Religion

Unreached People. The Nung are an unreached people group, with only a few believers in Jesus Christ. They are perhaps the most unreached group in Vietnam. It is estimated that only about 65 Nung have accepted Him as their personal savior. This is far less than 1%. In bondage to a complex mix of traditions described as Shamanism, the Nung have been closed to the claims of Christ.

Shamanism. The Nung practice a religion termed Shamanism. But the world-view of the Nung is actually quite complicated. Their beliefs combine elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, ancestor worship and animism, in addition to the Shamanistic elements. Many of the current generation profess atheism, possibly in response to the political system of Vietnam. Like animism, shamanism engenders a life of fear that involves a dread of the spirit world. The Nung take great care to try to avoid offending the spirits and placating them if they believe that the spirits are angry. The shamans or sorcerers are believed to have special power to deal with the spirit world.

Sorcerers. The Nung term for sorcerer is thay mo. Deeply involved in the occult, sorcerers or shamans are the priests of the Nung people's traditional religion. More than 30 shaman priests still serve their communities in the northern part of Vietnam. A shaman priest is something like a witch doctor. He can invoke the spirits of the ancestors to bless their descendants and implore their favor. To obtain the blessing, the shaman will ask the ancestral spirits to accept the sacrifice which is usually a pig, chicken or other food. This may also be to appease an angry spirit who has caused sickness or other calamity. The thay mo may perform exorcisms to drive out evil spirits and so heal sickness or cleanse houses of malign spiritual influence. The sorcerers are practically the only ones who can read the Nung demotic script, often used for prayer books.

Ancestor worship. Like the Tay people, the Nung worship their ancestors. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors are their main source of assistance and blessing from the spirit world. They believe that proper attention to funerals, family altars and celebrations giving honor to the ancestral spirits will result in blessing and protection. A failure to carry out these obligations will, they believe, have the opposite effect. This sense of loyalty and obligation to the ancestors is a definite spiritual stronghold preventing the Nung people from considering the claims of Jesus Christ.

Other Beliefs. Taoism has contributed many elements to the Nung, to include the worship of a pantheon of deities. Nungs particularly revere Kwan Yin. Buddhism has also contributed to their belief system. They pray to Buddha for protection and especially to ward off natural calamities. Often Buddha images are placed above the altar to the ancestors. The Buddha is also believed to be helpful in curing illness, and in preserving the crops from pests or blight. The spirit of the earth occupies one of the highest places in the Nung cosmology. Each Nung household erects an altar outside their house, dedicated to the worship of the earth spirit. Sacrifices and other ceremonies are held regularly in the belief that the earth spirit controls the quantity and quality of the harvest.

Part of their belief system is a set of taboos or forbidden actions which are designed to avoid giving offense to the spirits. They refuse to eat beef, buffalo meat and dog meat. They have many other deep-seated fears inherent in their beliefs. They live lives dominated by fear of the evil spirits, who beset them on all sides. They also fear the ghosts of the dead . 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. The funeral of the Nung is similar to that of the Tay. During the ceremony, prayers are offered to various deities, showing the influence of Taoism, Confucianism and even Buddhism. On propitious days, such as New Year's and agricultural holidays, ceremonies are conducted to honor the dead. They believe that their ancestors return on New Year's eve and remain with them for three days. Honor is paid to deceased relatives on the anniversary of their funeral service.

Christian Witness. The Nung have been resistant to the gospel message. It is also true, however, that few have ever heard a clear presentation of the claims of Jesus Christ. Several books of the Bible were translated into Nung by missionaries between 1963 and 1966. After hearing nothing for 17 years, the missionaries received letters from the Nung in Vietnam, telling of answers to prayer, of recent Nung converts to Christ and of the growth of the church. Some Nung have heard the Gospel through Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) Radio broadcasts. Currently, it is believed that 15 Nung in north Vietnam are believers, with the remaining 50 in the southern part of the country. This is an increase of 15 believers over the last few years.

The FEBC transmits programs weekly from the Philippines every Monday 13:15-13:30 on a frequency of 9795 KHz, 31 meter band. A complete Bible has not been completed in the Nung language. Old Testament stories, the Gospel of Mark, the books of Acts & I John are available in Nung, as well as a collection of New Testament stories. No Jesus Film is available in Nung. Some gospel recordings in Nung have been released.