Introduction / History

The Betoye, also known by names such as Jirarre and Betoi, are an Indigenous people living along the banks of the Cravo River in the department of Arauca, Colombia, primarily within the municipality of Tame. Their communities are spread across a number of settlements in the Betoyes and Corocito areas, each carrying its own distinct name and identity. The Betoye once spoke a language belonging to the Chibchan language family, and although that original language has not been preserved, the community today speaks a distinctive form of Spanish that still carries certain grammatical patterns inherited from their ancestral tongue. Little recent ethnographic study has been done on the Betoye, but older accounts describe a people with a rich tradition of communal ritual and celebration, particularly centered on festivals involving a fermented plantain drink that brought together relatives from different communities. Over recent decades, traditional leadership structures among the Betoye have also shifted, with younger leaders increasingly stepping into roles once reserved for the eldest and most respected men of the community.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Betoye have long practiced a horticultural way of life, clearing and burning small plots of land to grow staple crops such as corn, plantains, and cassava for their own households, alongside cacao, coffee, and rice grown for trade. Hunting and fishing have traditionally supplemented their diet, though the degradation of surrounding forests has reduced opportunities for hunting larger game, leading families to rely more on smaller animals such as rodents, monkeys, and squirrels. Fishing is generally limited to the summer season, when rivers and streams run lower and shallower. Betoye communities are organized around extended family groups, traditionally led by a respected elder known as a captain, though this leadership role has increasingly passed to younger men in recent decades. Marriage among the Betoye has traditionally been exogamous, meaning spouses are sought outside one's own immediate community, and newly married couples typically establish their own separate household. Labor within Betoye households has traditionally been divided by gender, with women responsible for tending crops, gathering harvests, and domestic work, while men take on tasks such as home construction, land clearing, and trade with outsiders. Among their most treasured celebrations is the chicha festival, a multi-day gathering built around a fermented plantain drink called majule, which is shared first with elders, then with women, and finally with the rest of the community.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Although a portion of the Betoye people identify with Roman Catholicism, most continue to hold to their traditional ethnic religion, placing their trust in the natural forces and ancestral spirits that have shaped their understanding of the world for generations. This traditional belief system represents an active and ongoing expression of faith, not merely an inherited cultural custom, as the Betoye look to these spiritual forces for guidance and meaning in daily life. Their ceremonial gatherings, including festivals built around the sharing of the fermented majule drink, carry spiritual as well as social significance, reflecting the community's broader worldview regarding kinship, respect for elders, and connection to the land. True and lasting hope for the Betoye people, however, is found only in Jesus Christ, who offers what the worship of natural and ancestral forces cannot provide.

What Are Their Needs?

The Betoye need continued access to healthy land and forest resources, as the degradation of the forests surrounding their communities has already diminished their ability to hunt and gather as they once did. They also need support in preserving their distinctive cultural heritage and remaining linguistic traditions, since their ancestral Chibchan language has already been lost and their communities continue to change under outside pressures. Economically, the Betoye need fair opportunities to engage in trade and commerce that do not come at the expense of their land or way of life. Spiritually, the Betoye need laborers who can bring the message of Jesus Christ to their communities with patience and cultural understanding, and they need the existing Catholic believers among them to be rooted in a genuine, transforming faith in Christ.

Prayer Items

Pray for the protection of Betoye land and natural resources along the Cravo River.
Pray for the preservation of Betoye cultural identity amid ongoing outside pressures.
Pray for the Betoye people to turn from trust in natural and ancestral forces to faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray for workers who will bring the gospel to the Betoye with patience, respect, and cultural understanding.

Scripture Prayers for the Betoye in Colombia.

References

https://www.onic.org.co/pueblos/116-betoye
https://www.todacolombia.com/etnias-de-colombia/grupos-indigenas/betoye.html
http://observatorioetnicocecoin.org.co/cecoin/files/Caracterizaci%C3%B3n%20del%20pueblo%20Betoyes.pdf
http://siic.minint