Lakkia June 12

Location: A 1987 source lists a figure of Miao (Hmong-Mien) .7 Lakkia HUNAN 11,068 Lakkia people in .1 The has 45% lexical similarity with Dong and GUIZHOU number of speakers of the 44% with Northern Zhuang.8 Libo is less than the total population. Different • •Guilin • 2 Rongshui linguists have listed figures of 8,000, History: Acknowledged to be the original Liuzhou • •Jinxiu 3 4 8,900, and 9,000 speakers. The Lakkia inhabitants of the Dayaoshan Mountains,

Scale are located along both banks of the Jinxiu they are said to have arrived in the area 0 KM 160 River, in the Dayaoshan (Big Yao Mountains) from , passing through Wuzhou in Guangxi. They live in a concentrated area in Guangxi before entering their present Population in China: 9 11,068 (1987) and are not found in any other part of location via Teng and Pingnan counties. It 5 15,200 (2000) China. is possible the Lakkia were originally a Tai 19,600 (2010) group who, after centuries Location: Guangxi Religion: Animism of living alongside the Yao, Christians: None Known became assimilated to the Yao culture but still Overview of the retained their original Lakkia language. Countries: China Customs: Lakkia houses Pronunciation: “Lah-kee-uh” are long and deep and are Other Names: Lakkja, Lakja, Tai Laka, Lakia, Lajia, Chashan approached through three Yao, Tea Mountain Yao, Laka or four successive gates. Population Source: Inside the front gate are 11,068 (1987 D. Bradley); Out of a total Yao population of cattle and pigs. The living 2,134,013 (1990 census) quarters are located in the Location: Guangxi: Jinxiu Yao rear of the house. Lakkia courting customs are Status: simple. “At a suspension Officially included under Yao tower… boys stand at one Language: Daic, Kam-Sui corner and girls at Dialects: 0 another, singing to each Religion: Animism, Polytheism, Ancestor Worship other.… Through singing Christians: None known one looks for one’s dream Scripture: None girl or ideal man and love Jesus film: None songs are sung by way of Gospel Recordings: None courtship. When a boy and a girl come to like each

Christian Broadcasting: None Dwayne Graybill ROPAL code: LBC00 other in the course of Identity: The Lakkia have been officially singing, they exchange bracelets or waist included as part of the Yao nationality in belts as a token of their love. The boy’s Status of Evangelization China. Although they are culturally similar to family will then send a match-maker to the 97% some Yao groups, the Lakkia speak a girl’s and the two will get married on an language from the Dong-Shui linguistic auspicious day.”10 branch. Lakkia is the self-name of this people group. The Chinese call them Religion: Most Lakkia could be considered Chashan Yao, meaning “Yao of the tea animists, with fewer traces of Daoism in 3% 0% mountains.” Formerly they were called their beliefs than in those of the four other A B C Changmao Yao meaning “long-haired Yao” Yao groups in the Dayaoshan Mountains. because they used to wear their long hair in A = Have never heard the gospel B = Were evangelized but did not buns. The Lakkia should not be confused Christianity: There are no known believers become Christians with the Laka of northern Yunnan,6 the among the Lakkia. The area was mentioned C = Are adherents to any form of Christianity identically named Lakkia of Vietnam, or the in a 1922 report: “Just north of Laqua in Yunnan who have also been Pingnamyun there is a large area known as known to call themselves Lakkia. the Yao Mountain district still uncharted, where a local dialect prevails of which little Language: The Lakkia language is unique is known.”11 In 1998, Gospel recordings in among the various Yao groups in China the Xinping language were produced for the because it is not even a part of the Yao or first time.

268 LAKKIA