Tusu November 27 of Western Yi. Tusu speakers, SICHUAN •Lijiang however, cannot understand the speech of other Western Yi •Binchuan •Dayao •Dali Kunming groups in their region and • •Chuxiong must revert to Chinese in •Yunxian •Wanding order to communicate. YUNNAN Scale 0 KM 160 History: For more than 1,300 Population in China: years the Tusu have appeared 31,000 (1999) in Chinese records of Yunnan 31,750 (2000) Province. The Tusu “are said 39,900 (2010) Location: Yunnan to be descendants of the Religion: Polytheism ancient Muocha tribe which Christians: 20 moved from Baoshan to Weishan in ancient times. In Overview of the Tusu the seventh century AD they Countries: China moved to present-day Xiangyun Pronunciation: “Too-soo” County and later spread into Other Names: southeastern Dayao and parts 2 Tusupo, Tu, Turen, Tuzu of Binchuan County.” Population Source: 31,000 (1999 J. Pelkey); Customs: In some areas the Out of a total Yi population of 6,572,173 (1990 census) Tusu love to come together Location: N Yunnan: Xiangyun and participate in local (15,000), Binchuan (13,000), festivals, since it gives them a and Dayao (3,000) counties Jamin Pelkey chance to relax and forget Status: Location: Approximately 31,000 Tusu about their hardships and struggles. The Officially included under Yi people live in the western central part of festivals also serve as a reunion for Language: Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Burmese-Lolo, Yunnan Province in southwest China. In relatives and friends. The Tiger Dance Lolo, Northern Lolo, Yi, Xiangyun County the Tusu inhabit the Festival is held for one week during the first Western Yi Da’aonai Community of Luwu District; the lunar month each year. Large feasts are Dialects: 0 Jindan, Zhifang, and Dacang communities held, and tribesmen take the opportunity to Religion: Polytheism, Animism, of Xiazhuang District; the Jiangwei trade with each other. Ancestor Worship, Christianity Community of Pupeng District; and all the Christians: 20 communities within Dongshan District. In Religion: At another time of the year the Scripture: None Dayao County the Tusu mainly inhabit Tusu indulge in ceremonial washing and Jesus film: None villages within the Beiyangdi Community in bathing, which represents a cleansing from Gospel Recordings: None the Sanchahe District, but are also thought sin for the past year’s transgressions. Christian Broadcasting: None to live in some villages of Tiesuo District. Houses are also thoroughly cleaned out as ROPAL code: None The Tusu also live in Binchuan County, but the people bid to start the upcoming year their exact distribution in Binchuan has yet afresh. They also eat glutinous rice, dance, Status of Evangelization to be determined. sing, and get drunk. Polytheism (the 87% worship of many gods), animism (spirit Identity: The Tusu actually call themselves appeasement), and ancestor worship are Tu, but in Operation China their alternate the three main religions among the Tusu name is used to avoid confusion with the people. 12% official Tu nationality of Qinghai Province. 1% The Chinese refer to many tribal peoples as Christianity: The status of Christianity Tu or Tuzu. As Jamin Pelkey explains, “In A B C among the Tusu is uncertain, but there are Chinese tu means ‘dirt’ or ‘native’ and believed to be about 20 Catholic believers A = Have never heard the gospel B = Were evangelized but did not turen means ‘natives’ or ‘aborigines’. in Binchuan County. There are a number of become Christians Nevertheless, this people actually refer to C = Are adherents to any form of Han Chinese and Bai churches in the area, Christianity themselves as Tusu (Tu people) in their own but most of the people do not really language — that is to say, Tu is their understand the gospel. Many others have autonym. This people began to call itself Tu no awareness of the existence of 1 in the seventh century AD.” Christianity at all. There are at present no Scriptures or recordings available in the Language: The language of the Tusu has Tusu language. been classified by the Chinese as a variety 524 TUSU.