Palaung, Pale

Approximately 300,000 Pale Palaung people live across ‘strongly believe in spirits, called ganam. These supernatu- a widespread area of three countries. The vast majority ral powers exist in all natural surroundings, for instance in (more than 95%) live in a 16,000 square-kilometre (10,000 the water, forest, sky, trees, village and houses. Offerings sq. mi.) area of northern and central . Their main to the spirits are most often made by ordinary people, population centre is in southern around the although identifi cation of the spirit causing illness or towns of Kalaw and .1 Population estimates for the misfortune is made by a sorcerer, called pho moo muang. Pale Palaung in Myanmar range from 190,000 to 290,000. The meat of the sacrifi ces is boiled before offering it to the Nobody is certain of fi gures in Myanmar due to the fact that spirits. Each Palaung village has a spirit house, located no government has held a census for more some distance than 70 years. In the 1931 census the Pale outside the village, Palaung numbered 138,746.2 and spirit gates to In , the Pale Palaung number protect malevolent approximately 8,500. They live in Luxi County spirits from entering 5 of western Province, just a few miles the village.’ from the border with Myanmar. The 1995 Very few Pale Palaung census counted a total of just 1,937 have come to Christ. Pale Palaung people. Some sources say that Kachin Christians the real number of this group in Thailand in Myanmar have may be closer to 5,000. They moved into attempted to reach the Fang District of Thailand’s Chiang Mai them in recent years, Province in 1983 to fl ee fi ghting in Myanmar. with limited success, Their main village is on a mountain ridge while a few families literally atop the Thailand-Myanmar border. have converted to Just yards away, Thai and Burmese border Christ among the Pale guard posts face each other. Palaung in China. In China, the Pale Palaung have been For years, gospel combined with the Shwe Palaung, Rumai radio broadcasts in Palaung and the Riang to form the offi cial the Pale Palaung De’ang minority group.3 Although the four language have sown groups share much in common, their seed throughout their languages are different and they usually live widespread villages. in separate communities. The self-name Hattaway Paul Those few Pale of these Palaung groups is Ta-ang, which Palaung who come to means ‘rock people’. Palaung is a Burmese word. faith in Christ invariably face strong opposition from their The Pale Palaung have been Buddhists for many centuries. families and local communities, who believe that such deci- They were possibly converted by the Shan, who still exert a sions offend the evil spirits that control the Pale Palaung strong infl uence over the Palaung to this day. Every Palaung people and can bring disaster. In the mid-1990s, about a village has a temple, and it is considered a great honour for dozen Christian Palaung families in Myanmar were expelled 6 families when their sons become monks.4 The Palaung also from their villages and their homes were dismantled.

Overview of the Pale Palaung Status of Evangelization CHINA Yunnan Other Names: De’ang Pale, Palaungic-Khmuic, Palaungic, Ngwe Palaung, Silver Palaung, Eastern Palaungic, Palaung MYANMAR Pale, Palay, Benglong, Bonglung, Dialects: 2 (Bulei, Raojin) Shan State Bonglong, Penglung, Darang, 88% Manton, Nam Hsan, Ta-ang, Professing Buddhists: 99% Chiang Mai Bulei, Palong, Polaung, Da-ang, Practising Buddhists: 70% Palaung Pale THAILAND Da-eng, Di-ang, Bulai, Pulei, Christians: 0.1% Population: Southern Ta’ang Scripture: work in progress 300,260 (2000) Population Sources: 11% Jesus fi lm: available 1% 337,100 (2010) 190,000 to 290,000 in 378,600 (2020) Myanmar (2000, B Grimes) Gospel Recordings: Pale; Countries: Myanmar, China, Palaung Pale A B C 8,260 in China (2000, P A = Have never heard the gospel Thailand Hattaway) Christian Broadcasting: B = Have heard the gospel but have Buddhism: 1,937 in Thailand (1995 census) available not become Christians C = Are adherents to some form of Christians: 300 Language: Austro-Asiatic, Mon- ROPAL code: PCE Christianity Khmer, Northern Mon-Khmer,

128–29 August, August, PALAUNG, PALAUNG, PALE PALE 216