Ka Yeu in Laos

Introduction / History

The Ka Yeu are an ethnic group found only in Laos, primarily in Attapue Province, Samakkhixay District. They speak the Oy language.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Ka Yeu live in small villages of 8–25 households on razor-thin ridges covered with mist. They raise bamboo longhouses on stilts, roofs peaked with elephant grass. The insides of their homes are smokey from central hearths where families share meals and myths.

They have slash and burn farming, and men hunt deer and find food in the wild.

Women do much of the farmwork and sell their produce in the market. They have a barter economy; cash is seldom used.

Community elders gather under the shade of banyan trees to settle disputes and plan for challenges like floods. Teenagers often marry around age 15, with young men working for their in-laws as part of traditional bride-service customs. Women wear handwoven cotton skirts, dyed in earthy stripes using boiled bark. Elders pass down stories and folklore to keep their culture alive for future generations.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Ka Yeu are shamanists and almost half have some Buddhist influence. They depend on the power of shamans and spirits instead of the God who created the Universe. Christianity is almost nonexistent among them.

What Are Their Needs?

Economically and socially, they need protection from those who have more power.

Prayer Points

Pray for their shamans to have dreams and visions of the Risen Christ, leading them to point the way to the Only Savior.
Pray for the Lord of the Harvest to bless the Ka Yeu with a spiritual harvest that will bless them in every way.
Pray for them to have the power they need to protect themselves from outsiders.

Text Source:   Joshua Project