Hayu in Nepal

Hayu
Photo Source:  Anonymous 
Map Source:  People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project
People Name: Hayu
Country: Nepal
10/40 Window: Yes
Population: 3,500
World Population: 3,500
Primary Language: Wayu
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Christian Adherents: 0.33 %
Evangelicals: 0.00 %
Scripture: Unspecified
Online Audio NT: No
Jesus Film: No
Audio Recordings: Yes
People Cluster: South Asia Hindu - other
Affinity Bloc: South Asian Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Hayu are a tribal people group on the verge of extinction.

Where Are they Located?

The Hayu people live only in the Udayapur district of Nepal.

What Are Their Lives Like?

News articles written in 2018 and 2019 describe the Hayu people of Nepal as "marginalized" or nearly "extinct." They have decreased in numbers because they didn't intermarry with other communities. Traditionally they had two subgroups that only married from the other group, but this is becoming far more difficult. Today they are marrying outside their community, but in the process, they are losing their own culture and language.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Hayu people are animistic. Animism is the belief system or worldview that non-human entities (animals, plants, inanimate objects) possess a spiritual essence or soul. Animism encompasses the belief that there is no separation between the spiritual and physical world and that spirits exist not only in physical objects but also in phenomena such as thunder, wind and shadows.

What Are Their Needs?

The Hayu people need to put their sense of worth in Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Universe rather than their position in society. To God, they have tremendous worth!

Prayer Points

Pray for a chain reaction of Hayu families reaching families that results in thousands of new believers who share their faith with others.
Pray for grace and truth expanding into the entire Hayu society as all believers learn to love others.
Pray that churches and believers will bless their entire people group in such a way that God's love will change the Hayu people like yeast changes dough.

Text Source:   Keith Carey