Ngai Religion

Unreached People. The Ngai in Vietnam are an unreached people group, with no known Christians.

Their bondage is to a mix of traditions, but the dominant belief system is polytheism, with aspects of animism and ancestor worship. The Ngai are correct in their conviction that life is more than materialism. 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 Ngai are polytheists. They worship and appease a large number of deities, ghosts and disembodied spirits. However, the religious world-view of the Ngai, like most minority groups in Vietnam, is complicated. Their beliefs combine elements of ancestor worship and animism, as well as Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and 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 Ngai hold regular rituals determined by the lunar calendar. They pray for seeds before they plant them. They invoke the spirits to watch over the harvest, to ensure plenty of food for the entire village. The main deity that the Dan subgroup worships is Tin Hau, the goddess of fishermen, whose image is carried in floating temples. But they also worship the spirits of the sea, whales, sea dragons, lightning, rivers, wind, and rain. Ngai living in upland areas worship forest spirits as well.

Ancestor worship. Like the Tay, Nung, Lahu and many other minority people, the Ngai worship their ancestors. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors can assist and bless them. The Ngai hold regular festivals for worship of their ancestors, and rely on Taoist shamans to lead the ceremonies.

Other Beliefs. The Ngai celebrate the lunar New Year (Tet). Other festivals include the Third of March Festival, the Double Five Festival (fifth day of the fifth lunar month) and the New Rice Festival.

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. When a Ngai person dies a ceremony is held on the 21st, 35th, 42nd, 49th, 63rd and 70th days after the funeral, to honor the soul of the deceased person. Land-dwelling Ngai bury their dead with personal objects that they used during life. The funeral has specific, exact customs that prescribe such things as how the funeral is to be announced, how the deceased is to be placed within the wooden coffin, and the ceremony opening the grave. They usually mark the grave with a tombstone with the deceased person's name engraved in Chinese characters. Even some of the Dan people bury their dead on the land, though they often bury at sea.

Christian Witness. The Ngai 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 Ngai 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 Ngai version of the Jesus film available, nor are there gospel recordings. There is no Ngai 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 Ngai radio broadcasts.

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