Sou in Laos

The Sou have only been reported in Laos
Population
Main Language
Sou
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

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.


Prayer Points

Pray the recent people movements to Christ in Cambodia would spill across the border into southern Laos.
Ask God to call, prepare and thrust out workers to reach the Sou.
Pray the Sou would not be prevented from hearing the Gospel because of their remoteness and uniqueness.


Scripture Prayers for the Sou in Laos.


Profile Source:   Peoples of Laos, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©   Used with permission  

People Name General Sou
People Name in Country Sou
Alternate Names Sawk; Sok; Sork; Suq
Population this Country 3,500
Population all Countries 3,500
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 4
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 15006
ROP3 Code 109433
Country Laos
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 21  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Attapu province, Phouvong and Sanamxai districts   Source:  Faces of the Unreached in Laos, 1999
Country Laos
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank 21  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Attapu province, Phouvong and Sanamxai districts.   Source:  Faces of the Unreached in Laos, 1999

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Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 5.50 %)
7.00 %
Ethnic Religions
93.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Sou (3,500 speakers)
Language Code sqq   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Sou (3,500 speakers)
Language Code sqq   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Sou

Primary Language:  Sou

Bible Translation Status:  Unspecified

Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
General Language Learning Phrasebook They Need the Bible
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Asia Harvest  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Profile Source Peoples of Laos, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©  Used with permission 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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