Buriat Chinese

The Buriats of China are newcomers compared with other peoples of the region. Between the late 1910s and the early 1930s, families from Siberia crossed the border into the territory of Hulunbuir, amid the upheavals of revolution and civil war in Russia, in search of pastures and a new place to live.

Around 1921, the Chinese authorities recognized the basin of the Shinekhen River as Buriat land. Since then, the families have settled there, rebuilt their community life and preserved the language, the religion and the way of life of their ancestors, so that the Shinekhen Buriats are remembered as the steadiest Buriat community in the region.

Buriat life in Hulunbuir is bound to the land and the herds. Raising livestock on the vast pastures is traditionally the foundation of their livelihood, and the ties of family and kinship organize community life. The elders keep the language and the traditions, and hospitality toward the visitor is a value that passes through the generations.

Today they live in close contact with Mongols, Evenki and other peoples of the region, and many move between more than one language in daily life. This closeness brings opportunities, but it can also put pressure on their own language and customs, especially among the young, who increasingly look to Mandarin and to city life.

The predominant faith among the Buriats of China is Tibetan Buddhism, lived out in local temples and in family practices. For many, being Buriat and being Buddhist go together, and religion is part of the heritage received from their ancestors, not merely a personal choice.

Alongside Buddhism, traces remain of the old shamanic traditions of the steppe, which give the people a deep sensitivity to the spiritual world. Few Buriats know the person of Jesus, and this opens room for sincere conversations, held with patience and respect, about who God is. For the Buriat people, spirituality has never been something apart from life, and it is within life, in the company of family and community, that the good news of Christ must be proclaimed.

For the Buriat language spoken in China, no Bible resources are reported: no Scripture, no audio, no video. Many have contact with Mongolian and Mandarin, which can serve as a bridge, but these languages do not always speak to the heart the way the mother tongue does. May God’s Word reach this people in the language in which they dream, pray and sing.

For many Buriats, the Buddhist faith and the traditions of their ancestors are part of what it means to belong to the people, and following another path may seem like turning away from family and community. Added to this are the absence of Scripture and materials in the mother tongue, the fact that the people are little known, diluted within a larger category, and the isolation of the pastures, which makes contact with Christian communities difficult.

The people need, above all, to be known and remembered. The Buriat language and cultural heritage call for care so that new generations do not lose them. In the spiritual realm, there is a lack of Scripture and other resources in the language of the heart, as well as communities of faith where anyone interested in Jesus can be welcomed and discipled.

There is also a need for patient and respectful witnesses, willing to learn the language and culture, and for Buriat believers who can share the gospel with their own people in a natural way.