July 2005

World View

Muffled Amarakaeri of Peru

By Brittany Conner

A weary looking mother bends over a blackened pan to stir its contents, and bends lower to stoke the waning fire. Her son stumbles over with an armload of firewood, which the mother gratefully receives. She sends him to help his father who is fishing in the nearby river. As the freshly caught fish sizzles in the pan, the mother slumps into a rickety wooden chair and resumes weaving a basket that is to be sold at the closest market.

The Amarakaeri people of Peru live a simplistic life void of modern distractions such as televisions, restaurants or automobiles. Each morning the women tend to the daily house chores such as cooking over a fire or washing clothes in a nearby river. The men, meanwhile, venture out to hunt, fish or harvest the family’s crops.

Nearly 1,000 Amarakaeri live hidden in the Peruvian Amazon Jungle. Their seclusion has allowed them to maintain their unique culture, identity and language. They still practice the dances of their ancestors and re-tell stories that have been passed from generation to generation. They also cling to traditional beliefs in natural spirits that either bless or curse based on an individual’s actions.

Until recently, the Amarakaeri’s isolation also has kept them from hearing the gospel. Missionaries in Peru often must travel for days through dense jungle to reach an Amarakaeri village. Once there, missionaries live in the village for six to eight weeks as they develop friendships within the village, learn the particular dialect of those living there and research whether anyone in the village already is a Christian.

During a second visit, two missionaries return to the village to teach Old Testament stories that foreshadow the birth and death of Jesus. They also teach the people about the commandments God instructed His people to obey.

Missionaries begin teaching villagers about Jesus during their third trip. They share the gospel message through stories, a method called chronological Bible storying. Eventually, missionaries hope to train new Amarakaeri believers to do their own chronological Bible storying among their relatives, friends and neighboring villages.

Missionaries who work among the Amarakaeri peoples are part of a group of radical missionaries called The Xtreme Team. Since they have begun evangelizing and discipling the Amarakaeri, five new hut churches have been started in four villages. At least 50 new believers are being discipled and trained to become effective preachers and teachers of the gospel.

“We are privileged to see God glorified among the Amarakaeri as He invades this ancient culture with His true message of hope, love, forgiveness, peace and salvation,” say members of the Xtreme Team.

More information on work among the Amarakaeri at http://xtremeteamperu.com/