Chut-Ruc in Laos

The Chut-Ruc have only been reported in Laos
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

Ruc people live in an extremely isolated part of Laos, along the Lao-Vietnam border in the Bouarapha District of Khammouan Province. The Ruc live in dense evergreen forested mountains at an altitude of around 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) above sea-level. The name Ruc means 'those who eat sago-palm flour'. The area is so remote that a species of deer, called saola, was only discovered by biologists in 1992 in the neighboring part of Vietnam. A saola was later captured on the Laos side of the border in 1996, enabling experts to study this previously unknown animal.
The Ruc are believed to have spoken their own dialect until recently, but now they speak a general Chut language, which serves as the lingua franca among the various tribes of Chut.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Because the Ruc do not know how to grow or weave cotton, they engage in trade with the Lao and Vietnamese for clothing. They also buy copper pots, axes and knives. In the summer, men wear only a simple loin cloth, but in the winter they cover their torso with a kche- a poncho made from tree bark that is beaten into thin strips and sewn together.


What Are Their Beliefs?

If someone is bitten by a tiger, bear or snake the Ruc believe them to be cursed. They are not allowed to return to their village for two or three months. The person must live deep within the forest for this time and cannot be visited by friends or relatives.
Ancestor worship is not practiced in each Ruc home, as is the case with many tribes, but is only observed in the home of the village chief. The Ruc also believe in a hierarchy of spirits, of which the spirits of the earth, humans, animals and the forest are considered the most powerful.


What Are Their Needs?

There is no record of Christians ever having focused on the Ruc (or any of the other Chut groups) in Laos with the gospel. They are completely unreached.


Prayer Points

Pray that God would raise up bold laborers to take the Gospel to the Ruc, and persevere until they are reached.
Ask God to glorify His Name among the unique Ruc people.
Pray the Ruc would hear the Gospel in a culturally relevant manner, that they would not view Christ as foreign.


Scripture Prayers for the Chut-Ruc in Laos.


References

Peoples of Laos, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Chut-Ruc
People Name in Country Chut-Ruc
Alternate Names Chứt; Ruc
Population this Country 300
Population all Countries 300
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 14586
ROP3 Code 108430
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 Khammouan province, Bouarapha district   Source:  Faces of the Unreached in Laos, 1999
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 Khammouan province, Bouarapha district.   Source:  Faces of the Unreached in Laos, 1999
Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
100.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Chut (300 speakers)
Language Code scb   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Ruc
Dialect Code 8953   Global Recordings Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Chut (300 speakers)
Language Code scb   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Ruc
Dialect Code 8953   Global Recordings Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Chut

Primary Language:  Chut

Bible Translation Status:  Unspecified

Resource Type Resource Name Source
None reported  
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Asia Harvest  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source Joshua Project / Global Mapping International  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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