Toba-Maskoy in Paraguay

People Name:	Toba-Maskoy
Country:	Paraguay
10/40 Window:	No
Population:	2,400
World Population:	2,400
Primary Language:	Toba-Maskoy
Primary Religion:	Christianity
Christian Adherents:	95.00 %
Evangelicals:	15.00 %
Scripture:	New Testament
Online Audio NT:	No
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	South American Indigenous
Affinity Bloc:	Latin-Caribbean Americans
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

Most Toba-Maskoy are poor and work on farms or for tips from tourists, some take jobs in a nearby Mennonite town. Their poverty causes some to rely on traditional, shaman-centered religious beliefs.

They have long inhabited the semi-desert land in the Central Chaco of Paraguay. The people are generally poor. They sometimes perform traditional dances and rituals in front of foreigners for tips. The only nearby town is the Mennonite colony of Loma Plata, which has helped the Toba economy greatly. The Toba people will often travel to this Mennonite town in search of work. There, men will tend farms, and women clean homes to earn extra income. More than 100 years ago, Anglicans and Mennonites in the area introduced Christianity to the Toba people. Today, half the population profess to be Catholic, while the other half claim to be evangelicals, yet very few have knowledge of the Bible. The Christian faith has not been a vital influence because the people lack heart language Scripture. Toba speakers are in desperate need of God's Word and local teachers who are willing to teach them.