Lesu June 23

(220 BC – AD 316). “The Lesu entered Yuanjiang GUIZHOU County during the Yuan • Dynasty (1271–1368) and •Chuxiong Xinping GUANGXI by the Ming Dynasty • • •Mojiang •Kaiyuan (1368–1644) had spread to •Yuanjiang Scale Jinping • Xinping and Shiping 0 KM 160 counties.”5 There are two VIETNAM different sets of festivals Population in : celebrated by the Lesu of 14,800 (1999) different areas. Those in 15,170 (2000) 19,040 (2010) Eshan, Xinping, and Location: Yunnan Shuangbai celebrate a Religion: Polytheism festival called Traditional Christians: 5 Flower Fair, while those in Yuanjiang celebrate a Overview of the Lesu Mountain Sacrifice Festival. Countries: China The Flower Fair of the first Pronunciation: “Leh-soo” region is celebrated every Other Names: 24th day of the sixth lunar Shansu, Shanshu, Leisu, Chesu month (the same day as the Population Source: 14,800 (1999 J. Pelkey); Torch Festival among the Out of a total Yi population of Nisu and Nasu), and 6,572,173 (1990 census) Jamin Pelkey repeated every 15th day of Location: Yunnan: Xinping Location: Approximately Shansu, meaning “fake the seventh month of the (6,800), Yuanjiang (6,100), 15,000 Lesu people live in Shansu.” Eshan (1,000), Zhenyuan (200), Lunar calendar. The festival and Shuangbai (100) counties dense mountain forests at stems from an old legend in of Yuxi Prefecture; Shiping County least 2,300 meters (7,546 Language: The Lesu which a Han and a Lesu fell (600) of Honghe Prefecture ft.) above sea level, in language is classified as a in love. Their parents Status: Officially included under Yi Xinping, Jinping, Zhenyuan, dialect of the Southern Yi strongly disagreed with the and Eshan counties of Yuxi branch of the Tibeto-Burman Language: Sino-Tibetan, engagement, however. One Tibeto-Burman, Burmese-Lolo, Prefecture in southern family, but their language is night the couple went to the Lolo, Northern Lolo, Yi, Yunnan Province. A mere 37 so different from the other peak of Daxishan where Southern Yi Lesu reportedly live in Southern Yi speakers Dialects: 2+ 1 they danced and sung. On Shaungbai County, and an around them that they must that night the two committed Religion: Polytheism, Animism, Shamanism, Christianity additional 600 Lesu live in use Chinese in order to suicide together. The festival Christians: 5 Shiping County of Honghe communicate. Even Chinese is now held in their honor.6 Prefecture.2 sources, which tend to Scripture: None downplay differences Religion: The Lesu people Jesus film: None Identity: The government between Yi subgroups, greatly revere the Mountain Gospel Recordings: Yi: Shansu #04940 has included the Lesu as admit that the Lesu god, but only those in Christian Broadcasting: None part of the Yi nationality in language is quite unique. Yuanjiang County hold a ROPAL code: None China, an artificially “Given such a sporadic yearly day of sacrifice in constructed classification distribution with such order to appease him. On that contains at least distances between clusters this day Lesu are forbidden Status of Evangelization “several dozen branches” of of Lesu villages, there are to work in their fields for 96% different ethnic groups.3 probably a number of Lesu fear the Mountain god will Lesu or Leisu is the self- dialects. Leisu (‘Laysoo’) is be offended. name of this group. The reportedly a variant name Chinese call them Shansu, for the Lesu and could be a Christianity: The Lesu were 3% meaning “mountain people.” separate group if dialect a completely unevangelized 1% The Lesu who live west of differences prove to be wide and unreached people group A B C the Gasa River in the Ailao enough.”4 until 1999, when a Lesu A = Have never heard the gospel Mountains of Mosha District family — who helped record B = Were evangelized but did not reportedly no longer speak History: The Lesu were once the first gospel recording in become Christians C = Are adherents to any form of their mother tongue, having named the Ma Long people, their language — gave their Christianity reverted to Chinese. who were part of the Sou lives to Jesus Christ after Because of this, the people tribe dating back to the Han considering the message. in the area call them Jia and Western Jin dynasties

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