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The Matses of Brazil

The Matses of Brazil, numbering approximately 1,600 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an indigenous people of the Amazon basin, living primarily along the Javari River region on the border between Peru and Brazil. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Matsés is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Matses

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Brazil
People Cluster: Amazon
Primary Language(s): Matsés (mcf)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 1,600
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG017015
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Pray for the Matses of Brazil

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

86%
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Matsés
Language Family: Pano-Tacanan

100%
%
Matses Speakers

Media Resources in Matsés:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Matsés:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Matsés bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Matses are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Matses:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Matses of Brazil

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
readEphesians 5:8

Pray that those who are lost will turn from the darkness they are walking in and embrace the light, becoming children of light who bear fruit in every good work.

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
readPsalm 2:10-11

Pray for the rulers and authorities here to seek the Lord and serve Him only. Pray that the people they lead will be amazed by the work of God in their lives.

For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
readPsalm 149:4

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be encouraged and feel immeasurably loved as they meditate on the fact that God takes pleasure in them.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
readJohn 1:12

Pray that believers will have the opportunity to clearly share the good news with the lost here, so that all people can be invited to trust in Jesus and become children of God.

Matses Across Countries (ROP3 - 106444) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDName ▼CountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
MatsesPG017015MatsesBrazil1,600No Longer UnreachedMatsésEthnoreligion
MatsesPG017556MatsesPeru1,700No Longer UnreachedMatsésAnimism

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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