Yintale in Myanmar (Burma)

The Yintale have only been reported in Myanmar (Burma)
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Additional PDF Profile

Identity

Confusion has arisen regarding the population of the Yintale, with some reputable sources listing only 1,000 people. This misunderstanding occurred after linguist David Bradley reported that only 1,000 Yintale people, living in three villages, were still able to speak their language in 2000.1 However, in 2007 Bradley clarified that the Yintale ethnic group contained 10,000 people, despite most having lost the ability to speak their language.

Location: Approximately 11,500 members of the Yintale tribe are distributed across the four districts of Bawlakhe, Hpruso, Loikaw, and Mese in eastern Myanmar’s Kayah State. Most Yintale live between the Hpasawng mountains and the Salween (Thanlwin) River, about 50 miles (80 km) south of Loikaw.

Language: Yintale, which is now spoken by only about 1,000 people in three villages, is a variety of Western Kayah. The main village where the language is still used is called Wa Awng. Ywarthit village in Bawlakhe Township is another community still clinging to their mother tongue. Differences have been found between the vernaculars of these two villages, causing them to be viewed as separate dialects. Other Yintale villages do not use their language at all, causing the United Nations to place Yintale on their list of endangered languages. Even in the locations where the Yintale language is still spoken, it is mostly used by adults, with youth preferring to speak S’gaw Karen.


History

For centuries the Yintale lived in relative peace in northern Kayah State until the independence of Burma in 1948, when war broke out between the Burmese and various Kayah (Karenni) factions demanding their own statehood. The conflict has intensified in recent years during the Myanmar civil war. In June 2023 Mese, one of the townships inhabited by the Yintale, saw fierce fighting after two Karenni factions previously aligned with the government joined forces to fight against it. In December 2023, the Karenni seized control of the state capital, Loikaw, after the Burmese junta had ordered 353 airstrikes on the town, killing at least 82 civilians. At the time of this writing, the Karenni armies controlled about 80 percent of Kayah State, despite the Burmese junta having fighter jets and superior military hardware.


Customs

Although the Yintale view themselves as a distinct tribe with their own history and culture, they enthusiastically celebrate Kay Htoe Boe, the Karen New Year, which falls in April or May each year depending on the lunar calendar. Animistic rituals are performed during the celebrations around a sacred totem pole, at which “oracles and shamans read chicken bones to predict the year ahead by reading the holes of chicken thigh bones. Pigs are sometimes slaughtered to predict the health of the pole’s spirit guardian by interpreting the health of the slaughtered pig’s liver.” In 2016, a 62-year-old Yintale village elder, U Sot Rai, lamented that after bombing caused most people to move away, “We can’t hold our traditional festivals every year because there are not enough people.”


Religion

Although most Yintale are professing Buddhists, the animistic rituals practiced by their ancestors continue to flourish, with one visitor observing: “Their most revered sites are not monasteries or pagodas, but sacred wooden pillars about 15 feet (4 meters) high that are erected in the ground. There are male and female pillars in separate locations…. Annual festivals include sacrificial offerings of medium-sized animals, such as pigs and goats. Festivals held every ten years include offerings of bigger animals, such as cattle, and are marked by the erection of a new pillar.”


Christianity

Despite the Gospel first reaching the area about 150 years ago, the faith has never deeply penetrated Yintale society, and nominal Catholic and Baptist believers make up most of the professing Christians. Today, about one out of every ten Yintale people identify as followers of Christ. After generations without the Bible in their language, the Yintale New Testament was published in 2020, although reports of its impact have yet to be seen.


Prayer Items

Scripture Prayers for the Yintale in Myanmar (Burma).


Profile Source:   Asia Harvest  

Additional PDF Profile


People Name General Yintale
People Name in Country Yintale
Pronunciation yin-TAH-lee kuh-REN
Alternate Names Yindalay; Tali; Taliak; Yangatalet; Yangtadai; Yintalai; Yin Talai Kayah; Yintalet; Yintale Karen
Population this Country 12,000
Population all Countries 12,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 5  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 16042
ROP3 Code 111073
Country Myanmar (Burma)
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 13  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Kayah State: Bawlakhe and Hpasawng townships in Bawlakhe District; Demoso and Hpruso townships in Hpruso District; Loikaw and Mese districts.   Source:  Asia Harvest Myanmar prayer profiles
Country Myanmar (Burma)
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 13  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Kayah State: Bawlakhe and Hpasawng townships in Bawlakhe District; Demoso and Hpruso townships in Hpruso District; Loikaw and Mese districts..   Source:  Asia Harvest Myanmar prayer profiles
Primary Religion: Buddhism
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
54.99 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.01 %
Ethnic Religions
45.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Yintale (12,000 speakers)
Language Code kvy   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Karen, Yintale
Dialect Code 11639   Global Recordings Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Yintale (12,000 speakers)
Language Code kvy   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Karen, Yintale
Dialect Code 11639   Global Recordings Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Yintale

Primary Language:  Yintale

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes
Bible-New Testament Yes  (2020)
Bible-Complete No
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible app direct APK download SIL
Mobile App Android Bible app: Yintale YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App iOS Bible app direct APK download SIL
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Yintale YouVersion Bibles
Photo Source Asia Harvest-Operation Myanmar 
Map Source Asia Harvest-Operation Myanmar  
Profile Source Asia Harvest 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.