Chiricoa in Colombia

People Name:	Chiricoa
Country:	Colombia
10/40 Window:	No
Population:	20
World Population:	20
Primary Language:	Cuiba
Primary Religion:	Ethnic Religions
Christian Adherents:	10.00 %
Evangelicals:	1.00 %
Scripture:	New Testament
Online Audio NT:	Yes
Jesus Film:	No
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	South American Indigenous
Affinity Bloc:	Latin-Caribbean Americans
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Chiricoa are a small people group living near the Ele River and in Arauquita. Previously a sizeable nomadic group, they were decimated by disease and their numbers dwindled. They are a sub-tribe of the Guahibo. Their name comes from the term the Yaruro Indians use for the Guahibo. Because they lived far isolated from the rivers used by European colonizers, they were more successful in surviving contact with them.

What Are Their Lives Like?

They live off the land. They use hallucinogenic plants in their rituals and ceremonies. One such ceremony is the Prayer to the Fish for naming and initiating members into the tribe. In this ceremony a young woman is welcomed into adulthood. They observe two funerals. The first is very simple and the second more complex. Theirs is a patriarchal society. When sons begin to have families, they build houses separate from their parents. They value intergenerational family relationship ties rather than individualism.

They are foragers more than agriculturalists. Though cassava is their main staple, they supplement this with many different kinds of vegetables and fruits.