The Mawayana of Brazil

The Mawayana of Brazil, numbering approximately 10 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a small Indigenous people of the Brazilian Amazon, closely related to other Guiana‑region groups, whose population is very small and whose language is nearly extinct due to assimilation into larger communities like the Wai‑wai. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Waiwai is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Mawayana

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples
Country: Brazil
People Cluster: South American Indigenous
Primary Language(s): Waiwai (waw)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 10
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG046951
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Mawayana 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

80%
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Waiwai
Language Family: Cariban

96%
%
Waiwai Speakers

Media Resources in Waiwai:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Waiwai:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2001 UFM International✓

1 entry

Or check out the Waiwai bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Mawayana 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 Mawayana:
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 Mawayana of Brazil

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
readJohn 3:14-15

Pray that the lost among them will look to the One lifted up on the cross, believing in Him and receiving eternal life.

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
readPsalm 96:9

Pray that many who do not yet know Jesus will come to know Him and worship Him in the splendor of His holiness.

The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
readNumbers 6:25

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will remember that He has given them His favor and His presence.

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
readActs 17:29

Pray that God will send out laborers to tell people of the one true God and, as the good news is shared, bring about repentance and belief as they turn from idols and follow Jesus.

Mawayana Across Countries (ROP3 - 115800) 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.

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