The Guarayos are an indigenous group living in their ancestral land in eastern Bolivia. They are located north of the department of Santa Cruz. The current population of the Guarayo group in Bolivia is 12,000. They primarily speak Guarayu, and 70% of the population is Roman Catholic with the remaining 30% practicing ethnic religions. Guarayu comes from the language of Guaraní as it belongs in the Tupí Family. They are known to be predominantly agricultural as much of their culture and lifestyle relies on their land. History Most likely Guarayos migrated to Bolivia from Paraguay centuries before when the Guaraní attacked the frontiers of the Incan empire. Guarayos ancestors are believed to be the Guaraní. Guarayos and Pauserna once made up a single group; one part of that group, the ancestors of the Guarayos, was moved into missions, and the other part remained independent and is known as Pauserna. They were contacted and grouped in the beginning of the 1880s where they became involved in agriculture and cattle raising. Culture Traditional religious beliefs The Guarayos believe that three persons formed the world: Alaangui, Mbirachucha, and Candir. They also hold Zaguaguayu with respect as their first ancestor. The traditional religious beliefs include attributing marks on the moon to misbehavior of Abeulo, their Great Father. Clothing As missionaries came into their villages, Guaayo were in feather ornaments and paint without any other clothing. Today, the Guaryo women wear dresses out of long cloth and men wear long bark-cloth tunics. Lifestyle Daily Life The Guarayos reside in the Bolivian lowlands and are predominantly hunter-gatherers and small farmers that grow corn, bananas and rice. Guarayos communities began forming sindicatos to occupy and allocate land in the 1970s. These sindicatos, known locally as agrarian zones were headed by presidents selected by traditional village leaders. Of the Guaryo population, 90.6% were below the poverty line, compared to 58.6% for Bolivia, and 38% for the Department of Santa Cruz. Marriage and childbirth It was difficult for the Guaryo people to abandon polygyny as they resisted accepting marriage traditions of the church. Young women require the consent of both their father and brother, where marriages between a man and his sister’s daughter is preferred. Following the birth of a child, couvades are practiced. Men remain in his hammock for the first three days after his child’s birth in order for the child’s soul to follow its father and