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Ava-Canoeiro Indian Language (Avá-Canoe, Awana, Canoa)
Language: Ava-Canoeiro is a Tupi-Guarani language of South America.
It is still spoken by only a few tribal elders in
Brazil, as the remaining population of the small tribe has shifted to Portuguese.
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Names: Ava is the tribe's own name for themselves, meaning "people." Since versions of this word are common to many
Tupi-Guarani languages, it is used by many different tribes, which can be confusing for outsiders. The second name, Canoeiro, is
a Portuguese name for a canoeman. Though the word "canoe" has indigenous origins, it comes from a completely different language family,
the Caribs, and doesn't mean anything in the Ava language.
Since most of the people speak Portuguese now, however, the combined term Ava-Canoeiro is commonly used today.
Alternate spellings of these terms include Awa, Awá, Ãwa, Awà, Avá, Abá, Awana; Kanoeiro, Canoa, Kanoe, Kanoé, Kanoes, Canoé, Canoes;
Canoeiro do Goias, Carijó do Goiás, Avá Canoeiro, Avá-Canoeiro, and Ava Canoeiro. Historically they have also been known as
Indios Negros (black Indians) or Cara Preta (black face,) probably referring to the lines of dark paint they traditionally used on their faces.
Because of their generic name in Portuguese, the Canoeiros have often been confused with other river-going tribes the Portuguese
referred to as canoe people, such as the Kapixana
and Rikbaktsa. These tribes are also sometimes referred to
as "Canoeiros" or "Kanoê," but none of their languages are related to each other at all (Kapixana is a language isolate, while Rikbaktsa
belongs to the Macro-Ge family.)
Avá-Canoeiro Phonology:
Linguistic chart of phonemes in the Ava-Canoeiro language.
Wordlist Ava Canoeiro 
Lingua dos avá-canoeiros:
Collections of Ava-Canoeiro vocabulary in English and Portuguese.
Ava-Canoeiro:
Wikipedia article on the Ava-Canoeiro language.
Ava Canoeiro Language Tree:
Theories about Ava-Canoeiro's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.
La Lengua Ava:
Information about the Ava-Canoeiro language in Spanish.
OLAC: Ava-Canoeiro:
Reference lists of Ava-Canoeiro language materials.
Endangered Languages Project: Ava-Canoeiro:
Bibliography of Ava-Canoeiro language resources.
Books for sale on the Ava-Canoeiro Indians
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links
O povo indígena avá-canoeiro de Goias Meu Encontro Avá Canoeiro:
Books on the history and culture of the Ava-Canoeiros in Portuguese.
Contested Ground:
Book about the conquest of Latin America, including a chapter on the Ava-Canoeiro and Xavante of Goiás.
Tribal Map of Brazil:
Map showing the location of the Ava-Canoeiro and other tribes of Brazil.
Indigenous Peoples in Brazil: Ava-Canoeiro:
Ethnography of the Ava-Canoeiro tribe, with photographs,
Tribo Avá-Canoeiro: A Documentary Film:
Short movie about the life of the Ava-Canoeiro people. In Portuguese with English subtitles.
One of the last Avá Canoeiro Indians dies Ava Canoeiro Threatened by Power Station:
Articles about the destructive effects of colonization on the Ava-Canoeiro people.
Links, References, and Additional Information
Povo Ava-Canoeiro Os Avá-Canoeiro: Avas-Canoeiros:
Information about the Ava-Canoeiro tribe in Portuguese.
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