The Tai Lue are part of the official Dai nationality in China. Although the name "Tai" is said with a "t" sound, the Chinese pronounce it as "Dai." One early missionary described them in unflattering terms: "The Lu impressed me as less civilized as any Tai people I had ever met. They are less polite and deferential, more talkative, even rude in their manners. But they are less timid, more sturdy, more hospitable, more receptive."
The Tai Lue possess an ancient script, still used by Buddhists in the region. This profile refers to the Shui (Water) Dai in China who speak a different language from the Han Tai and Huayao Tai.
By the ninth century AD, the Tai Lue had a well-developed agricultural system. They used oxen and elephants to till the land and constructed extensive irrigation systems.
Each year the Tai Lue celebrate the Songkran Festival, when people splash water over each other, symbolizing the cleansing of sin from the previous year and a fresh start for the new year.
The Tai Lue are Theravada Buddhists. They believe that if they live good lives they will be reborn into a higher social position, but if they are wicked they will come back as degraded animals. At certain times the Tai Lue pay homage to the spirits of those who have contributed greatly to the well-being of their descendants. "Sacrifices are offered to the spirits [and] the village is shut in on itself; all roads and tracks giving access to the community are blocked with barricades of trees and branches the whole village is encircled with ropes made of straw or a line of white cotton thread, to represent symbolically an encircling wall preventing entry or exit. No outsiders of any description, not even monks or members of the elite ruling class, are permitted to attend these rites."
Not just physical barriers but also spiritual blockages exist among the Tai Lue. They have proven to be relatively resistant to the gospel. Presbyterian missionary Daniel McGilvary and his coworkers first ventured into Tai Lue territory in 1893 - riding elephants north from their base in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand - and shared the Gospel wherever they went. The first Tai Lue church was formed in the early 1920s. Persecution against the new believers forced them to construct their own village, Bannalee, which remains Christian today. The Tai Lue New Testament was first translated in 1933 and reprinted in 1992 and 1996 for Tai Lue believers in China and Myanmar.
Scripture Prayers for the Tai Lue in Vietnam.
Profile Source: Operation China, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
Global Prayer Digest: 2006-07-22 |
People Name General | Tai Lue |
People Name in Country | Tai Lue |
Pronunciation |
tie LOO
|
Population this Country | 6,900 |
Population all Countries | 1,110,000 |
Total Countries | 6 |
Indigenous | No |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
Alternate Names | Dai Le; Dai Lu; Duon; Kon; Leu; Lự; Lu Ge Zi; Lu Ren; Lue; Lugepo; Nhuon; Pa Hng; Pai-I; Pai-yi; Shui Dai; Sipsongpanna Dai; Washing-Bone Miao; Xishuangbanna; Xishuangbanna Dai; Xishuangbnna Dai |
People ID | 18566 |
ROP3 Code | 114183 |
Country | Vietnam | ||
Region | Asia, Southeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
Persecution Rank | 19 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | Nan and Phayao provinces; scattered in north. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Country | Vietnam |
Region | Asia, Southeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
Persecution Rank | 19 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | Nan and Phayao provinces; scattered in north.. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Primary Language | Lu (6,900 speakers) |
Language Code | khb Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Lu (6,900 speakers) |
Language Code | khb Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Lu |
Primary Language: Lu
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1921-1932) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1933) |
Bible-Complete | No |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching |
Film / Video | God's Story video |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Lu |
General | Gospel resources links |
Primary Religion: | Buddhism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
80.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.50 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
19.50 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Christian Segments ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Anglican |
0.0 %
|
Independent |
10.0 %
|
Orthodox |
0.0 %
|
Other Christian |
0.0 %
|
Protestant |
15.0 %
|
Roman Catholic |
75.0 %
|
Photo Source | Nguyễn Thanh Quang - Wikimedia Creative Commons |
Map Source | People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Operation China, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |