La Chi Religion

Unreached People. The La Chi in Vietnam are an unreached people group, with no known Christians. They are surrounded by other tribal people who are equally unreached.

Their bondage is to a mix of traditions, but the dominant belief system is polytheism, with aspects of animism and ancestor worship. The Lahu are sensitive to the fact that life is more than materialism. In this, they are correct. Unfortunately, they know no other way to deal with spiritual things than to try to worship or appease false gods and spirit beings that, if they exist at all, are demonic.

Polytheists. The La Chi are polytheists. They worship and appease a large number of deities, ghosts and disembodied spirits. However, the religious world-view of the Lahu, like most minority groups in Vietnam, is complicated. Their beliefs combine elements of ancestor worship and animism, as well as other superstitious ideas. Animism holds that both living and non-living things possess spirits. These beliefs create a life of fear that involves a dread of the spirit world. The La Chi hold regular rituals determined by the lunar calendar. They pray for seeds before they plant them, believing each seed has a soul. They invoke the spirits to watch over the harvest, to ensure plenty of food for the entire village. The main deity that they worship through rituals is the spirit of the rice (rice is the La Chi's main food). They also worship famous ancestors, such as Hoang Din Thung. The water buffalo is considered a sacred animal, and is involved in these acts of worship.

Ancestor worship. Like the Tay, Nung, Lahu and many other minority people, the La Chi worship their ancestors. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors can assist and bless them. The La Chi worship three generations of ancestors during festivals, and especially on new year's or Tet holidays. These worship ceremonies for distant ancestors are not held on the anniversary of the death. Each family keeps several altars lined up along a wall of the house. The father's altar is first, followed by that of the youngest son, then the middle son's, and finally, the oldest son's. The children's altars are lower than that of their father.

Other Beliefs. In each village a communal house holds the remains of buffalo and ox skulls that were previously used in ritual sacrifices in the past. This is where annual ceremonies are held to make peace with the spirits. Among these spirits are the spirit of the rice and ancestral spirits. Objects such as gongs, bronze drums and ox-hide drums are used. The ceremony is presided over by the po mia nhu, who represents the entire La Chi clan. Rituals still involve the ceremonial slaughter of animals for sacrificial purposes.

Their belief system, like that of most tribal groups, includes a system of taboos or forbidden actions which are designed to avoid offending the spirits. They live lives dominated by fear of the evil spirits, who beset them on all sides. Fear of the spirit world is a pervasive part of daily life, deadly serious matters of life and death. These people are trapped in their belief system, living in darkness, waiting for the light.

Funerals. Before use, the coffin is first cleaned with boiled herbal water. The body is placed in the coffin and laid to align with the main roof beam, at the second pillar. At the actual burial, the head is oriented to the mountain, and the grave is mounded in a conical shape. On the first and second day of the funeral services, the deceased's children put offerings of rice, meat and drink in a cloth bag and lay them at the graveside. Seven to 12 months later on the anniversary of the death, a second ceremony is held to help the dead person's soul reincarnate.

Christian Witness. The La Chi in Vietnam have never heard a clear presentation of the claims of Jesus Christ. There is not even a single known Christian believer or church among the La Chi in Vietnam. They are a distinct and unique people group without any Gospel witness and without any knowledge of the Name of Jesus Christ. There is no La Chi version of the Jesus film available, nor are there gospel recordings. There is no La Chi Bible available, nor are there even portions of the Bible translated. The fact that the language seems to be going extinct has discouraged translation work, no doubt. Similarly, there are no La Chi radio broadcasts.

This means that the Christian literature needs of the La Chi have received no attention from the Christian community. These are people for whom Jesus died, but they remain spiritually isolated from Christian influence.