Iu Mien

     The 1995 Lao census listed a total of 22,665 Iu Mien (or Yao) people in Laos. This figure includes the Kim Mun and Lanten groups, who we have profiled separately. All of these groups are related, but speak distinct languages and have different customs. Laurent Chazee says there are 18,000 Iu Mien living in 55 villages.

     Most Iu Mien villages are in forests between 600-1,500 meters (1,970-4,920 feet) above sea-level. They often live alongside the Lu, Hmong and Akha. The homeland of the Iu Mien is southern China, where more than 700,000 live. A further 300,000 inhabit areas of northern Vietnam, and 40,000 live in Thailand. Iu Mien refugee communities have also sprung up in the United States (23,000), France (2,000), and Canada (100); while a few Iu Mien are known to live in nations such as Denmark, New Zealand, Taiwan, Switzerland and Australia.

     Polygamy is allowed in some Iu Mien communities in Laos. Wealthy men are permitted to have up to six or seven wives, although this practice is now quite rare. Iu Mien women continue to wear their colorful, elaborate traditional clothing.

     The main religion of the Iu Mien in Laos is Daoism. When they migrated into Southeast Asia the Iu Mien carried with them copies of Daoist manuscripts and other culturally important documents, written in Chinese characters. The Iu Mien also worship a host of different spirits with a complex mix of animism, ancestor worship, magic and reincarnation.

     There have been a few Iu Mien Christians in Laos since 1949, when Hmong believers first shared the Gospel with them. In Vietnam and China several thousand Read-Head Yao, a subgroup of the Iu Mien, have come to Christ in recent years because of short-wave Gospel radio broadcasts in their language. The majority of Iu Mien, however, have absolutely no understanding of the Gospel and are without a witness.

     Despite being one of the largest and best-known ethnic minorities in Asia, the Iu Mien have had little missionary work among them until recently. Remote locations, and a strong cultural and religious identity has created barriers to their evangelization.

Pray for the Iu Mien