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People group profile · PG043713

The Arutani of Venezuela

The Arutani of Venezuela, numbering about 20 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnic group indigenous to northern Brazil and southern Venezuela.

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 Ninam.

Pray for the ArutaniPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Arutani people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Arutani

Fast facts

Country
Venezuela
Population
20
Affinity group
American Peoples
People cluster
South American Indigenous
Primary language
Ninam (shb)
Primary religion
Animism
Strategic Progress Index
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
No Known Evangelicals
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
South America, Americas
Location
Bolívar state: Paraqua and Uraricáa rivers’ headwaters below Karum river area

Where they live

Gospel status

The Arutani 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, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist No
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Arutani

  • 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

60% adherents

Primary language

Ninam · Yanomamic family

100% speak Ninam

Gospel resources in Ninam

  • Bible available
  • JESUS Film 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 Arutani

  1. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
  2. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
  3. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  4. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.

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