The Jiasou say they originated along the shores of Lake Dian in Kunming in ancient times. Many centuries ago they migrated southward to the southeastern corner of Yunnan Province, where they experienced numerous clashes and battles with other ethnic groups. It seems probable that the Jiasou were once part of the same group as the Mengwu, but after centuries of separation they have evolved into two distinct ethnicities. Only in Guangnan County do members of both the Jiasou and Mengwu ethnic groups still live together.
Despite the fact that they speak their own language and possess a unique ethnic name and set of customs, the Jiasou were officially included under the Yi nationality by the Chinese authorities in the 1950s. Sir Reginald F. Johnston explained that it was futile to call all Yi people by one cover term: "I venture to express a doubt whether we should gain much by classing under one such designation a number of peoples who, whatever their origin, have been so long separated from one another that they refuse to acknowledge any mutual connection, and to some extent have different customs and speak different languages."
When a Jiasou person dies, a ceremony is held to send the soul back to the Jiasou's ancestral home. "The path of a Jiasou soul is thought to go first to Guangnan, then to Kaiyuan, and then to the Kunming lake-shores. This suggests the ancient path of migration taken by the Jiasou."
In addition to ancestor worship, the Jiasou appease a number of protective spirits. Early on, they recognized their inability to withstand the Chinese who were continually encroaching on their land. They sought the blessing of warring spirits who would attack their enemies. Some Jiasou say they once worshiped an all-powerful God of Heaven who was above all spirits, but they lost contact with him and have been harassed by demons ever since.
The Jiasou are a completely unreached and largely unevangelized people group. Few Christians reside in the Guangnan area, even among the Han Chinese majority. Catholic work in adjoining parts of Guangxi impacted the region in a general way prior to 1949, but little fruit from those endeavors remains today. Few outsiders have ever heard of the Jiasou.
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.
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 Jiasou 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 Jiasou in China.
Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Jiasou |
People Name in Country | Jiasou |
Pronunciation |
jyah-SOO
|
Alternate Names | |
Population this Country | 40,000 |
Population all Countries | 40,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 18512 |
ROP3 Code | 114124 |
Country | China | ||
Region | Asia, Northeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 16 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | According to a 1999 estimate, 30,000 ethnic Jiasou people live in Guangnan County within the Wenshan Prefecture of Yunnan Province. There is some intermixing between the Jiasou and the Mengwu in Guangnan. It is possible that some of the people counted in this profile as Jiasou should belong to the Mengwu figures. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Country | China |
Region | Asia, Northeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 16 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | According to a 1999 estimate, 30,000 ethnic Jiasou people live in Guangnan County within the Wenshan Prefecture of Yunnan Province. There is some intermixing between the Jiasou and the Mengwu in Guangnan. It is possible that some of the people counted in this profile as Jiasou should belong to the Mengwu figures.. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Primary Religion: | Ethnic Religions |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.01 %) |
0.01 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
99.99 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Sani (40,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ysn Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Unknown |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Sani (40,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ysn Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Sani |
Primary Language: Sani
Bible Translation Status: Unspecified
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 Operation China, Asia Harvest All rights reserved. Used with permission |
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. |