Mincaye Enquedi (also Mincayi, Minkayi, or Mincayani;

Huao The Waorani (Huaorani) language, commonly known as Sabela (also ''Wao, Huao, Auishiri, Aushiri, Ssabela'' ; autonym: Wao Terero; pejorative: ''Auka, Auca'') is a vulnerable language isolate spoken by the Huaorani people, an indigenous group livi ...

for "Wasp") (ca. 1935 - 28 April 2020) was a

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

ian preacher and church elder. In 1956, he took part in the now infamous attack on five missionaries during

Operation Auca Operation Auca was an attempt by five Evangelical Christian missionaries from the United States to bring Christianity to the Waodani or Huaorani people of the rain forest of Ecuador. The Huaorani, also known pejoratively as Aucas (a modificatio ...

. He is believed to have speared both

Nate Saint Nathanael Saint (30 August 19238 January 1956) was an evangelical Christian missionary pilot who, along with four others, was killed in Ecuador while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca. Earl ...

and

Ed McCully Theophilus McCully (June 1, 1927 – January 8, 1956) was a Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four other missionaries, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people, through efforts known as Operation Auca. Ea ...

during the attack. In 1958, missionaries made peaceful contact with the Huaorani tribe. They came to live with them, learned their language, and taught them the Bible. Mincaye soon converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. He eventually became a preacher and an elder in the Huao church, and became one of the most outspoken of the Huao Christians. He said of the change he saw in his tribe, "We acted badly, badly, until they brought us God's carvings (the Bible). Then, seeing His carvings and following His good trail, now we live happily and in peace." Mincaye became especially close with Nate Saint's son Steve, who lived in the tribe for many years. Because he had killed Steve Saint's father, Mincaye felt a special responsibility in raising him. A kinship bond was developed, and Mincaye adopted Saint as his tribal son. After the Saint family came to live permanently with the Huaorani in 1995, Mincaye considered the Saint children his grandchildren. In 1997, Mincaye travelled to the United States for the first time. He made several trips with Steve Saint where they made appearances together. In 2000 they attended Amsterdam 2000, an international evangelism conference presented by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He also travelled with

Steven Curtis Chapman Steven Curtis Chapman (born November 21, 1962) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist. Chapman began his career in the late 1980s as a songwriter and performer of conte ...

during his "Live Out Loud" tour.. Mincaye also appeared in the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

documentary ''

Beyond the Gates of Splendor ''Beyond the Gates of Splendor'' (also ''Beyond the Gates'') is a documentary film that was released in 2004. It chronicles the events leading up to and following Operation Auca, an attempt to contact the Huaorani tribe of Ecuador in which five Ame ...

''. He was interviewed and appeared as himself. The 2006 film '' End of the Spear'' largely tells the story of Mincaye and Steve Saint's lives. Mincaye was portrayed by Marco Flaco as a child and Louie Leonardo as an adult. He also made a brief

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

towards the end of the film, in the scene reenacting the funeral of

Rachel Saint Rachel Saint (January 2, 1914 – November 11, 1994) was an American evangelical Christian missionary who worked in Ecuador. Rachel Saint was born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. She attended the Philadelphia School of the Bible (now Cairn University ...

References

Bibliography

* Elliot, Elisabeth, ''The Savage My Kinsman''. * Hitt, Russell T., ''Jungle Pilot'' * . * ''

'' (documentary film) * '' End of the Spear'' (film)

{{Authority control 1930s births Living people Converts to Christianity Ecuadorian Christians Huaorani people Operation Auca