Yaruro, Pume in Venezuela

Introduction / History

The Yaruro, also called Pume, are a First Nations tribe that lives west of the Oronoco River. Most live in Venezuela but a small number are in neighboring Colombia.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Almost all live in rural areas. Most of their food comes from subsistence agriculture, but they also fish in the river. They grow manioc and corn through basic slash-and-burn agriculture. The Yaruro keep domestic animals such as dogs, chickens and pigs.

They make things needed for the home: water pots, hammocks, mats and baskets. They usually make enough of these goods to trade them in nearby villages and markets.

Men and women have different jobs. Men fish and hunt while women cook, take care of children and find wild tubers. Men also clear land for farms, but either gender can work the fields. The Yaruro have no concept of private ownership of land.

A man can have more than one wife, but the wives are usually sisters. Yaruro girls marry young. They don’t have a formal marriage ceremony; the couple moves in together permanently.

Each Yaruro village has a headman who has little real power. His position isn’t to judge disputes but to announce upcoming events. Yaruro villages are independent from one another.

The Yaruro people try to avoid conflict. They understand the destructive nature of drunkenness, which causes people to injure others and disrupts social harmony.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Yaruro religion is polytheistic, meaning they worship many gods and spirits. They also call upon shamans as religious specialists. The shaman has two roles. One is to guard rocks they call tio ikara, which contain important spirits. His or her second role is that of a healer.

Their most important religious ceremony involves all night singing and dancing to communicate with the spirit world. They do this once or twice a week. They believe that when one dies there is an afterlife where the person joins the spirit world. Most adhere to these traditional beliefs, but there is also a Christian presence among them, especially in Colombia.

What Are Their Needs?

The Yaruro people need enough food to survive all year long. Finding enough food is a constant struggle.

Prayer Points

Pray for Yaruro fellowships to grow and draw others into worshipping the King of kings.

Pray for a spiritual hunger that will draw them to Jesus Christ and none other.

Pray for Yaruro disciples to make more disciples.

Text Source:   Joshua Project