Introduction / History

The Minica Huitoto people live in the Amazon Valley of southern Colombia, mostly between the Putamayo and Caqueta Rivers. They number approximately 8,000. As a result of receiving a land grant from the Colombian government in the late 1980s, they now live on a reserve. It exists partly to protect them from colonizers.

The Minica Huitoto people are friendly, very open to change, and usually welcome new things into their culture. Spanish missionaries brought Catholicism to the area in the 1930s. The Minica Huitoto are predominantly Roman Catholic to this day. Education is available to both boys and girls at the Catholic school. The New Testament was published in 2011, and today there are several small groups of Christians meeting in house churches. The Minica Huitoto people are skilled in making sieves, hammocks, canoes, and woven baskets. The sale of products such as these, along with agricultural work, hunting/gathering, and fishing provide a livelihood and source of income for the Minica Huitoto.