Puroik in China

People Name:	Puroik
Country:	China
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	500
World Population:	5,700
Primary Language:	Puroik
Primary Religion:	Ethnic Religions
Christian Adherents:	0.00 %
Evangelicals:	0.00 %
Scripture:	Portions
Online Audio NT:	No
Jesus Film:	No
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	South Asia Tribal - other
Affinity Bloc:	South Asian Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

Although the Puroik claim to be the original inhabitants of the area, for centuries they have been virtual slaves of the larger Nishi tribe. The Nishi formerly had intermediaries called gingdungs who arranged for the ransom of Puroik people, and in that way kept them trapped in dire poverty. Puroik legends "tell of the great journeys they made over the wild and lonely hills and of the heroic pioneers who made the first clearings in the forest. It is part of their reverence for the dead, whose spirits they believe still haunt the countryside."

The Puroik are officially counted as part of the Lhoba nationality in China. All people in Arunachal Pradesh in India know the Puroik as the Sulung, a Bangni term meaning "slaves." Arunachal Pradesh is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the world.

About 90 percent of the Puroik people live in India and only 10 percent are in China.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Puroik live in very small groups comprised of just a few families living together. They are a secretive and furtive people who prefer to be left alone. The Puroik are renowned as mighty hunters. The primitive mountains contain ten species of pheasants, as well as tigers, leopards, snow leopards, and goat antelope.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The primary religion among the Puroik is called Donyi-Polo (The Sun and the Moon). They also worship a complex hierarchy of spirits, gods, and ghosts. "Not only do particular parts of nature (plants, animals, celestial bodies, etc.) carry a divine presence, but there is a notion that spiritual energy can be exchanged between humans, and these spiritually charged natural phenomena."

There are a handful of known Puroik believers on the Indian side of the border, but none in Chinese territory. Unlike other tribal areas in northeast India which have been heavily Christianized, Arunachal Pradesh remains largely animist. One secular anthropologist reported, "The handful of Christians I met in Arunachal Pradesh all spoke of the importance of maintaining traditional rituals as a way of preserving their ethnic identity, despite the strong pressure against this on the part of fundamentalist Christian missionaries."

What Are Their Needs?

The Puroik people need to submit to Jesus Christ so they can experience the abundant life he offers them in John 10:10.

Prayer Points

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 Puroik people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings.

Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.