The Piratapuyo of Brazil

The Piratapuyo of Brazil, numbering approximately 1,400 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are an Indigenous people of the Eastern Tucanoan language family in Brazil, primarily living along the middle Papurí River and lower Uaupés (Vaupés) River, in Amazonas state. Some communities have migrated downstream and settled near São Gabriel da Cachoeira and can also be known as Waikino, Waikana, Uaiana, Waikhara, Uaicana, Waikino, Piratapuya, Pira-Tapuya, Pira-Tapuia, Waina, Uainana, Uaikena, Waíkana. They are an Indigenous people, in the South American Indigenous people cluster of the Latin-Caribbean Americans affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion - Animism. They primarily speak Piratapuyo.

Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Piratapuyo (Waíkana)

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: American Peoples
Country: Brazil
People Cluster: South American Indigenous
Primary Language(s): Piratapuyo (pir)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion - Animism
Population: 1,400
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Unengaged and Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG017072

Pray for the Piratapuyo of Brazil

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion - Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

%
Ethnoreligion - Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Piratapuyo
Language Family: Tucanoan

%
Piratapuyo Speakers

Media Resources in Piratapuyo:

Films:

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Bible Resources in Piratapuyo:

Next steps for the Piratapuyo

The Piratapuyo are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Piratapuyo

The Piratapuyo are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Piratapuyo

The Piratapuyo 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.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Piratapuyo of Brazil

And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
readMatthew 6:16

Pray that those who live to please men and not God will turn from the emptiness of seeking approval from others and find true satisfaction in the treasure of a personal relationship with God.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
readRomans 5:1

Pray that the gospel will advance and that many who are far from God will receive the good news of salvation with joy and have peace with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
readPsalm 100:3-4

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be in awe of the Lord God, their Creator, and will give Him thanksgiving and praise.

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
readJohn 1:35-36

Pray for those God sends to cross cultures to share the gospel, that they might faithfully share the good news of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Pira-Tapuia reported in the following countries (ROP3):

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 Definitions page.

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