The Rangi of Tanzania
Population: 463,000
Background and Location: The Rangi live in Kondoa district in Tanzania, between Dodoma and Arusha.
History: Tradition says the Rangi travelled south through Ethiopia and Kenya. As water diviners, they would find a water source, dig a hole, put a gourd in it and leave. The following dry season they returned to it and if it was full of water, they would settle there. One day some young men went hunting and were left behind by the others, so they stayed there and became the related Mbugwe tribe. The others continued south and settled as the Rangi in a place where the “water didn’t go out”, or Haubi. This is considered their place of origin. The Rangi in Kondoa converted to Islam in the early 1900s, but those in the Haubi valley resisted. In 1937 they decided to become Catholic and built a cathedral. 7% of Rangi consider themselves Catholic.
Culture: A matriarchal society, the Rangi live in villages and perceive their identity through their communities. They are farmers, growing cash crops such as maize, sunflower seeds, millet and other vegetables. Their income as vendors in the market, however, is unreliable because of their dependence on rain. Their wealth is tied up in their grain, and in their cattle. The Rangi also are known for the clay pots they make.
Religion: Traditional religious beliefs have been incorporated into both the Islam and Catholicism of the Rangi. They believe in a supernatural world that affects every activity, and sacrifices, sorcery and witchcraft are common. In the Haubi highlands there is a sacred forest where traditionally initiation ceremonies took place; the Rangi greatly fear the place and avoid and protect it. They have often been mistrusted by others because of their reputation as being active with evil spirits and witchcraft, although these days more and more non-Rangi live in Kondoa and evidence of modernization is seen in TVs, phones, hospitals etc. Since 2000 the number of evangelical believers is growing. At one point the church was burned down, but it was rebuilt, along with a medical clinic, and school dorms. Baptisms are taking place, and more workers are needed. A translation project is progressing well.
Learn more about the Rangi at Joshua Project or about Tanzania at Operation World.
Latest Prayer Updates:
Healing and Openness
Rangi of Tanzania: Please pray for a 8-year old boy, H., who was rushed to the hospital in the capital city by one of the workers. He ended up having typhoid and an obstructed bowel. He’s improving but still very ill. Pray for his healing and for this tangible help to open a door for sharing God’s love with his whole family.
Jealousy
Rangi of Tanzania: “We are a people group with hearts of jealousy,” one neighbor told us recently, “We don’t want others to get ahead. We are happy when they have a hard life.” We have witnessed this dark cloud of jealousy over and over again in the Rangi people and it truly is heartbreaking. Pray the Lord would bring light into that darkness of selfishness and reveal to them the beauty of sacrificial love.
