Mon people group of Laos
 
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  • Population: 217(1995);244(2000);305(2010)
  • Main Province: Xiangkhoang
  • Language Affiliation: Mon-Khmer
  • Religion: Animism
  • Christians: none known

The main information provided here is used by permission from asiaharvest.org

Additional information may be provided by millionelephants.com

Pray for the Mon
  • Pray for God's Kingdom to come among the unreached Mon people of Laos and Vietnam
  • Ask God to raise up believers with hearts for His Word among the Mon.
  • Pray the Mon would be known as a people redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

Of the 47 ethnic groups counted by the Lao authorities in the 1995 census, the 217 Mon are the smallest. There are other ethnic groups in Laos smaller than the Mon, but they were counted in a list of "Other Groups".

The Mon live in a few villages within the Makmai and Nonghet districts of Xiangkhoang Province, near the Vietnam border. A much larger number of Mon live in Vietnam, where they are part of the official Muong ethnic minority (914,596 in the 1989 census). It is not known if the Mon in Laos represent just one subgroup of Muong, or if Mon is merely an alternate name for Muong. More research needs to be done into the Mon language to see if it is the same as Muong.

The Mon in Laos and Vietnam are not the same as the large and ancient Mon people of Myanmar and Thailand. This latter Mon have given their name to the Mon-Khmer language family.

The Mon are believed to have come from the same historical roots as the Vietnamese people. Today the Mon language (which has five tones) and Vietnamese are still closely related.

As well as rice cultivation and animal husbandry, the Mon rely on their skills at gathering food from the forest, including fragrant mushrooms, honey, cinnamon, bamboo and medicinal plants.

The Mon live in villages called quei or que. The area of each village is clearly defined with marker posts or large rocks. A collection of villages (sometimes 30-40) in one area form a muong.

Mon societies are strongly patriarchal. Girls are not allowed to choose their own partners, but must let their parents find a husband for them. There are numerous songs and poems in Mon culture that reflect the girl's sadness at bad marriages that had been arranged by parents against the wishes of the girl concerned.

The majority of Mon are animists. They worship numerous deities, including local heroes, the spirit of the village and the spirit of the land. The Mon also practice ancestor worship.

Christianity has yet to make any impact on the unreached Mon people in Laos.

 

 

  

Additional Information

  1. Gospel Recording in Mon here: mon resources page If you are aware of other recordings, literature, or anything else for the Mon people, please let us make it available online.
  2. Getting there - If you make a trip to the Mon people, share your experience and advice here: mon travel page
  3. Information - Do you know something more about the brliefs of the Maleng? Do you have a story to tell? Do you have a picture? Please share it here.
  4. Does anyone know of a Mon believer inside or outside of Laos?
  5. Intercession - Have you gotten any impressions, scriptures or words while praying for this group? Have you visited their area? Please share these and we will include them on the prayer page here: mon prayer page
  6. Adoption - This is a small group, but that doesn't diminish the importance of these people in Gods' heart. If you feel led to focus on this group, maybe God will use in a miraculous way to reach them with the Gospel! Need assistance? Contact us at: millionelephants@gmail.com, subject: adoption