Suan November 1

or baskets and left there for who could potentially reach three years. In this time the out to them. Until someone ancestors are supposedly does, the Suan will remain being worshipped in the untold. home. After that time, a goat is killed in sacrifice,

the tablets are escorted •Dali out. A short log is selected, •

split in two, the interior •Yunxian •Wanding scooped out, and the •Yongde • ancestral baskets with MYANMAR •Ximeng tablets placed inside and Scale the halves roped together 0 KM 160 again. The bound log is left Population in : on a hillside or cliff.… The 250 (1999) old and new spirits are 255 (2000) 320 (2010) thought to reside in this Location: Yunnan 2 trough of wood.” Religion: Ancestor Worship Christians: None Known Religion: When the three- year period after the death Overview of the Suan of a person has expired, the Countries: China Suan believe bad people will Pronunciation: “Soo-ahn” go to hell to be tormented Other Names: by demons. “The [Devil] has Population Source: under his orders evil spirits 250 (1999 J. Pelkey); who play all sorts of Out of a total Yi population of 6,572,173 (1990 census) Jamin Pelkey objectionable tricks; the Location: W Yunnan: Wumulong Location: According to the Western Yi group, but no most notable are those that and/or Mengban districts of researcher Jamin Pelkey, specific research has been cause illness in men and Yongde County in Lincang 250 people belonging to the conducted into Suan to see animals. The [Suan] Prefecture Suan ethnic group live in the how vigorous its use is or to Status: therefore use no remedies; Officially included under Yi Wumulong District and/or in determine its relationship to the pimo [shaman], by Language: Sino-Tibetan, the Mengban District of other Yi varieties. various procedures, consults Tibeto-Burman, Burmese-Lolo, Yongde County. Yongde is destiny, discovers what evil Lolo, Northern Lolo, Yi, situated within the Lincang History: Nothing is known spirit is incarnated, and Western Yi Prefecture in western about the history of the chases it out of the body of Dialects: 0 1 Religion: Ancestor Worship, Yunnan Province. Suan — where they the sufferer by ritual Animism, Shamanism originated or how they came formula, accompanied by Christians: None known 3 Identity: The Suan have to evolve into a distinct the sacrifice of an animal.” Scripture: None been mentioned in a few ethnic group. Jesus film: None local Chinese publications. Christianity: Groups that are Gospel Recordings: None Outside of their immediate Customs: Today, most Suan small in size tend to be lost Christian Broadcasting: None area, however, the Suan are customs have been in the thicket of human ROPAL code: None completely unknown. The swallowed up by the souls in China. Although the government has officially pervasive Han culture. In Suan are a small, precious Status of Evangelization counted them as part of the the past, however, the Suan ethnic group, they have Yi nationality. The Suan are had a proud culture. They never appeared on any 95% usually mentioned along shared many of the traits mission list of peoples in with the Pengzi, who that other Yi groups China and have never been reportedly live in the same possess, including funeral targeted for church planting. area and have the same rites. Visiting one Yi group in They are an unreached and 5% 0% population as the Suan, yet the early 1900s, famous unevangelized people. appear to be two different missionary Samuel Pollard Perhaps the best chance for A B C ethnic groups. wrote, “The custom is that them to hear the gospel has A = Have never heard the gospel at death an imposing been through Chinese- B = Were evangelized but did not Language: Chinese sources ceremony is held in the become Christians language gospel radio C = Are adherents to any form of state that all Yi languages in home. Then the tablets of broadcasts. There are few Christianity Yongde County are part of wood are placed in the bags Christians in Yongde County

SUAN 487