Caquinte in Peru

The Caquinte have only been reported in Peru
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Caquinte people lived in relative isolation for most of the 20th century. In the 1960s, a dying Caquinte chief had a vision of a white man and told his family to move to a Machiguenga community where a missionary family with the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) lived. His family moved there, heard the gospel, and formed a new village where they could open a school and have the Bible translated into Caquinte. They invited many other Caquinte clans to join them.

In past decades through the work of foreign mission agencies, many Caquinte people accepted Christ, and two of the three Caquinte villages have had a functioning church. Today, about 60 people are interested in learning more about God, while only about 15 of those people can accurately explain the gospel. A small group of believers still meets regularly. However, the believers lack personal discipleship, and their biblical understanding is low, since even Caquinte leaders are semi-literate and would benefit from further training in reading their heart language.


Where Are they Located?

The Caquinte live in the central jungle region of Peru along the Poyeni and Agueni Rivers in the departments of Junin and Cuzco.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The Caquinte live a daily subsistence lifestyle based on farming, fishing, and hunting. Men's work typically involves building houses, making bows and arrows, and hunting, while females devote themselves to housework and raising children, and some also make clothing and pottery. Both men and women participate in farming and fishing.

Historically, they have favored living in small family clans, as every attempt at consolidating into a larger group has ended unsuccessfully. In the distant past, the Caquinte made coats out of bark fiber that they would wear at night, but more recently they have adopted the loose cotton tunics of the neighboring Asháninka and Ashéninka tribes. The Caquinte people highly value generosity and community visits, and they typically spend the later afternoon socializing.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Caquinte hold to animistic views that seek to discover spiritual causes for life problems and resolve them through shamanistic rituals. Shamanism is particularly strong among the Caquinte, where the people view the shaman as a helpful mediator and use plants not only for their medicinal qualities but also for their magical qualities. The Caquinte fear the spirit world, as they believe all spirits are evil and intent on causing harm. Animism presents a strong challenge to church planting, as new believers often mix their previous worldview with Christianity and attempt to live out both realities.


What Are Their Needs?

Since the Caquinte are semi-literate, they need further literacy and Bible training in order to gain a fuller understanding of Scripture.

They also have a strong need for contextualized discipleship, as Christian views are largely mixed in with animistic practices, and most believers do not know how to apply the truths of Scripture to their daily lives. While they have benefitted from theological training, the Caquinte often struggle with knowing how to apply that training at home or pass it on to others.


Prayer Points

Please pray for the Caquinte church to be firmly established with local leadership and consistent meetings.
Pray for local, life-on-life discipleship for Caquinte believers.
Pray that they will have wisdom and God's guidance in understanding the various influences around them and making choices about how they wish to integrate and communicate with outside society.


Scripture Prayers for the Caquinte in Peru.


Profile Source:   Pioneers  

People Name General Caquinte
People Name in Country Caquinte
Alternate Names Caquinte Campa
Population this Country 400
Population all Countries 400
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 4
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 5  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 11095
ROP3 Code 101882
Country Peru
Region America, Latin
Continent South America
10/40 Window No
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Cusco and Junin regions: Picha, Poyeni, and Mayapo rivers, upper Poyeni river, which flows into Tambo Yori and Agueni rivers which become Mipaya river flowing into the Urubamba; a few on Sensa and Vitiricaya rivers, affluents of the Urubamba.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Peru
Region America, Latin
Continent South America
10/40 Window No
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Cusco and Junin regions: Picha, Poyeni, and Mayapo rivers, upper Poyeni river, which flows into Tambo Yori and Agueni rivers which become Mipaya river flowing into the Urubamba; a few on Sensa and Vitiricaya rivers, affluents of the Urubamba..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016

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Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 4.00 %)
5.00 %
Ethnic Religions
95.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Caquinte (400 speakers)
Language Code cot   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Caquinte (400 speakers)
Language Code cot   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Caquinte
Profile Source Pioneers 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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