Projekt

This project aims to document the linguistic, cultural, and ethnohistorical heritage of two traditional neighbouring peoples, the Aikanã and Kwazá of southeastern Rondônia, Brazil. The languages of the Aikanã and Kwazá are highly endangered (170 and 25 speakers, respectively), and their habitat and way of life even more so. Being neighbours and being part of the very diverse Guaporé-Mamoré linguistic area, the Aikanã and Kwazá languages show much evidence of contact, even though they are (probably) genetic isolates. Apart from language documentation, the project also intends to fill a conspicuous gap in the ethnohistorical study of the Guaporé-Mamoré region. The project furthermore provides an opportunity to fulfil the wishes of the Aikanã and Kwaza communities to document their cultural and ecological knowledge, and to codify their unique languages and help preserve their use in modern times. Fieldwork will be an important component of the project, which will involve a linguist and an anthropologist, in addition to several native consultants.

• Dr. Hein van der Voort

  Max-Planck-Institut für
  Psycholinguistik
  Nijmegen
  Niederlande