U'wa people

U'wa

Map of Chibcha languages; the U'wa are represented by the easternmost yellow dot
Total population
7,000–8,000
Regions with significant populations
Colombia (Arauca, Boyacá, Casanare, Santander & Northern Santander)
Languages
Uw Cuwa, Colombian Spanish
Religion
Chibcha religion
Related ethnic groups
Muisca, Lache, Guane, Guahibo

The U'wa are an indigenous people living in the cloud forests of northeastern Colombia. Historically, the U'wa numbered as many as 20,000, scattered over a homeland that extended across the Venezuela-Colombia border. Some 7-8,000 U'wa are alive today.

The U'wa are known to neighboring indigenous peoples as "the thinking people" or "the people who speak well".^[1] They were formerly called Tunebo, but today prefer to be known as U'wa, meaning "people".