MPAS works with all people and indegenous groups in the Amazonas state of Venezuela. Each indigenous group has it’s own distinct culture and language. MPAS missionaries have largely focused on the most numerical and difficult of these peoples, the Yanomamö.
Despite having knowledge of the Supreme Being,
whom they call Yai Bada, they were held prisoner by demonic influence.
The Yanomamö Indians are considered today to be one of the most primitive people groups in the world. They live deep in the jungles of the Amazon rainforest in Southern Venezuela and northern Brazil. Most statistics state that there are about 20,000 Yanomamö today; however, our best estimate is that the numbers are closer to 15,000.
Yanomamö: The Fierce People is what the best selling book by Napoleon Chagnon was called. In a life that knows only war and death, “fierce” is an attribute that they display all too frequently. The culture of the Yanomamö is based upon revenge and is controlled by witchdoctors (shamans). After getting in daily contact with their spirits, the shamans often lead the village on killing raids to other villages for the purpose of revenge and/or to steal women.
This primitive tribe lives in direct contact with the spirit world. The Yanomamö are keenly aware of the spiritual realm, though for many, their understanding is still misguided. Despite having knowledge of the Supreme Being, whom they call Yai Bada, they were held prisoner by demonic influence and kept in darkness by their bondage. Any witchdoctor can describe in incredible detail the beauties of heaven and the majesty of Yai Bada whom they also call Yai Wanonabälewä, meaning “the Enemy God.” But for them, this place of beauty where the Supreme Being dwells can only be seen from far away. They describe the Light as being too unapproachable.
Our heartfelt desire is to tell them about this Enemy God and show them that He is not an enemy. Rather, He loved them enough that He sent His only Son to become a Yanomamö, to die for them, to make a way that they might come to His beautiful land to dwell in the Light with him.
Mission Padamo’s purpose is to bring God’s love as a Light in their darkness.
As strange as this sounds, I have a Yanomamo bible in my posession. My parents picked it up somewhere years ago and I’d like to get it back into hands that can actually read it.
Please email me an address I can mail it to if you would like it back.
hi Anna, Thank you. You can mail it to me at
Michael Dawson
PO Box 4022
Macon GA 31208
Thank you, I had not realized you had written this comment. My apologies.