Chesu February 23 ➤

Location: Approximately 6,600 influence of the wild members of the Chesu tribe inhabit barbarian invaders the southern part of Shuangbai in the north. “Six or County in Chuxiong Prefecture and the seven out of every adjacent northern part of Xinping ten gentry families County in Prefecture. The Chesu joined the population in Shuangbai actually fell southward march. In from 2,769 in 19571 to 2,528 in many cases, entire 1986.2 Most Chesu villages are clans including located in remote mountainous areas, neighbors and deep within forests. servants left their homes and traveled Identity: The existence of the Chesu hundreds of miles people has been mentioned in few to establish new Chinese publications and never in homes south of the mission people group lists. The Chesu Yangtze River.”3 One do not consider themselves part of writer notes the the Yi nationality. The Han Chinese result of these and other minorities in Chesu areas massive Han do not think of the Chesu as Yi either. migrations: “As this Local people believe the “Chesu are contact occurred, Chesu, and Yi are Yi… the Chesu the non-Han Jamin Pelkey speak the Chesu language, and the Yi peoples were pushed back by the Han tigers. They believe the spirits of speak the Yi language,” as one elderly into the mountains, usually much these powerful animals can protect man remarked in northern Xinping more barren than the fertile river their communities from harm and County. valleys where they had been living.”4 disease.

Language: Although the Chesu claim Customs: The Chesu people living in Christianity: The Chesu are one of the their language is not a Yi language, Damidi District in Shuangbai County people groups most untouched by preliminary studies suggest it belongs celebrate the annual Body-Wrinkle Christianity in . Few Chesu have to the Southern Yi language group and Dance Festival. It is held on two ever been evangelized, although in is similar to the Lesu language. Few separate days, on the 24th day of the March 2000 a few Chesu came to Chesu are able to understand sixth lunar month and then on the Christ when visited by Chinese Mandarin Chinese. 15th day of the seventh month. evangelists. The preachers reported Participants dress up in panther the Chesu are very responsive and History: Originally the Chesu were costumes and mimic the movements open, but that ministry to them is part of a great Tibeto-Burman race, of the panther. The festival difficult because of the lack of who were forced to migrate south to remembers the time when large cats Mandarin understood by the Chesu. their present location under pressure roamed the central region, They live in such remote areas that from the advancing Han Chinese, terrorizing the local inhabitants. outsiders have failed in their bid to beginning in the fourth century AD. The even locate the Chesu. Han themselves had been forced to Religion: The Chesu offer sacrifices to move south due to the disrupting animals such as panthers, bears, and

Overview of the Language: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Burmese-Lolo, Status of Evangelization Chesu Lolo, Northern Lolo, Yi, SICHUAN GUIZHOU 93% Countries: China Southern Yi

•Dayao Pronunciation: “Cheh-soo” Dialects: 0 •Wuding YUNNAN Other Names: Chesupuo, Religion: Polytheism, Animism, • Ancestor Worship, Christianity •Chuxiong Sanpuo, Qisu, Qisupuo •Mile •Yuxi Population Source: Christians: 20 Scale •Xinping 6% 1% 0 KM 160 6,350 (1998 J. Pelkey); Scripture: None Out of a total Yi population of Population in China: 6,572,173 (1990 census) Jesus film: None A B C 6,350 (1998) Location: Yunnan: Chuxiong Gospel Recordings: None A = Have never heard the gospel 6,670 (2000) Prefecture: Shuangbai County Christian Broadcasting: None B = Were evangelized but did not 8,370 (2010) become Christians (2,850); Yuxi Prefecture: Xinping ROPAL code: None Location: Yunnan C = Are adherents to any form of County (3,500) Christianity Religion: Polytheism Status: Christians: 20 Officially included under Yi

CHESU 101