Dayuma was a Waodani (Auca) woman in Ecuador who helped spur the missionary outreach to her people group in the 1950s — an effort that included the world-famous martyring of five missionaries. She died March 1st. Steve Saint, whose father Nate was one of those martyred, memorialized her:

“A beautiful daughter of Christ has joined Him in Heaven today. Dayuma was the first Waodani that reached out to her own people along with Aunt Rachel. She made God’s story known to these people in a way only a Waodani could. Praise God for her life!”

The other four missionaries were Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Roger Youderian, and Ed McCully. There story was international news in 1956, and it was ultimately chronicled in Through Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliot, Jim’s widow.  The story was the subject of a 2005 documentary (Beyond the Gates of Splendor) and 2006 movie (End of the Spear).

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