Southern Hmu in China

The Southern Hmu have only been reported in China
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

Records suggest the ancestors of the Hmu already had a well-developed culture in the Yellow River valley region of Central China more than 2,000 years ago. Chi You, their leader, founded their religion, invented a detailed code of criminal law, and initiated the use of arms.

The Hmu are part of the official Miao nationality. Miao is a Chinese term and is not used by the various groups that are termed "Miao." Hmu is the name this group calls itself. For countless centuries most Southern Hmu have lived alongside the Dong minority. In some places the distinction between the Hmu and Dong has become blurred. The two groups often wear identical ethnic dress and celebrate the same festivals.

Southern Hmu is the second largest of the three Hmu languages in China. In northern Guangxi it has been heavily influenced by the Dong and Zhuang languages.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Many Southern Hmu are unable to attend school because their communities need every family member to work in the fields. In other areas the cost of schooling is beyond what most families can afford.


China is made up of many small people groups who speak their own languages and follow their own customs. One of these groups is the Southern Hmu of the northern part of Guangxi Province.
What Are Their Beliefs?

During the annual Hmu Worship of the Door Festival the door is closed at sunset, and a young female pig is sacrificed. The pig's blood is drained into a hole under the door jamb. The family then observes a long period of silence. Eventually the family members retire for the night, except the father and oldest son. They stay up until just before daybreak, solemnly reciting the phrase, "We worship thee, O door. Keep away sickness, keep away disease, keep away slander and all that is injurious."

The Catholic church commenced work in Guizhou in the 1600s. In 1870, 300 Hmu from a diaspora group were baptized at Zhengfeng in Guizhou Province. In 1927, Carlo, the first Vicaire Apostolique at Anlong, baptized 150 Hmu believers. Protestant work among the Southern Hmu was slow to develop. In 1950 Ivan Allbut wrote, "In a tribe conservatively estimated to include 500,000 people, there are about 100 who have confessed the Lord in baptism. They have the Black Miao [Hmu] New Testament in their language but are still waiting for missionaries to teach them how to use it."


What Are Their Needs?

Without the guidance of Christ, these people will be lost in this life and the life to come. They need someone to go to them as Christ-bearers.


Prayer Points

Pray for the spiritual blindness and bondage to the evil one to be removed so they can understand and respond to Christ.

Pray for the Lord to provide for their physical and spiritual needs as a testimony of his power and love.

Pray that the Southern Hmu people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings.

Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.


Scripture Prayers for the Hmu, Southern in China.


References

Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Hmu, Southern
People Name in Country Hmu, Southern
Natural Name Southern Hmu
Pronunciation hmoo
Alternate Names Black Miao; Hmong, Southern Qiandong; Southern East Guizhou Miao
Population this Country 849,000
Population all Countries 849,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 17
People ID 18742
ROP3 Code 114378
ROP25 Code 309257
ROP25 Name Qiandong Miao / Hmu
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country The Southern Hmu - one of the groups labeled Black Miao by early missionaries - numbered 500,000 people in 1990. They inhabit parts of the Qiandongnan Prefecture in eastern Guizhou Province and adjacent parts of the Guangxi Autonomous Region. The Southern Hmu live in one of the poorest and most remote regions of China. Many villages are located more than a mile above sea level. Temperature variation over a vertical mile is equal to temperature variation over a land distance of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,560 mi.) horizontally. One Hmu woman commented, "We buy our land not with money like you, we buy it with our tears."   Source:  Operation China, 2000
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country The Southern Hmu - one of the groups labeled Black Miao by early missionaries - numbered 500,000 people in 1990. They inhabit parts of the Qiandongnan Prefecture in eastern Guizhou Province and adjacent parts of the Guangxi Autonomous Region. The Southern Hmu live in one of the poorest and most remote regions of China. Many villages are located more than a mile above sea level. Temperature variation over a vertical mile is equal to temperature variation over a land distance of up to 2,500 kilometers (1,560 mi.) horizontally. One Hmu woman commented, "We buy our land not with money like you, we buy it with our tears.".   Source:  Operation China, 2000
Map of Hmu, Southern in China Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.06 %)
0.20 %
Ethnic Religions
95.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
4.80 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Miao, Southern Qiandong (849,000 speakers)
Language Code hms   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Miao, Southern Qiandong (849,000 speakers)
Language Code hms   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Miao, Southern Qiandong

Primary Language:  Miao, Southern Qiandong

Bible Translation Status:  Translation Needed

Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Photo Source Gigiextremeno - Wikimedia  Creative Commons 
Map Source People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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