattered huts with no definite pattern. The larger villages are located near the foothills or deep in the forests, while the smaller settlements are found along roadsides.

The Kamar typically live in two-room mud huts. One of the rooms is for storage and for the household god. Their houses are very neat and clean. Various kinds of fishing traps are found in every home, since all Kamar love to fish. Many have a shed for socializing, as well as a separate cattle shed. Most houses also have a bari, or small vegetable garden, which is an important factor in their survival.

The Kamar tribe is divided into a number of clans, or gots. The gots are endogamous, meaning they only marry within their own clan. Cross cousin marriages are preferred, and males initiate the marriage negotiations.

The Kamar wear very simple clothes. They do not wear shoes, and they tie cotton cloths, or phundras around their heads. There are noticeable differences between the traditional and modern styles. For example, young Kamar girls wear saris (wrap-around dresses) made from elaborate prints; whereas, the traditional clothes were plain white. They also wear petticoats, glass bracelets, and elaborate hair pins.

What Are Their Belief?
The Kamar are ethnic religionists who have been heavily influenced by Hinduism. Each home has a family god in the form of iron chains decorated with peacock feathers. The Pujari (priest) offers goat sacrifices to the local gods and deities on ceremonial occasions. The villagers believe that punishments for evil behavior, such as incest, are carried out supernaturally by the gods.

What Are Their Needs?
One missions agency is currently working among the Kamar; however, they are in desperate need of Christian materials to help them effectively spread the message of salvation. Prayer is the first step toward seeing these precious people penetrated with the Light of the Gospel.

• Ask the Lord to call people who are willing to go to India and share Christ with the Kamar.
• Pray that the Lord will grant wisdom and favor to the missions agency that is targeting the Kamar.
• Ask God use the small number of Kamar believers to share the Gospel with their friends and families.
• Pray that God will raise up qualified linguists to translate the Bible into the Kamar language.
• Ask the Lord Jesus to begin revealing Himself to the Kamar through dreams and visions.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Kamar bound.
• Pray for the salvation of key Kamar leaders who will boldly proclaim the Gospel among their own people.
• Ask the Lord to raise up strong local churches among the Kamar by the year 2000.

THE PEOPLE

• People name: Kamar
• Country: India
• Their language: Kamar
• Population: (1990) 15,100
  (1995) 16,700
  (2000) 18,200
• Largest religion: Ethnic religionist 99.9%
• Christian: <1%
• Church members: 12
• Scriptures in their own language: None
• Jesus Film in their own language: None
• Christian broadcasts in their own language: None
• Mission agencies working among this people: 1
• Persons who have heard the Gospel: 2,000 (12%) Those evangelized by local Christians: 700 (4%)
  Those evangelized from the outside: 1,300 (8%)
• Persons who have never heard the Gospel: 14,700 (88%)

• Country: India
• Population: (1990) 850,638,100
  (1995) 935,744,300
  (2000) 1,022,021,300
• Major peoples in size order: Hindi (High Hindi) 9.5%
  Telugu 7.8%
  Maratha 7.4%
  Bengali 6.4%
  Hindi (Bazaar, Popular) 5.5%
• Major religions: Hindu 78.2%
  Muslim 12%
  Christian 4.3%
• Number of denominations: 8