Jiasou in China

The Jiasou have only been reported in China
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Jiasou say they originated along the shores of Lake Dian in Kunming in ancient times. Many centuries ago they migrated southward to the southeastern corner of Yunnan Province, where they experienced numerous clashes and battles with other ethnic groups. It seems probable that the Jiasou were once part of the same group as the Mengwu, but after centuries of separation, the group has evolved into two distinct ethnicities. Only in Guangnan County do members of both the Jiasou and Mengwu ethnic groups still live together.

Despite the fact that they speak their own language and possess a unique ethnic name and set of customs, the Jiasou were officially included under the Yi nationality by the Chinese authorities in the 1950s. Sir Reginald F. Johnston explained that it was futile to call all Yi people by one cover term: "I venture to express a doubt whether we should gain much by classing under one such designation a number of peoples who, whatever their origin, have been so long separated from one another that they refuse to acknowledge any mutual connection, and to some extent have different customs and speak different languages."


What Are Their Lives Like?

When a Jiasou person dies, a ceremony is held to send the soul back to the Jiasou's ancestral home. "The path of a Jiasou soul is thought to go first to Guangnan, then to Kaiyuan, and then to the Kunming lake-shores. This suggests the ancient path of migration taken by the Jiasou."


What Are Their Beliefs?

In addition to ancestor worship, the Jiasou appease a number of protective spirits. Early on, they recognized their inability to withstand the Chinese who were continually encroaching on their land. The Jiasou sought the blessing of warring spirits who would attack their enemies. Some Jiasou say they once worshiped an all-powerful God of Heaven who was above all spirits, but they lost contact with him and have been harassed by demons ever since.

Few Christians reside in the Guangnan area, even among the Han Chinese majority. Catholic work in adjoining parts of Guangxi impacted the region in a general way prior to 1949, but little fruit from those endeavors remains today. Few outsiders have ever heard of the Jiasou.


What Are Their Needs?

Without the guidance of Christ, these people will be lost in this life and the life to come. They need someone to share the truth with them, so that the Jiasou in return become Christ-bearers themselves for others.


Prayer Points

Pray for an unstoppable movement of Christ to transform the spiritual atmosphere so that the Jiasou can accept Jesus freely.
Pray for the spiritual blindness and bondage to the evil one to be removed so they can understand and respond to Christ.
Pray for the Lord to provide for their physical and spiritual needs as a testimony of his power and love.
Pray that the Jiasou people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings.


Scripture Prayers for the Jiasou in China.


References

Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Jiasou
People Name in Country Jiasou
Pronunciation jyah-SOO
Alternate Names
Population this Country 40,000
Population all Countries 40,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 18512
ROP3 Code 114124
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 According to a 1999 estimate, 30,000 ethnic Jiasou people live in Guangnan County within the Wenshan Prefecture of Yunnan Province. There is some intermixing between the Jiasou and the Mengwu in Guangnan. It is possible that some of the people counted in this profile as Jiasou should belong to the Mengwu figures.   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 According to a 1999 estimate, 30,000 ethnic Jiasou people live in Guangnan County within the Wenshan Prefecture of Yunnan Province. There is some intermixing between the Jiasou and the Mengwu in Guangnan. It is possible that some of the people counted in this profile as Jiasou should belong to the Mengwu figures..   Source:  Operation China, 2000
Map of Jiasou in China Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.01 %)
0.01 %
Ethnic Religions
99.99 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Sani (40,000 speakers)
Language Code ysn   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Sani (40,000 speakers)
Language Code ysn   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Sani

Primary Language:  Sani

Bible Translation Status:  Unspecified

Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Operation China, Asia Harvest  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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