Koli Christians are subgroup of the Koli people, known as Bombay East Indians, the indigenous people of the Seven Islands of Bombay and the Bombay metro area, which is now also called Mumbai (Bombay). The Koli Christians were of the Son Koli caste, before their conversion by the Portuguese from Brahmanism to Christianity, in the former Bom Bahia of Portuguese India. Christian Kolis are also known as Thankar and Gaonkar Kolis in Maharashtra, where they played an important role in building churches and convents in the northern Konkan division of Maharashtra.

Konkani is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Konkani people, primarily in the Konkan region, along the western coast of India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages mentioned in the Indian Constitution, and the official language of the Indian state of Goa. It is also spoken in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat as well as Damaon, Diu & Silvassa.