The Lati in China are officially counted under the Yi nationality, yet they do not even speak a Sino-Tibetan language and have no kinship with the Yi. The incorrect categorization of the Lati is an example of the hurried approach that the Chinese authorities employed in their classification of China's ethnic peoples.
Most Lati live simple lives. They cultivate rice. Lati women are renowned for their skill in weaving and indigo dyeing. Each family clan owns drums and gongs which are used in ritual ceremonies. At weddings the groom's family must provide a suitable amount of money to the bride's parents to repay the cost of the girl's upbringing. Lati homes are constructed on stilts and consist of three sections. The largest room contains the ancestral altar.
The Lati hold annual ceremonies determined by the lunar calendar. They pray for seeds before they plant them, believing each seed has a soul. They invoke the spirits to watch over the harvest, to ensure plenty of food for the entire village. The New Rice Festival along with the New Year and Seventh Month festivals are the largest, most colorful, and most important festivals of the year.
The Lati are blocked off from Christian witness because the atheistic governments of both China and Vietnam forbid evangelism. There are no known Lati believers on either side of the border, and no missionaries are known to have ever focused on them. The nearest Christian communities to the Lati are among the Hmong Daw and Hmong Leng, but the Lati do not share a common language with the Hmong. The two groups rarely have contact with each other.
Without the guidance of Christ, these people are like sheep without a shepherd. They need the good shepherd in their families and communities.
Pray for the Lord to intervene in their families, calling people to his side.
Pray for loving, Holy Spirit sent workers.
Pray for their hearts to be drawn to the Lord of lords.
Pray for a church planting movement to thrive in their communities.
Scripture Prayers for the Lachi in China.
Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Lachi |
People Name in Country | Lachi |
Pronunciation |
la-CHEE
|
Alternate Names | Chi; La Chi; La Chí; Lipu; Phu La; Tho Den; Y Pi |
Population this Country | 2,600 |
Population all Countries | 18,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 0 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 18542 |
ROP3 Code | 114159 |
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 | The Lati - despite having a relatively small 1990 population of just 1,634 people living in 306 households - have several colorfully named subgroups, each speaking a separate dialect. Approximately half of the Lati call themselves Han Lati. Seventy-two households refer to themselves as Flowery Lati, 37 households as Bag Lati and 27 households as Red Lati. The Lati in China are located in Maguan County, Wenshan Prefecture in the southern part of Yunnan Province. There may also be a few in Hekou County. Across the border in Vietnam are the Long Hair, White, and Black Lati. 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 | The Lati - despite having a relatively small 1990 population of just 1,634 people living in 306 households - have several colorfully named subgroups, each speaking a separate dialect. Approximately half of the Lati call themselves Han Lati. Seventy-two households refer to themselves as Flowery Lati, 37 households as Bag Lati and 27 households as Red Lati. The Lati in China are located in Maguan County, Wenshan Prefecture in the southern part of Yunnan Province. There may also be a few in Hekou County. Across the border in Vietnam are the Long Hair, White, and Black Lati.. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Primary Religion: | Ethnic Religions |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
93.97 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
6.03 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Lachi (2,600 speakers) |
Language Code | lbt Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Liputiõ |
Dialect Code | 12656 Global Recordings Listing |
Language Written | Unknown |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Lachi (2,600 speakers) |
Language Code | lbt Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Liputiõ |
Dialect Code | 12656 Global Recordings Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Lachi |
Primary Language: Lachi
Bible Translation Status: Translation Needed
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
None reported |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 Operation China, 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. Read more |