People group profile · PG046976
The Tumbalala of Brazil
The Tumbalala of Brazil, numbering about 1,700 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Indigenous group in northeastern Brazil. Their recognition was part of a broader movement of ethnogenesis, where Indigenous groups reassert their cultural identity and historical continuity.
They are an indigenous people in the South American Indigenous people cluster of the Latin American and Caribbean Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Portuguese.

Fast facts
- Country
- Brazil
- Population
- 1,700
- Affinity group
- American Peoples
- People cluster
- South American Indigenous
- Primary language
- Portuguese (por)
- Primary religion
- Ethnoreligion
- 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
- Bahia: near the São Francisco River, between the municipalities of Curaçá and Abaré, close to the border with Pernambuco
Where they live
Gospel status
The Tumbalala 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 Tumbalala
- 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
40% adherents
Primary language
Portuguese · Indo-European family
100% speak Portuguese
Gospel resources in Portuguese
- Bible available
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories available
Films
- JESUS (Portuguese, Brazil)
- JESUS (Portuguese, Portugal)
- Magdalena (Portuguese, Brazil)
- Magdalena (Portuguese, Portugal)
- The Savior (Portuguese, Brazil)
Bibles
- 2014 Bible League International · text
- Almeida Corrigida Fiel (ACF) · text
- Almeida Revista e Atualizada · audio
- Almeida Revista e Corrigida · audio
- João Ferreira de Almeida Atualizada · text
- Nova Traducao na Linguagem de Hoje · video, audio
- Tradução Interconfessional - a BÍBLIA para todos · audio, text
- Tradução de João Ferreira de Almeida · text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Tumbalala
- 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.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
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