Endemic Colombian Amazon language recovered

In 2014 the Nonuya language was classified by UNESCO as critically endangered. This situation led a group of UNal-Amazon researchers and some members of the Nonuya Community of Peña Roja to design a project to recover their language and through it, their culture and therefore part of their identity. 

This initiative is among the winners of the National Solidary Extension for Strengthening Social Innovation at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia open call performed last year. 

Researcher Isabel Romero says that the Nonuya language belongs to the linguistic Huitoto family. It may be classified as endemic of the Colombian Amazon, therefore it would be endangered and would require immediate actions to stop and revert the status it is currently in. 

Years before, she said, there had been efforts of recovering the language carried out by the own community, but they lacked the support and preparation to take the challenge and therefore did not achieve the desired goals. 

However, "increasingly, it is clearer that in the processes of a traditional language, being more than a linguistic system that enables communication, it builds into a basic element which marks an ethnical identity, as well as a relationship with the territory, culture and environment, among others," she added. 

With this project they have created environments for reuniting, reflection and teaching the Nonuya language. Furthermore it has also been possible to undertake new projects that can provide continuity to this initiative. In fact there is a link between the interested party with digital activism and future plans to teach this native language. 

"This has allowed developing context for language use (household, mambeadero [sacred word], school, chagra [orchard], dancing, daily activities, among others), and provide tools to strengthen the Nonuya in their own process of linguistic revitalization," said Romero. 

The Nonuya community of Peña Roja is part of the rural settlement of Puerto Santander, Province of Amazonas. It is located towards the north on the Caquetá River, approximately 37 kms (23 miles) east of Araracuara (Province of Caquetá). 

During the past century the Nonuya Indians were almost exterminated due to the Amazon rubber boom; the inhabitants of Peña Roja are close to 100 and belong to several ethnic groups (Muinane, Huitoto, Andoque, Yukuna and Nonuya, among others). 

Limited linguistic competence 

There are audio recordings of three late native speakers. Among current Nonuya Indians elders there is limited linguistic competence and almost null among youngsters. Despite this situation, language is a basic factor for marking identity. 

"At Peña Roja, a pluriethnic and multi-lingual territory, native language marks the difference between one or other group and establishes certain relationships and links among neighbors," said Romero. 

The team that has been working on this project is formed mainly by a group of Nonuya Indians (close to twelve), by Nonuya community leader Eliécer Moreno "Sika", UNal-Amazon Researcher Juan Álvaro Echeverri (Project Director), Isabel Romero (management support professional and of the linguistics area) and Guillermo Viasús (undergrad aid).