Ye'kwana
Maquiritari
Cariban
Maquiritari (also Ye'kwana, Yekuana, Makiritare, De'kwana) is a Northern Cariban language of the Orinoco-Amazon headwaters region in southern Venezuela and northern Brazil. The Yekuana people are river-dwelling rainforest farmers and traders famous for their basketry (sebucán) and dugout canoe construction. The Yanomami-Yekuana shared territory in Brazil (Roraima) is one of the largest indigenous reserves in South America. Linguistically, Yekuana shows classical Cariban features: ergative-absolutive alignment, complex polypersonal verb morphology, and SOV constituent order. The community is bilingual with Spanish (Venezuela) or Portuguese (Brazil), with active language preservation through the OPIYAJE indigenous organization.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Maquiritari
Water
tuna
/tuna/
Fire
kayuwane
/kajuwane/
Sun
shi
/ʃi/
Moon
nuna
/nuna/
Mother
ñawi
/ɲawi/
Father
baba
/baba/
Eat
äsuukai
/ɨsuːkai/
Drink
äsoojai
/ɨsoːʒai/
Love
ekädäkä
/ekɨdɨkɨ/
Heart
eyiwekä
/ejiwekɨ/
Tree
eyu
/eju/
House
ätta
/ɨtːa/
Dog
kaikutshi
/kaikutʃi/
Cat
mishi
/miʃi/
Hand
eñä
/eɲɨ/
Eye
enu
/enu/
Hello
etämä
/etɨmɨ/
Thank you
enaña
/enaɲa/
One
toune
/toune/
Good
kataajai
/kataːʒai/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Cariban languages
| Meaning | Maquiritari | Misak | Galibi Carib | Ndau | Mandaic | Ngaju | Sakizaya |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | tuna /tuna/ | unø /unø/ | tuna /tuna/ | mvura /mvuɾa/ | ࡌࡉࡀ /mia/ | danum /danum/ | nanum /nanum/ |
| Fire | kayuwane /kajuwane/ | nipi /nipi/ | waktö /waktø/ | muriro /muɾiɾo/ | ࡍࡅࡓࡀ /nura/ | apui /apui/ | lamal /lamal/ |
| Sun | shi /ʃi/ | shi /ʃi/ | weju /weju/ | zuva /zuva/ | ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ /ʃamʃa/ | matanandau /matanandau/ | cidal /tʃidal/ |
| Moon | nuna /nuna/ | atru /atɾu/ | nuno /nuno/ | mwedzi /mwedzi/ | ࡎࡉࡓࡀ /sira/ | bulan /bulan/ | ʔulalalalal /ʔulalal/ |
| Mother | ñawi /ɲawi/ | mama /mama/ | sano /sano/ | amai /amai/ | ࡀࡌࡀ /ama/ | indu /indu/ | ina /ina/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | tata /tata/ | papa /papa/ | baba /baba/ | ࡀࡁࡀ /aba/ | bapa /bapa/ | ama /ama/ |
| Eat | äsuukai /ɨsuːkai/ | mɵ /mɵ/ | onökö /onøkø/ | kudya /kudʒa/ | ࡀࡊࡀࡋ /akal/ | kuman /kuman/ | hekal /hekal/ |
| Drink | äsoojai /ɨsoːʒai/ | ushi /uʃi/ | ëne /ɘne/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | ࡔࡕࡀ /ʃta/ | mihop /mihop/ | mihecak /mihetʃak/ |
| Love | ekädäkä /ekɨdɨkɨ/ | kausrap /kawsɾap/ | kataneko /kataneko/ | rudo /ɾudo/ | ࡓࡅࡄࡌࡀ /ɾuhma/ | sinta /sinta/ | kapah /kapah/ |
| Heart | eyiwekä /ejiwekɨ/ | mun /mun/ | emanga /emaŋɡa/ | mwoyo /mwojo/ | ࡋࡉࡁࡀ /liba/ | atei /atei/ | gawang /ɡawaŋ/ |
| Tree | eyu /eju/ | yu /ju/ | wewe /wewe/ | muti /muti/ | ࡀࡊࡀࡍࡀ /akana/ | kayu /kaju/ | kilang /kilaŋ/ |
| House | ätta /ɨtːa/ | ya /ja/ | paty /pati/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | ࡁࡉࡕࡀ /bita/ | huma /huma/ | luma /luma/ |
| Dog | kaikutshi /kaikutʃi/ | kuchi /kutʃi/ | pero /peɾo/ | imbga /imbɡa/ | ࡊࡀࡋࡁࡀ /kalba/ | asu /asu/ | waco /watʃo/ |
| Cat | mishi /miʃi/ | mishi /miʃi/ | meu /meu/ | kiti /kiti/ | ࡔࡅࡍࡀࡓࡀ /ʃunara/ | posa /posa/ | posi /posi/ |
| Hand | eñä /eɲɨ/ | mar /maɾ/ | amu /amu/ | chanza /tʃanza/ | ࡏࡃࡀ /ʔida/ | lengen /ləŋən/ | kamay /kamai/ |
| Eye | enu /enu/ | kab /kab/ | enu /enu/ | ziso /ziso/ | ࡏࡉࡍࡀ /ʔina/ | mate /mate/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hello | etämä /etɨmɨ/ | ma'rik /maʔɾik/ | mary /maɾi/ | mhoroi /mhoɾoji/ | ࡔࡋࡀࡌࡀ /ʃlama/ | tabea /tabea/ | marayas /maɾajas/ |
| Thank you | enaña /enaɲa/ | payn /pajn/ | irombo /iɾombo/ | ndatenda /ndatenda/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ /ʈabuta/ | sahindai /sahindai/ | lalumahan /lalumahan/ |
| One | toune /toune/ | kan /kan/ | o:wi /oːwi/ | chimwe /tʃimwe/ | ࡄࡀࡃ /had/ | ije /ije/ | cacay /tʃatʃai/ |
| Good | kataajai /kataːʒai/ | kausrik /kawsɾik/ | epoja /epoja/ | kanaka /kanaka/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡀ /tˤaba/ | bahalap /bahalap/ | kapah /kapah/ |
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