Palaung, Rumai

More than 140,000 Rumai Palaung inhabit who remain in today are probably the a widespread area of northern descendants of small groups of people who CHINA in northern (formerly called migrated across the border into to Yunnan Burma).1 They live in mountains that are, on escape fi ghting between the British and average, about 5,000 to 8,500 feet above tribal peoples in the early 1900s. Shan State sea level. Many Rumai Palaung earn a living The Rumai Palaung have a traditional drum MYANMAR in simple agriculture and low-skilled manual they call the gelengdang, which is made Palaung Rumai jobs, such as collecting tea leaves. Others from a hollowed tree trunk. Its ends are Population: are rumoured to be involved with the illicit covered with ox hides. Before using it, they 141,640 (2000) drug trade that predominates in this part fi ll it with water ‘through a hole in its body 159,000 (2010) 178,600 (2020) of Asia, to make the ox- close to Countries: Myanmar, China hide and inside Buddhism: the Golden of the drum Christians: 600 Triangle. damp so that Between the desired 4,000 and resonance can 5,000 Pale be produced’.4 Palaung The Palaung Overview of the inhabit believe that China’s Rumai Palaung their fi rst Other Names: De’ang Rumai, Yunnan ancestor, Phu Humai, Rumai, Ruomai, Black Province, in Sawti, was Palaung, Rummai, Rummai Longchuan Palaung hatched from a and Population Sources: 137,000 serpent’s egg. 6 counties in Myanmar (2000, B Grimes) Their belief in a short 4,640 in China (2000, P this legend has Hattaway) distance contributed Language: Austro-Asiatic, Mon- from the to the style Khmer, Northern Mon-Khmer, China- of traditional Palaungic-Khmuic, Palaungic, Myanmar Eastern Palaungic, Palaung dress worn by border.2 Dialects: 0 many Palaung Professing Buddhists: 98% In China women today. Practising Buddhists: 70% the Rumai From their Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Cooperative Christians: 0.4% Palaung early teens, have been ‘women wear Scripture: none combined with the Pale Palaung, Shwe 40 or 50 cane hoops apiece, one resting Jesus fi lm: none Palaung and Riang groups to form the upon another to a depth of a foot around Gospel Recordings: none offi cial De’ang minority. The Rumai Palaung their hips. The undulating movement when Christian Broadcasting: none language is related to Shwe Palaung and they walk resembles a snake’s motion.’5 ROPAL code: RBB Pale Palaung, yet it is distinct. Speakers There are probably more Christians among from each language group share some the Rumai Palaung than among any of the words and expressions but must revert to a other Palaung groups, due to infl uences common language such as Shan in order to from the Kachin and other tribal Christians effectively communicate with one another. Status of Evangelization in northern Myanmar, yet the total number Rumai Palaung has been infl uenced by of believers among them amounts to only 80% Tai languages such as Shan and Tai Mao about one half of one per cent. much more than the three other Palaung varieties. The Rumai Palaung still view Christianity as a strange religion. They believe that The Palaung people claim to be the original they have the truth in Buddhism, and they 19% inhabitants of Myanmar. Chinese records are fearful of the spiritual consequences 1% show that they were living along the Nujiang if they should change their religion and River in north-west Yunnan Province as stop appeasing the demons that they and A B C early as the 2nd century BC.3 The Chinese A = Have never heard the gospel their ancestors have been enslaved to for B = Have heard the gospel but have also claim that the Palaung have been not become Christians hundreds of years. C = Are adherents to some form of living in Myanmar for 2,000 years. Those Christianity

217 PALAUNG, RUMAI, 30–31 August