Lahu Phu in Laos


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

About 2,500 Lahu Phu or White Lahu live in northern Laos. They inhabit the mountains of western Bokeo Province, near the Golden Triangle where the borders of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet. The White Lahu inhabit the Tonpheung district of Bokeo Province and along the Mekong River north to Chiang Kok. Bokeo is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the world. It's 113,000 inhabitants are divided into at least 34 ethnic groups.

The White Lahu language is closely related to both Lahu Na (Black Lahu) and the Lahu Nyi (Red Lahu). The two groups live alongside each other in some locations in Burma. The White Lahu in Laos may have originally come from a Red Lahu village in Burma (Myanmar) close to 100 years ago. Animism is a very strong religious system among the White Lahu which is also true of the Red Lahu, whereas the Black Lahu have generally become Christian, at least in name.

The Lahu in China rebelled more than 20 times throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The region they occupied west of the Mekong River was branded "a place of constant riot." It is almost certainly because of such constant harassment and persecution that the ancestors of today's Lahu in Laos packed up their belongings and migrated across the border to start a new life outside China.

The White Lahu believe in a Supreme God, G'ui Sha, but as of 2004 there were no known Christians among them in Laos. Each village had shamans and at least one had a temple where animistic practices took place. Initially there was a strong antagonism towards the gospel and much pressure from both government and socially. Marriage for the first few young believers was very difficult as parents did not want their daughters to marry Christians. This situation is slowly changing as more and more express interest in following Jesus Christ.

When American Baptist missionary William Young first preached the Gospel to the Lahu in northern Burma in 1901, they exclaimed, "We as a people have been waiting for you for centuries.... We even have meeting houses built in some of our villages in readiness of your coming." Many of the Lahu men wore ropes on their wrists. They explained, "We Lahu have worn ropes like these since time immemorial. They symbolize our bondage to evil spirits. You alone, as the messenger of G'ui Sha, may cut these manacles from our wrists- but only after you have brought the lost book of G'ui Sha to our very hearths!"

An emerging church exists among the White Lahu in Laos today, although believers have been hampered by constant persecution, their geographic isolation and their inability to read God's Word. One ministry has developed extensive story sets that are used for evangelism, discipleship and church planting


Prayer Points

Pray for people to stand boldly for Christ even in the face of persecution.
Thank God for not leaving the Lahu without a witness in the past.
Pray the White Lahu would be outward-focused in their faith, burdened and empowered to reach other tribes.
Pray against bad examples of Christianity they may encounter and especially the trap of foreign dependency.
Pray they would not be involved with the drug trade or be users of the very available methamphetamines and opium.


Scripture Prayers for the Lahu Phu in Laos.


Profile Source:   Peoples of Laos, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©   Used with permission  

The Jungles of Southern Yunnan

Source:  Asia Harvest      Download

People Name General Lahu
People Name in Country Lahu Phu
Pronunciation LAH-hoo foo
Alternate Names Black Lahu; Kaixien; La Hu; La Hủ; Lahuna; Laku; Launa; Lohei; Luohei; Mooso; Muhso; Mussar; Musso; Mussuh; Mussur; Namen; Red Lahu; White Lahu
Population this Country 4,000
Population all Countries 589,000
Total Countries 6
Indigenous No
Progress Scale 5
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
Pioneer Workers Needed
People ID 12949
ROP3 Code 105576
ROP25 Code 304538
ROP25 Name Lahu
Country Laos
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 21  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Bokeo province: Houayxay, Peung, and Tonpheung districts; Luang Namtha province: Long district.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Laos
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 21  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Bokeo province: Houayxay, Peung, and Tonpheung districts; Luang Namtha province: Long district..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Map of Lahu Phu in Laos Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 11.00 %)
15.00 %
Ethnic Religions
85.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Lahu (4,000 speakers)
Language Code lhu   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Nyi
Dialect Code 566   Global Recordings Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Lahu (4,000 speakers)
Language Code lhu   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Nyi
Dialect Code 566   Global Recordings Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Lahu
Photo Source Anonymous 
Map Source People Group location: SIL / WLMS. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project.  
Video Source Asia Harvest
Profile Source Peoples of Laos, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©  Used with permission 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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