Asuri Bible — Asuri New Testament (India)
Overview
The Asuri Bible is the complete New Testament (27 books) in the Asuri language of Jharkhand State, India, published by New Life Computer Institute (NLCI) in 2023 and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4675; abbreviation: ASR). The Asuri are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) traditionally known as iron smelters (Asur = "one who smelts iron" in some interpretations), making them one of the few tribal communities in India with a traditional metallurgical specialization. This NT represents the first complete New Testament in Asuri, providing scripture for a highly endangered community experiencing rapid language shift toward Hindi and Sadri (Nagpuri). NLCI has produced NT translations for numerous Munda and tribal languages of Central and Eastern India.
Language and People
Asuri (ISO 639-3: asr; autonym: Ashree; also written Asuri, Asur) is an Austroasiatic language: Austroasiatic → Munda → North Munda → Kherwarian. Within the Kherwarian sub-branch, Asuri is most closely related to Birhor (biy), Korwa (kfp), and Turi; more distantly related to the larger Munda languages Mundari and Ho. The Munda languages are among the oldest language families native to the Indian subcontinent, predating the Indo-Aryan expansion.
The Asuri community inhabits:
- Latehar District, Gumla District, and Lohardaga District, Jharkhand (primary concentration)
- Smaller communities in Odisha and Chhattisgarh
The 2011 India Census counted 17,459 ethnic Asuri; actual first-language speakers are significantly fewer due to ongoing language shift. Ethnologue classifies Asuri as Endangered (EGIDS 7).
Cultural Context
The Asuri are traditionally associated with iron smelting — their historic specialization in the Jharkhand forests, where they identified iron ore deposits and maintained smelting operations. This metallurgical role gave them a distinct place in the regional economy of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, trading iron tools with agricultural communities. With the decline of traditional iron smelting under industrial competition, the economic basis for maintaining Asuri identity has weakened.
As a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), the Asuri receive special attention from India's Ministry of Tribal Affairs, with programs for educational and economic development. The Asuri script uses Devanagari; traditional religion includes elements of Sarna (nature worship of the Singbonga sun deity) alongside growing Christian presence following mission activity.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by New Life Computer Institute (NLCI) (Hyderabad, India), a Christian ministry that has produced Bible translations for dozens of endangered tribal languages across India since the early 2000s.