Idu Lhoba in China


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

Until recently the Lhoba were a virtually unknown people. Because they have no written script, the Lhoba have no record of where they originated. In the past they tied strings around their wrists or notched marks in wood to remind them of important things they needed to do.

Yidu is a distinct language that differs from Bogar Lhoba, which is spoken by members of the same minority group farther to the east of the Yidu. The Yidu have been combined with the Bogar and Adi to form the official Lhoba nationality in Tibet. However, the Chinese government's 1990 census findings of only 2,312 Lhoba do not match the figures of independent linguists and researchers who report a minimum of 10,000 Lhoba in China.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Most Lhoba marriages take place sometime within the full moon days of September to December. "On that day ... the bride and groom take a sip from their own bowls first and then exchange the bowls and keep on drinking. ...."


What Are Their Beliefs?

For thousands of years the Lhoba have handed down oral traditions about the genesis of the world. Their beliefs form the Lhoba worldview. They say in the beginning the sky was empty, and only the sun, moon, and stars could be seen. The earth was bare, and only the mountains, rivers, and rocks existed. "Maidong (the sky) and Shijin (the earth) sat together trying to break the absolute tranquility that embodied the world. They decided to get married and soon after the earth was pregnant. Their first child, before birth, dissipated into a pool of blood. The blood then changed into rain and nourished the various forms of life on earth. Later on, the earth gave birth to another child who became the ancestor of the Lhoba nationality." To please their Tibetan neighbors, many Yidu Lhoba outwardly adhere to Tibetan Buddhism, but in reality they practice shamanism and spirit appeasement.

The Yidu Lhoba have no awareness of the name of Jesus Christ. There are a few churches in Assam, northern India, among the related Adi people, but no Christians are known to have crossed into the Yidu Lhoba part of Tibet with the gospel.


What Are Their Needs?

Without the guidance of Christ, these people are like sheep without a shepherd. They need the good shepherd in their families and communities.


Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to intervene in their families, calling people to his side.

Pray for loving workers.

Pray for their hearts to be drawn to the Lord of lords.

Pray for a church planting movement to thrive in their communities.


Scripture Prayers for the Lhoba, Idu in China.


References

Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Lhoba, Idu
People Name in Country Lhoba, Idu
Natural Name Idu Lhoba
Pronunciation EE-doo LOW-bah
Alternate Names Boga'er; Chulikala Mishmi; Lhoba; Lho-pa; Yidu; ल्होबा, आइडू
Population this Country 10,000
Population all Countries 48,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 13050
ROP3 Code 112269
ROP25 Code 304694
ROP25 Name Lhoba, Yidu
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country The extremely isolated Danba River valley and the surrounding mountain slopes in southeast Tibet are home to more than 8,000 Yidu Lhoba. This sparsely populated region borders northern India. More than 8,500 Idu live in Arunachal Pradesh, India. Some reports have incorrectly stated that there are 200,000 Lhoba living in northern India.   Source:  Operation China, 2000
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country The extremely isolated Danba River valley and the surrounding mountain slopes in southeast Tibet are home to more than 8,000 Yidu Lhoba. This sparsely populated region borders northern India. More than 8,500 Idu live in Arunachal Pradesh, India. Some reports have incorrectly stated that there are 200,000 Lhoba living in northern India..   Source:  Operation China, 2000
Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
30.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
70.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Idu-Mishmi
Language Code clk   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 2
Secondary Languages
Adi
Primary Language Idu-Mishmi
Language Code clk   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 2
Secondary Languages
  Adi
People Groups Speaking Idu-Mishmi

Primary Language:  Idu-Mishmi

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (2000)
Bible-New Testament No
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Photo Source Mow Sunil 
Map Source Bryan Nicholson / cartoMission  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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