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Baniva del Guainía Language (Avani, Ayane)

Baniva is an Arawakan language of eastern Colombia and southwestern Venezuela. The language was thought by linguists to be extinct until recently, when it was found that one village in Venezuela is still Baniva-speaking. A second language, called Baniva do Icana, is spoken in Brazil but is only distantly related to Baniva del Guainia--the two languages are said to be no more closely related than English and Russian. Baniva del Guainia is a polysynthetic language with predominantly SVO word order.

˜Our Online Baniva Materials –

Baniva Words:
Our list of vocabulary words in the Baniva del Guainía language, with comparison to words in other Arawakan languages.

Baniva Pronunciation Guide:
How to pronounce Baniva words.

Baniva Animal Words:
Illustrated glossary of animal words in the Baniva language.

˜Baniva Language Resources –

Baniva:
Language information about Baniva del Guainia. Page in Spanish.

Ethnologue: Baniva:
Demographic information on the Baniva language.

˜Baniva Culture and History –

The Life of the Indian Tribes of South Venezuela:
Online museum exhibit on the culture of the Bare, Piapoco, Warekena, Curripaco, and Baniva tribes.

Los Baniva:
Information about the Baniva tribe in Spanish.

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