Mal or Madi is the self-name of this group. They live in Laos and Thailand, with a small diaspora in the United States. The Thais and Lao commonly call them Htin or Tin, but this name is not used among themselves. The Mal people are related to the Phai ethnic group of Phongsali Province, further to the north. The Phai are believed to speak the same language as the Htin in Thailand, whereas the Mal language in Laos is different.
The Mal are a poverty-stricken people. Their crops usually yield a poor harvest because of their slash-and-burn agricultural technique. When they come to some new land, Mal families combine to clear the land of rocks and burn down the trees. After one year the soil is depleted, so the Mal move on and find some new land, where they repeat the process. They will not return to land they have already used until it has been left fallow for ten years.
The Mal people prefer to marry within their own village, so often they marry their first cousins. This has led to some inbreeding. Couples live with the family of the bride until they have several children, at which time they move into their own house.
The Mal are animists. Many villages have a resident shaman who conducts animistic ceremonies. There is also some Buddhist influence among the Mal in Laos.
Christian missionaries have ministered among the Mal in Thailand for many years. In 1992, a breakthrough occurred when a shaman named Bpan followed Christ. More than 100 Mal refugees from Laos followed Bpan's decision and were baptized.
This breakthrough was decades ago; they need more workers to take the gospel to them and disciple them in the ways of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, Mal believers are reaching their friends and family members. Like all peoples everywhere, the Mal people have old beliefs that need to be revised in accordance with God’s word.
Pray the Mal believers in Laos would remain strong and continue to share their faith in the face of opposition.
Ask God to bless the work of missionaries among the Mal people.
Pray the Mal New Testament would be fully used among the Mal in both Laos and Thailand.
Scripture Prayers for the Mal in Thailand.
Peoples of Laos, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
