Samadu, Western October 19

Location: According to a areas. In this regard they rather God is an inevitable 1999 source, 7,500 are similar to the Western necessity which moves in •Dali Western Samadu people live Gaisu people, who also live history to redeem men’s • •Yunxian in the western part of in . bodies and minds from the Wanding • •Yongde • Yunnan Province in slavery of hunger and southwest . The Customs: Western Samadu injustice...Thus, while MYANMAR •Ximeng Scale majority (6,000) live in culture is now virtually Communism has no concept 0 KM 160 , while an indistinguishable from the of God, it supplies a Population in China: additional 1,500 inhabit Han Chinese around them. substitute. Man in society 7,500 (1999) areas within neighboring The only factors that make becomes the God of 7,650 (2000) Yongde County.1 them different today are Communism.”3 9,650 (2010) Location: Yunnan their ethnic name, their Religion: Animism Identity: The Western history, and their language, Christianity: The Western Christians: None Known Samadu were originally Han which is fast becoming Samadu are not known to Chinese soldiers who were extinct. contain any Christians. Overview of the sent from eastern China to There are some Wa and Lahu Western Samadu Yunnan many centuries ago. Religion: Older Western believers in the general area They stayed in Yunnan, Samadu practice animism they inhabit, but few Countries: China married local Yi women, and and ancestor worship. The believers have ever made a Pronunciation: “Sah-mah-doo” gradually evolved into a younger generation, having specific effort to reach out to Other Names: Samou, Samaduo distinct ethnic group called been educated in atheistic the Western Samadu. There Population Source: 7,500 (1999 J. Pelkey); the Samadu. Based on schools, are mostly are several other Yi groups in Out of a total Yi population of cultural and linguistic non religious and view the Zhenkang and Yongde 6,572,173 (1990 census) factors, the Western superstitions of their counties, including the Limi, Location: W Yunnan: Zhenkang Samadu were officially forefathers with contempt. Mishaba Laluo, Pengzi, Suan, (6,000) and Yongde (1,500) counties included under the Yi David Adeney, a former CIM Western Gaisu, and Yangliu Status: nationality in China. missionary to China, found Lalu, but all are unreached Officially included under Yi that Communism was not people groups in desperate Language: Sino-Tibetan, Language: There are two merely a political system but need of the gospel. Because Tibeto-Burman, Burmese-Lolo, ethnic groups in Yunnan a religion set on conquering their language is on the Lolo, Northern Lolo, Yi, Western Yi Province who use the the hearts and minds of its verge of extinction, the Dialects: 0 autonym Samadu. One subjects. “The Communist Western Samadu could now Religion: Animism, Ancestor small group live southeast gospel says that God is not best be reached by Chinese- Worship, No Religion of Kunming City and are love, God is not personal; language media. Christians: None known classified as speakers of an Scripture: None Eastern Yi language, while Jesus film: None this Samadu group Gospel Recordings: None reportedly speak a Western Christian Broadcasting: None Yi variety, at least among ROPAL code: None those few elderly people who still retain their Status of Evangelization language. Jamin Pelkey 93% notes, “The Western Samadu language has reportedly been almost completely lost to Chinese. A few elderly speakers 7% 0% survive.”2

A B C History: The Samadu claim A = Have never heard the gospel they originated in Jiangxi B = Were evangelized but did not become Christians and Hunan provinces in C = Are adherents to any form of eastern China. From there, Christianity they say they were sent to Kunming as soldiers in the Ming Dynasty armies, and from there some of them were dispatched to western Yunnan to patrol rebellious Dwayne Graybill

466 SAMADU, WESTERN