Lashi, Letsi in Myanmar (Burma)


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Identity

The Chinese call the Lashi Chashan Ren, meaning "tea mountain people." This name signifies the primary occupation of the Lashi: tea cultivation. The Lashi are one of six tribes who have been combined to form the official Jingpo nationality in China. In Myanmar, the Lashi are considered part of the generic Kachin group - a collection of loosely related tribes. They are pressured not to seek a separate ethnic identity from the Kachin. According to one source, the Lashi are "a group that arose largely by intermarriage between the Atsi and the Maran clan of the Jingpo."

The Lashi language - which has four tones - is closely related to Zaiwa. Some linguists have even described Zaiwa as a dialect of Lashi.


History

Many of the Lashi in China claim to be descended from a battalion of soldiers who were pushed across the border into China by advancing British troops in 1885.


Customs

Most Lashi families own several copper guns. Living in dense forests, the Lashi use the weapons to defend themselves against wild animals and to hunt. They also fire shots into the air to announce a death or to celebrate a wedding. A man who is a skilled shooter is considered particularly attractive to a Lashi woman. Until recently the Lashi made their own gunpowder - a mix of fertilized soil, charcoal, sulphur, and plantain juice.


Religion

In the past the Lashi relied on shamans to mediate between the material and the spiritual worlds. The shamans maintained a tight control over the people, reducing them to dire poverty while indulging in personal luxury. The Lashi still sometimes offer sacrifices to demons in a bid to heal a sickness. Some believe demons have the power to bite them, but if they bring appropriate offerings, this punishment can be forestalled. Often, to exorcize a case of disease, such as malaria, treacherous sorcerers demanded a family's livestock to be sacrificed one by one, effectively plunging the family into debt for generations.


Christianity

Although there are numerous churches among the Lashi, many of the professing believers have a superficial faith. A group of young Christians, in discussion with local officials, listed 15 causes why they believed they were poor. The list included: sickness, cruel and greedy sorcerers, vendettas, floods, wind and frost on crops, laziness, wife's pregnancy, marriage, death of the chief laborer, house building, fire, loss of cattle, being shorthanded, and causing another person's girlfriend to become pregnant.


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the Lashi, Letsi in Myanmar (Burma).


Profile Source:   Operation China, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©   Used with permission  

People Name General Lashi
People Name in Country Lashi, Letsi
Pronunciation Lah-shee
Alternate Names Acye; Ac-ye; Chashan; Chashanhua; Lachikwaw; Lashi-Maru; Lasi; Lechi; Leqi; Letsi
Population this Country 34,000
Population all Countries 37,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 5
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 6  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
People ID 18541
ROP3 Code 114158
ROP25 Code 304613
ROP25 Name Lashi
Country Myanmar (Burma)
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 17  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Kachin State, east border area.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Myanmar (Burma)
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 17  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Kachin State, east border area..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Primary Religion: Christianity
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
5.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 65.00 %)
90.00 %
Ethnic Religions
5.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Lacid (34,000 speakers)
Language Code lsi   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Lacid (34,000 speakers)
Language Code lsi   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Lacid

Primary Language:  Lacid

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes
Bible-New Testament Yes  (2016)
Bible-Complete Yes  (2009-2010)
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Lacid Jesus Film Project
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible app: Lacid YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Download audio Bible app as APK file Faith Comes by Hearing
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Lacid YouVersion Bibles
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Operation China, Asia Harvest  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source Bethany World Prayer Center  
Profile Source Operation China, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©  Used with permission 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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