Introduction / History

The Shaksaz are a community of weavers and basket makers who live in Jammu & Kashmir, India. They do not live in Pakistan, thought their homeland is nearby. They have other backward caste (OBC) status, which means their standing is not high or low.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Since they are a landless community, the Shaksaz people earn their living by making baskets and weaving. Tourists buy their goods.

They are a conservative Sunni Muslim community. Though they can marry members of other Sunni Muslim groups, the marriages are arranged by family members rather than by the couple. They usually marry their cousins.

A wife must not only do household chores and care for the children, she must also weave baskets to contribute to the family income. She also collects firewood and helps take care of the livestock.

The Shaksaz family is usually nuclear. They show affection for the small children and respect for their elders. There are certain rules regarding who can joke with who. For example, a wife must not joke with her husband’s older brothers. Unmarried daughters get a smaller inheritance than their brothers. She usually drops out of school before her brothers.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Though they are Sunni Muslim, the Shaksaz people often visit shrines to special Muslim saints. They hope these dead saints will intercede for them before Allah. They celebrate the major Muslim holidays like all other Sunni Muslims.

What Are Their Needs?

The Shaksaz people need to accept the warm embrace of the only savior so they can enjoy spiritually meaningful lives.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Holy Spirit to work mightily in their communities, blessing them in every way.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to give the Shaksaz people a love for God's Word and a desire to spread its influence.

Pray for signs and wonders among them and for great breakthroughs with a rapid multiplication of disciples and house churches.

Pray for bold workers who are driven by the love of the Holy Spirit to go to them.

Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.

Scripture Prayers for the Shakhsaz in India.

References

People of India, Vol 25. K.S. Singh. 2003