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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Butuo Nosu of China

The Butuo Nosu of China, numbering approximately 339,000 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a subgroup of the Nuosu people, who themselves are part of the Yi (彝族)—one of China’s largest officially recognized ethnic minorities. The Butuo Nosu are mainly associated with Butuo County in southern Sichuan Province. They are an Indigenous people, in the Nosu people cluster of the Tibetan Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion - Chinese Folk Religion. They primarily speak Nuosu.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Butuo Nosu

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
Country: China
People Cluster: Nosu
Primary Language(s): Nuosu (iii)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion - Chinese Folk Religion
Population: 339,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG022211
View on Joshua Project

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Pray for the Butuo Nosu of China

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion - Chinese Folk Religion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

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Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Nuosu
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

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Media Resources in Nuosu:

Films:

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Bible Resources in Nuosu:

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Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Nuosu bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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Next steps for the Butuo Nosu

The Butuo Nosu are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Butuo Nosu

The Butuo Nosu are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Butuo Nosu

The Butuo Nosu are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Butuo Nosu of China

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
readRomans 1:18

Pray that God will have mercy and open the eyes of those who don't know Jesus, so that they can turn to the One who is able to save them from their sins.

Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
readPsalm 47:6

Pray that believers will have a heart to invite others to trust in Christ alone so that they might sing praises to His name.

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
readRomans 5:11

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will rejoice in what God has done for them and will help others know how they can also be reconciled to God.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
read2 Corinthians 5:20

Pray that those God sends to cross cultures will be His ambassadors, faithfully imploring people on Christ's behalf to be reconciled to God through Jesus.

Nosu, Butuo (ROP3 - 114260) reported in the following countries:

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Definitions page.

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