Cuiba

The Cuiba have lived in the Llanos for a long time, well before the arrival of the colonizers, and they are part of the larger group of Guahibo peoples who roamed the savannas between the rivers. For centuries, the mobility of the bands was their way of living with an environment of floods and droughts.

The expansion of cattle ranching and the occupation of land by cattle ranchers narrowed the territory they once traveled freely. There were land disputes, and episodes of violence against the people, in which many were killed so that their lands could be taken, left a mark on their memory. Even today, the right to move about and to live on their lands is a central concern.

Traditionally, they live along the riverbanks, from hunting, fishing, and gathering fruits and roots, supplemented in many places by small gardens. The bands move throughout the year, following the rivers, the abundance of fish, and the rhythm of the rains. Social life revolves around the extended family, and the sharing of food among relatives is a deeply respected value.

In recent decades, growing contact with neighboring cattle ranchers and with settlements in the region has brought new forms of work, trade, and schooling. Many families live between two worlds, keeping their language and kinship ties while learning to negotiate with the society around them, without giving up their own way of being on the land.

The traditional spirituality of the Cuiba sees the world as inhabited by spirits present in the rivers, trees, stones, and animals. The relationship with these beings guides hunting, fishing, and the care of certain places, and spiritual knowledge is passed on through the words of the elders and guided by the community’s spiritual leaders.

This faith is not a system separate from life: it is intertwined with kinship, land, and the memory of the people. For this reason, what comes from outside is usually weighed by what it means for the family and the band, and not merely as an individual idea. There are small groups of Cuiba who have come to know the Christian message, but traditional faith remains the spiritual horizon of the great majority.

The New Testament exists in the Cuiba language, with portions of Scripture translated since the 1970s, and it is available in digital format. Even so, the Word is little known where the people live. Because the tradition is above all oral, contact with the written Bible is limited, and the most natural path to families is through the voice, through spoken stories, and through audio in their own language. Spanish is a second language for some, but it is in the language of the heart that the message reaches deepest.

Traditional faith is interwoven with kinship and the life of the band, so changing one’s spiritual path is rarely an individual decision. The mobility of the people, the distance between communities, and the scarce presence of Christians in their territory make ongoing contact and discipleship difficult. In addition, distrust of outsiders, born of a history of land loss, means the message must arrive through relationships of trust built with patience.

The Cuiba need security over their lands and freedom to live and move about in their territory. They also need access to health care and education that respect the people’s language and culture, so that children learn without losing their identity.

On the spiritual side, what is missing is a community of faith rooted in the people themselves, with Scriptures and teaching accessible in Cuiba, and with disciples who walk alongside the bands rather than depending on occasional visits. May the gospel be received as good news within Cuiba culture, and not as something foreign to it.