Day 29: The Daur People

Who are the Daur?
The Daur are perhaps most well-known for their excellent skill at the sport of hockey. It is widely speculated that they invented the popular pastime.  At the very least, they have been playing it for centuries. The Daur have produced many great hockey players for China. Out of 72 Daur who have been a part of China's team in recent years, a large number have traveled abroad to take part in matches. The Inner Mongolia hockey team has been national champion a number of times since 1978, mainly due to the skill of its Daur team members.

Interestingly, the more than 155,000 Daur are found in two geographical locations on complete opposite sides of China. Most make their homes in Inner Mongolia and the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Daur were called into military service, and one assignment took a group of soldiers clear across the country to north-western Xinjiang Province. Rather than undergo the two year trek back home at the end of their service, many soldiers simply decided to settle in Xinjiang. Despite the distance between them, the two groups have for the most part managed to retain a uniform language and culture.

There are presently around 1,000 Christians among the Daur in Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, the fruit of missionary work in the early 1990's. Since that time, the Daur church has faced persecution, but has remained steadfast in her faith. There are no known Christians among the Daur in Xinjiang, and their Christian brothers and sisters in the north-east have a heavy burden to share with them the way of salvation.

Points of Prayer:
1. And give thanks to God for the faithfulness of the north-east Daur. Ask the Lord to give them wisdom as they take the gospel to their tribesmen in the north-west.

2. That every Daur will have the chance to hear about Christ. Pray that the Daur of Xinjiang will eagerly put their faith in Him.