The Turiwara of Brazil

The Turiwara of Brazil, numbering approximately 60 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Tupi-descended people of the upper Acara River in Para state, documented in the region since at least the eighteenth century through alliances and family ties with the neighboring Tembe and local Quilombola communities. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Tembé is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Brazil
People Cluster: South American Indigenous
Primary Language(s): Tembé (tqb)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 60
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG017152
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Turiwara 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.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

100%
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Tembé
Language Family: Tupian

75%
%
Tembé Speakers

Media Resources in Tembé:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Tembé:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Tembé bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Turiwara 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.

Next steps for the Turiwara:
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

Pray specifically for the Turiwara of Brazil

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
read1 John 1:9

Pray that God, who is faithful and just, will open the eyes of those who are lost and draw them to confess their sins and trust in Him to grant forgiveness.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
readIsaiah 43:19

Pray that the lost will see the new thing God can do in their lives and trust in His plan and purpose for them.

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.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
readJohn 1:5

Pray that when discouraging days come, those who cross cultures for the sake of the gospel will be comforted as they remember that the light of Christ is stronger than the darkness that surrounds them.

Turiwara Across Countries (ROP3 - 110300) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

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.

Scroll to Top