Guahibo

The Guahibo, also spelled Guahíbo, are an indigenous people of the Orinoco basin in northern South America. They are primarily found in eastern Colombia (the Llanos orientales, including the Vichada and Casanare regions) and in adjacent areas of western Venezuela. The Guahibo are one of several indigenous groups whose traditional homelands straddle the Colombia–Venezuela border.

The Guahibo language, part of the Guahiboan language family, is traditionally spoken by Guahibo communities. Most Guahibo people are bilingual in Spanish, and language vitality varies by community, with some efforts to preserve and revitalize the language alongside education in Spanish.

Traditionally, Guahibo livelihoods combined hunting, fishing, gathering, and shifting cultivation of crops such as yucca. Communities are organized around extended family networks, with cultural practices including crafts and music. Housing historically consisted of palm-thatched structures in village settings along rivers and plains.

Religious life has been shaped by indigenous beliefs connected to land, ancestors, and spirits, along with centuries of contact with Catholic and Protestant missions. Today many Guahibo practice a blend of traditional practices and Christian faith, with some communities maintaining ritual specialists or healers.

In historical terms, the Guahibo experienced colonization, missionization, and later state incorporation in Colombia and Venezuela. Contemporary issues include recognition of indigenous rights, land tenure, and the preservation of language and culture in the face of modernization and regional conflict.