People group profile · PG016254
The Arhuaco of Colombia
The Arhuaco of Colombia, numbering about 16,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Indigenous Chibchan-speaking people of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta who descend from the Tairona civilization and maintain a distinct cultural and spiritual tradition centered on their ancestral mountain homeland.
They are an indigenous people in the South American Indigenous people cluster of the Latin American and Caribbean Peoples. Their primary religion is Animism, and they primarily speak Arhuaco.
Fast facts
- Country
- Colombia
- Population
- 16,500
- Affinity group
- American Peoples
- People cluster
- South American Indigenous
- Primary language
- Arhuaco (arh)
- Primary religion
- Animism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, Dispersed CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Pioneer Unreached People Group
- Region
- South America, Americas
- Location
- Cesar and Magdalena departments: northeast and southern slopes of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Where they live
Gospel status
The Arhuaco are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical but there has been dispersed church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years Dispersed Church Planting
Next steps for the Arhuaco
- 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
Primary religion
Animism · Ethnoreligion
80% adherents
Primary language
Arhuaco · Chibchan family
100% speak Arhuaco
Gospel resources in Arhuaco
- Bible available, published 2005
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Arhuaco
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
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