Get to Know the Yanomami languages of the Amazon

 

The Yanomami languages are a group of closely related languages spoken by the Yanomami people, in southern Venezuela and in the northwestern Brazilian states of Roraima and Amazonas. There are thought to be around 30,000 speakers of the Yanomami languages.

Under the corrupt, fascist regime of Jair Bolsonaro, a combination of Covid-19 and illegal logging, drilling, and mining threatened the Yanomami on a daily basis.

These threats continue today.

 

Why learn the Yanomami languages?

Though Brazil’s indigenous peoples have come under renewed attack from the regime of Jair Bolsonaro, there are plenty of people from indigenous communities and organisations pouring their time into fighting for the rights of indigenous peoples and their languages.

One of the leading voices for both the Yanomami and for indigenous rights in general is Dário Kopenawa, along with Davi Kopenawa.

Socio Ambiental has recently published a video and ebook about the Yanomami languages, spoken by the Yanomami people in lands that stretch north and south of the border between Brazil and Venezuela. It’s also worth watching Maracá, a series produced by APIB, focusing on the threats faced by the indigenous peoples of Brazil.

For more information and useful links on the indigenous peoples of Brazil, the following post can be found on the How to Learn Languages website and YouTube channel :

The Indigenous Peoples of Brazil

A tree in a river in Amazonas, Brazil
Aerial view of a Yanomami communal home - Casa Coletiva de Watoriki - by Edson Sato, 2012 - Instituto Socioambiental

Casa coletiva de Watoriki na região do Demini

By Edson Sato, 2012

Source : Helder Perri Ferreira, Estêvão Benfica Senra, Ana Maria Antunes Machado, As Línguas Yanomami no Brasil (São Paulo; Boa Vista, Instituto Socioambiental and Hutukara Associação Yanomami, 2018), p. 6.

Speakers :

30,000

Where :

Brazil (Roraima, Amazonas), southern Venezuela

Languages :

Yanomamɨ, Yanomam, Ỹaroamë, Yãnoma, Sanöma, and Ninam

Map showing the Yanomami languages in Brazil As Línguas Yanomami no Brasil - Map by Instituto Socioambiental (ISA)

Map of Diversity of Yanomami Languages in Brazil - 2018

Helder Perri Ferreira, Estêvão Benfica Senra, Ana Maria Antunes Machado, As Línguas Yanomami no Brasil (São Paulo; Boa Vista, Instituto Socioambiental and Hutukara Associação Yanomami, 2018), p. 2.

Map of South America showing where the Yanomami languages are spoken in Brazil and Venezuela
 
 
 

Cover Image

Aerial View of Amazon Rainforest, near Manaus, Brazil

Photo by SRBR

Map

By Javierfv1212 - Own workMuturzikin.comServindi.org, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18395760

Resources for learning the Yanomami languages

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How to Learn Portuguese eBook

The majority of the resources available for learning about the indigenous peoples of Brazil and their languages are in Portuguese.

One of the great things about learning Portuguese is that it makes learning about indigenous causes and languages easier - because Portuguese is the majority language in Brazil, and most of the resources are therefore in Portuguese.

If you're interested in learning Portuguese, How to Learn Portuguese will guide you through the process in a fast and fun way.

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Download the Ling app and start learning languages less frequently covered online!

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