The Kawa, traditionally known as the Wild Wa, are one of three distinct language groups that were combined to form China's official Wa nationality. The Chinese divide the Wa into three sociolinguistic groups: the Kawa, or Wild Wa; the Lawa, or Tame Wa; and the Sinicized Wa.
The Kawa are the most reclusive group of Wa in China. Because of their isolated settlements, they rarely come into contact with outsiders and have retained their customs and traditions more than the Lawa or Parauk Wa. Until the 1960s the Kawa practiced head-hunting. Members of other nationalities dared not venture into Kawa territory for fear of being decapitated. Between 1948 and 1950, a Kawa cut off five Han merchants' heads because of a business dispute. He then sold the heads for ¥300 for the beardless ones and ¥2000 for those with a full beard. In 1946 the Kawa in Asai attacked the Wa in Gouhe, butchering 67 people and sparing only one life. "The booty of gory heads was carried back by eight cows." Villagers immediately took revenge for such attacks, causing a cycle of mutual killings that continued for years.
The Kawa do not generally like outsiders and prefer to be left alone. They grow a variety of crops, including rice, corn, and maize.
The cruelty of the Kawa is unquestionably without equal among all the peoples of China. "Their infamous head-hunting, intended to beg for a good harvest, displayed their inhuman cruelty, for example, by buying a child Wa slave girl at the age of ten to be customarily killed by the procedure of a slow death." One writer summarized the spiritual condition of groups like the Kawa: "The ignorant minorities existed in constant fear: fear of demons, fear of the government officials, fear of landlords, fear of hostile tribes, and even fear of their own evil souls. The ghastly and bloodcurdling practices they developed to assuage their fears only resulted in further exacerbating them."
Although there are at least 75,000 Wa Christians in China, almost all of them are among the Parauk Wa and Lawa. Most Kawa stubbornly resist change and remain an unreached people group. Chinese historian T 'ien Ju-K 'ang explains, "Enthusiastic response for Christianity came only from the Tame Wa in Cangyuan district. In 1954, 78 churches, 73 local pastors, 108 Christian villages and 25,076 believers were reported.… In 1957, there were 97 villages in the Ximeng Mountains with 59,493 Kawa inhabitants, but no Christians were recorded."
Scripture Prayers for the Kawa in Myanmar (Burma).
Profile Source: Operation China, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
People Name General | Wa, Vo |
People Name in Country | Kawa |
Pronunciation |
KAH-wa
|
Alternate Names | Wa |
Population this Country | 700 |
Population all Countries | 94,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | No |
Progress Scale | 2 ● |
Unreached | No |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | |
People ID | 19401 |
ROP3 Code | 110596 |
ROP25 Code | 308522 |
ROP25 Name | Wa / Kawa |
Country | Myanmar (Burma) | ||
Region | Asia, Southeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 14 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | Shan State: Hopang township, five villages. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Country | Myanmar (Burma) |
Region | Asia, Southeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 14 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | Shan State: Hopang township, five villages.. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Primary Religion: | Ethnic Religions |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
30.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.55 %) |
10.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
60.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Wa, Vo (700 speakers) |
Language Code | wbm Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Wa, Vo (700 speakers) |
Language Code | wbm Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Wa, Vo |
Primary Language: Wa, Vo
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (2007) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes |
Bible-Complete | Yes (2012-2016) |
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 |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | God's Story video | God's Story |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Wa, Vo | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | The Hope Video | Mars Hill Media |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
General | YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | Android Bible app: Wa, Vo | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | iOS Bible app: Wa, Vo | YouVersion Bibles |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 Operation China, Asia Harvest All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | Bryan Nicholson / cartoMission |
Profile Source | Operation China, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |