More than 2,000 people belonging to the Sou ethnic group live primarily in the Phouvong District of Attapu Province in southern Laos. A small number of Sou live in the eastern part of Sanamxai District.

     The Sou, who are also known as the Sok, Souk or Sawk, live directly along the Laos-Cambodia border, in a remote and sparsely-populated mountainous area.

     The Sou language is part of the West Katuic branch of the Mon-Khmer family. It is most closely related to Oy, Jeng, Sapuan and So.

     In this isolated corner of Laos, spirits and ghosts rule over the lives of the people. The Sou are animists. Each village has its own resident shaman, or spirit-priest, whose job is to mediate between the community and the spirit realm.

     In some places in Laos, female mediums have played an important role in rural communities. Mayoury Ngaosyvathn, a Lao author, has argued that "by controlling rites and practices linked to the past, women provide the Lao with a sense of calculated assurance about the continuity of interpersonal and communal relations in the future. She also argues that when possessed by their spirits these women embody a sense of control over one's fate compared with the more fatalistic stance of Buddhism...and of course, it is this activism, this unpredictability, that earned them the hostility of the state in the early days of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Mediums also represent historical continuity because of the fact that they are possessed by princes and lords from past kingdoms whose power is drawn on to overcome trials and tribulations of the present."

     Although missionaries helped produce a Gospel recording in the Sou language prior to 1975, it has been heard in very few Sou homes.

     Most Sou have no knowledge whatsoever of the Gospel. The revival in recent years among several tribal groups in northern Cambodia may represent the best opportunity for evangelism among the Sou in Laos.

     Very few Sou people speak or read Lao. To reach them, Gospel material in their mother tongue will need to be prepared.

Additional Information

1. Gospel Recording in Sou here: Sou resources page If you are aware of other recordings, literature, or anything else for the Sou people, please let us make it available online.
2. Getting there - If you make a trip to the So Tri people, share your experience and advice here: Sou travel page
3. Information - Do you know something more about the beliefs of the Sou? Do you have a story to tell? Do you have a picture? Please share it here.
4. Does anyone know of a Sou 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: Sou 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