Kanay in Laos

The Kanay have only been reported in Laos
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

More than 600 people belonging to the Kanay ethnic group live on both sides of the Laos-Vietnam border. In southern Laos their communities are hidden away in mountains within the Samouay District of Saravan Province.

Rare animals that inhabit this part of Laos include the elephant, gaur, banteng, langur, gibbon, Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard, tiger, and Siamese crocodile.

The Kanay live in the same area as the Kantu. The Kanay language is part of the Bru branch of the Mon-Khmer language family while Kantu is part of the Katuic branch, making mutual intelligibility impossible. The Kanay are also known as the Kado, but we prefer to avoid using that name as there is a totally-unrelated group in northern Laos and southern China also named Kado.

The Kanay observe age-old customs of dyeing their teeth and tattooing their faces. In some areas, women love to chew betel-nut, which stains their teeth black.

Traditionally, Kanay women wear their hair in a knot. For single women and girls the knot is always positioned on the left side of their head, while married women wear it on the right side. This serves as an immediate sign of a woman's marital status.

Kanay villages, called vil, consist of one or two clans, with every member having the same family name. People are forbidden to marry within their own clan or to marry their first cousins.

After engagement, a young Kanay man must meet many difficult and expensive requirements of his future bride's dowry. This may result in the family of the groom going into heavy debt for years to come. Although they are generally an impoverished people, the Kanay consider a wedding to be the greatest of occasions and no expense is spared. At the wedding it is traditional for the family of the groom to give the bride a sword.

According to a local informant, there are a small number of Kanay Christians in Laos. They have endured much persecution and hardship for their faith. In late 1998, one Kanay pastor was imprisoned by local authorities because of his zealous evangelism.


Prayer Points

Pray God would protect the purity and zeal of the Kanay church in spite of great pressure from the authorities.
Thank the Lord for saving a remnant in a very remote part of Laos.
Pray the Kanay Christians in Laos would continue to share their faith with other tribes in the area.


Scripture Prayers for the Kanay in Laos.


Profile Source:   Peoples of Laos, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©   Used with permission  

People Name General Kanay
People Name in Country Kanay
Alternate Names
Population this Country 900
Population all Countries 900
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 4
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 18915
ROP3 Code 114880
Country Laos
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 21  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Saravan province, Samouay district   Source:  Faces of the Unreached in Laos, 1999
Country Laos
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 21  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Saravan province, Samouay district.   Source:  Faces of the Unreached in Laos, 1999

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Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 7.00 %)
9.00 %
Ethnic Religions
91.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Pacoh (900 speakers)
Language Code pac   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Pacoh (900 speakers)
Language Code pac   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Pacoh
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Asia Harvest  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Profile Source Peoples of Laos, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©  Used with permission 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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