Lemo June 22

Location: More than 2,000 of the Lemo under the Lisu 1.25 tons (2,750 lb.) per 3 •Lushui people who use the ethnic minority — a classification capita. In addition to •Dali name Lemo live in the small the Lemo strongly disagree agriculture, many Lemo are •Baoshan •Tengchong town of Lemo, 78 with — their identity as a engaged in fishing and kilometers (48 mi.) from distinct people group has hunting. •Longchuan Liuku Township in western gradually eroded. Lincang • Yunnan Province. The Lemo Neighboring people, who are Religion: Most Lemo Scale 0KM80 live along the Nujiang River, forced to believe has people, especially the near the mountainous only 55 minority elderly, are Theravada Population in China: 2,000 (1997) China-Myanmar border and nationalities, now call them Buddhists. They are 2,140 (2000) close to communities of Lisu. This has resulted in superstitious people who 2,670 (2010) Lisu and Nu people. some comical situations. believe in ghosts, deities, Location: Yunnan When several researchers and the existence of good Religion: Buddhism Christians: None Known Identity: The Lemo may be visited the Lemo in 1997, and evil spirits. If someone an ethnic group who they asked at the home of a dies from an accident it is Overview of the Lemo developed as the result of Bai man, who said he had considered impure and a intermarriage between the never heard of such a bad omen. Nine grains of Countries: China Tai Mao and Lisu. Francis group. They then knocked rice (seven for women) are Pronunciation: “Lee-mo” Ward, writing in 1913, on the door of another home placed in the mouth of the Other Names: Lu-k’ou, Laimo described them as racially about 20 feet away. The deceased to appease the Population Source: 2,000 (1997 D. Graybill); mixed people who spoke family who lived there spirit of death. Out of a total Lisu population of and dressed like the excitedly said they were 574,856 (1990 census) Chinese.1 Today, the Lemo Lemo, and all the people in : Although the Location: W Yunnan: Lemo, still see themselves as that particular village were Lemo live in a strong 78 kilometers (48 mi.) north of Liuku Township in Lushui County different from surrounding Lemo except the Bai home Christian area which 2 Status: communities, and they still they first visited! contains thousands of Lisu, Officially included under Lisu wear their own spectacular Nu, and Language: Sino-Tibetan, Chinese ethnic dress. The Chinese Customs: In the 1950s the believers, there are no Dialects: 0 authorities have included Lemo were the focus of a known Christians among the Religion: Theravada Buddhism, the Lemo as part of the Lisu government crop project. Lemo. The Lemo’s strong Animism, Ancestor Worship nationality. Due to irrigation and the belief in Buddhism and their Christians: None known use of 72 tons of manure isolated cultural mind-set Scripture: None Language: Being a mix of per hectare, grain output have prevented them from Jesus film: None Lisu and Tai Mao, which are dramatically increased from accepting the gospel from Gospel Recordings: None two completely unrelated 100 kilograms (220 lb.) to their neighbors. Christian Broadcasting: None languages from two different ROPAL code: None linguistic families, the Lemo chose to speak Chinese Status of Evangelization among themselves at an early stage. Today some 61% Lemo men speak Lisu, but it 39% has been relearned to enable them to trade with the Lisu, who are the 0% largest ethnic group in A B C northwest Yunnan. There A = Have never heard the gospel are few or no traces of the B = Were evangelized but did not Tai Mao language remaining become Christians C = Are adherents to any form of among the Lemo. Christianity History: The Lemo say they were once great hunters who fed their families by killing wild game in the mountains. These days most Lemo are agriculturists, although the men still possess bows and arrows, and swords. Since the government’s inclusion Dwayne Graybill

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