Tahang people group of Laos
 
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  • Population:300(1995);330(2000);420(2010)
  • Main Province: Champasak
  • 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 Tahang
  • Pray the terribly neglected southern Laos area would not have to wait any longer for a chance to hear the Gospel.
  • Ask God to raise up laborers to plant churches among the Tahang.
  • Pray for special grace and blessing to be upon those few Christians working in Champasak Province.

    French scholar Laurent Chazee, in his 1995 book Atlas des Ethnies et des Sous-Ethnies du Laos, listed the Tahang are a distinct ethnic group in southern Laos. They live in the southern part of Pakxong District in Champasak Province.

     Little specific information is available on the Tahang. They speak an Eastern Mon-Khmer language, but research has yet to be done to determine its linguistic relationship with other varieties in the region. The Tahang are possibly related to the Talieng, who live further to the east. Champasak Province has a long history. Between the 1st and 9th centuries AD it was part of the Funan and Chenla empires. Between the 10th and 13th centuries it was part of the Khmer Angkor Empire.... "Following the decline of Angkor between the 15th and late 17th centuries, it was enfolded into the Lan Xang Kingdom but then broke away to become an independent Lao kingdom at the beginning of the 18th century. The short-lived Champ-asak Kingdom had only three monarchs: Soi Sisamut (1713-37), Sainyakuman (1737-91) and Fai Na (1791-1811)." During the French colonial era, Champasak was known as Bassac or Pasak for short.

     The Tahang do not consider themselves particularly religious, although animistic rituals are still observed, especially by the older people.

     Few Tahang have had any exposure to Christianity. Southern Laos has changed little since this report from the 1920's: "At Sone Khone [Sonkhone] on the lower Mekong near Sawannakhet [Savannakhet] there is a single station of an independent Swiss mission. At present there is only one missionary there, Rev. F. Audetat with fifty or more adherents. He is working among the Tai Lao. He has translated the Gospel of John in the character of Luang Prabang.... As stated before, M. Audetat is the only worker for the Swiss in all Indo-China. He is 500 miles from any mission station in Siam, and about 400 miles from Chiengrung [Jinghong], our new station in China.... Here is a country almost destitute of the Gospel; a state with an area of about 102,000 square miles [264,180 square kilometers, almost equal to that of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania combined."163

  

 

  

Additional Information

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