Labapo in China

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

Introduction / History

The Labapo know little of their history, except that they originated farther to the north of their present location and migrated across the mountains at least 300 years ago. The Labapo have been combined with four other tribes in Kaiyuan County into a group called Aza. None of the five groups calls itself by that name. The Aza, in turn, have been officially included by the Chinese authorities under the large Yi nationality which contains 120 distinct ethnolinguistic groups. The Labapo (Laba Tribe) are not the same as the Laba, a large group in Guizhou Province who have recently been classified as Miao.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The Labapo still retain some of their customs and festivals. At various times of the lunar calendar, all Labapo gather for celebrations and festivities that last two and a half days; during this period, they eat communal meals. Every family invites relatives from other villages to be their guests. The feasting is always accompanied by copious amounts of alcohol, singing and revelry. It gives the Labapo a chance to unwind and also affords young people the opportunity to find a spouse.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Labapo worship their ancestors. They also live in fear of the spirit world. Many Yi groups share a legend about a great flood that inundated the ancient world. Today, their ancestral tablets are still made of pieris wood (the same wood that the ark was constructed of, according to Yi legend). The Labapo believe in three main types of ghosts: spirits of accidental or unclean deaths, invisible demons, and slota (unusual phenomena which cause disasters). Twice a year a pig and a chicken are sacrificed at a worship stone near the sacred village tree which they believe houses a protective dragon.

There has never been a Christian church among the Labapo. They remain a completely unreached people. Whoever first takes the gospel to the Labapo will need to respect their customs and beliefs without compromising the essence of the gospel. Despite being almost 350 years old, the following Catholic declaration dating from 1659 contains sound advice for foreign missionaries that still applies today: "Do not regard it as your task, and do not bring any pressures to bear on the peoples, to change their manners, customs and uses, unless they are evidently contrary to religion and sound morals. What could be more absurd than to transport France, Spain or Italy, or some other European country to China? Do not introduce all that to them, but only the faith, which does not despise or destroy the manners and customs of any people, always supposing they are not evil, but rather wishes to see them preserved unharmed."


What Are Their Needs?

They need Jesus’ guidance to understand the purpose of this life. They need nearby Christian communities to help them grow spiritually.


Prayer Points

Pray that God intervenes in their lives and helps them understand his value and worth in our lives.
Pray that their hearts soften up to know more and accept Jesus as their Lord and savior.
Pray for a church planting movement to rise up in the Labapo homeland.


Scripture Prayers for the Labapo in China.


References

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


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Labapo
People Name in Country Labapo
Pronunciation Lah-ba-po
Alternate Names Azar; Laba; Laba Aza; Pula
Population this Country 8,400
Population all Countries 8,400
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 18530
ROP3 Code 114146
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 Six thousand four hundred Labapo people were counted in a 1999 study of Honghe Prefecture. They inhabit more than 20 villages in the Baige and Dazhuang districts of Kaiyuan County in southern Yunnan Province. The Labapo live in the same district as the 9,400 Daizhan, who are a related people group.   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 Six thousand four hundred Labapo people were counted in a 1999 study of Honghe Prefecture. They inhabit more than 20 villages in the Baige and Dazhuang districts of Kaiyuan County in southern Yunnan Province. The Labapo live in the same district as the 9,400 Daizhan, who are a related people group..   Source:  Operation China, 2000
Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
95.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
5.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Sani (8,400 speakers)
Language Code ysn   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Sani (8,400 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 Joshua Project / Global Mapping International  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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