Tule
San Blas Kuna
Chibchan
San Blas Kuna (autonymously Tule, also written Kuna or Guna) is the language of the Guna people of the Caribbean coast of Panama and the borderlands of Colombia. The Kuna live primarily in the Guna Yala (San Blas) Comarca, an autonomous indigenous territory established in 1953 after the 1925 Tule Revolution that won Kuna self-rule. Linguistically, Kuna is a Chibchan language though its position within Chibchan is debated — it shows substantial divergence from other Chibchan languages and may represent an early branch off the family tree. The Kuna are world-famous for their distinctive cultural artifacts: molas (intricate reverse-applique fabric panels created by Kuna women) which are now collected as folk art globally, and the matrilineal cultural organization that gives Kuna women significant economic and political authority. The Kuna have one of the strongest indigenous polities in the Americas, with an active Cultural Congress that publishes Kuna-language books and protects intellectual property over Kuna cultural designs.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in San Blas Kuna
Water
di
/di/
Fire
so
/so/
Sun
olo
/olo/
Moon
nii
/niː/
Mother
nan
/nan/
Father
baba
/baba/
Eat
gunne
/ɡune/
Drink
gobe
/ɡobe/
Love
sabbi
/sabːi/
Heart
kurgin
/kuɾɡin/
Tree
sappi
/sapːi/
House
nega
/neɡa/
Dog
achu
/atʃu/
Cat
miji
/midʒi/
Hand
arigan
/aɾiɡan/
Eye
ibya
/ibja/
Hello
nuedi
/nweðiː/
Thank you
nuedi malo
/nweðiː malo/
One
kuenki
/kweŋki/
Good
nuegan
/nweɡan/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Chibchan languages
| Meaning | San Blas Kuna | Kanite | Papiamento | Mazahua | Berom | Chechen | Jiamao |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | di /di/ | nai /nai/ | awa /awa/ | ndo /ndo/ | bí /bi/ | хи /xi/ | noːm /noːm/ |
| Fire | so /so/ | lo /lo/ | kandela /kandela/ | sibi /sibi/ | cá /tʃa/ | цӏе /tsʼe/ | hoːi /hoːi/ |
| Sun | olo /olo/ | suka /suka/ | solo /solo/ | hyadi /hjadi/ | kọs /kɔs/ | малх /malx/ | mau /mau/ |
| Moon | nii /niː/ | ika /ika/ | luna /luna/ | zana /zana/ | cwèl /tʃwel/ | бутт /butː/ | naː /naː/ |
| Mother | nan /nan/ | nene /nene/ | mama /mama/ | nana /nana/ | ne /ne/ | нана /nana/ | miə /miə/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | nafa /nafa/ | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | da /da/ | да /da/ | paː /paː/ |
| Eat | gunne /ɡune/ | ne /ne/ | kome /kome/ | ñe /ɲe/ | rì /ɾi/ | даа /daː/ | kɛːn /kɛːn/ |
| Drink | gobe /ɡobe/ | ne /ne/ | bebe /bebe/ | theni /tʰeni/ | nyaŋ /ɲaŋ/ | мала /mala/ | ɲom /ɲom/ |
| Love | sabbi /sabːi/ | avesi /avesi/ | amor /amor/ | hñu /ɲu/ | shìr /ʃiɾ/ | безам /bezam/ | kʰaː /kʰaː/ |
| Heart | kurgin /kuɾɡin/ | agu /aɡu/ | kurason /kurason/ | mŭiñ /mwiɲ/ | kúgú /kuɡu/ | дог /doɡ/ | kə /kə/ |
| Tree | sappi /sapːi/ | yafa /jafa/ | palu /palu/ | za /za/ | kàn /kan/ | дитт /ditː/ | mai /mai/ |
| House | nega /neɡa/ | no /no/ | kas /kas/ | ngumi /ŋɡumi/ | wùm /wum/ | цӏа /tsʼa/ | vɛn /vɛn/ |
| Dog | achu /atʃu/ | ovava /ovava/ | kacho /katʃo/ | nyo /ɲo/ | cà /tʃa/ | жӏала /ʒˤala/ | mɛ /mɛ/ |
| Cat | miji /midʒi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pushi /puʃi/ | mishi /miʃi/ | mìshí /miʃi/ | цициг /tsitsiɡ/ | miau /miau/ |
| Hand | arigan /aɾiɡan/ | azana /azana/ | man /man/ | ye /je/ | kpàá /kpaː/ | куьг /kyɡ/ | baː /baː/ |
| Eye | ibya /ibja/ | avu /avu/ | wowo /wowo/ | da /da/ | nyíí /ɲiː/ | бӏаьрг /bˤæɾɡ/ | ta /ta/ |
| Hello | nuedi /nweðiː/ | naipa /naipa/ | bon dia /bon dia/ | kjamadhi /kjamaði/ | kèèlé /keːle/ | маршалла /maɾʃalːa/ | niː /niː/ |
| Thank you | nuedi malo /nweðiː malo/ | susu /susu/ | danki /daŋki/ | ndios /ndios/ | gèyak /ɡejak/ | баркалла /baɾkalːa/ | χaːi /χaːi/ |
| One | kuenki /kweŋki/ | magoke /maɡoke/ | un /un/ | nahi /nahi/ | kòp /kop/ | цхьа /t͡sʜa/ | tsuː /tsuː/ |
| Good | nuegan /nweɡan/ | knaga /knaɡa/ | bon /bon/ | nzhomu /nʒomu/ | mwa /mwa/ | дика /dika/ | pʰaː /pʰaː/ |
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