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Pajonal

"Pajonal" is the name of one of the major varieties of the Asheninka language. There is disagreement among linguists about how many of the varieties of the Ashaninka/Asheninka language are distinct languages versus dialects of a single language. Many people consider Gran Pajonal Asheninka to be a language of its own, while others consider it a dialect of a broader Asheninka language. Conversely, some people consider Pichis and Perene to be dialects of Pajonal Asheninka, while others consider all three to be Asheninka dialects or all three to be distinct languages in an Asheninka language family.

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Pajonal is not an Asheninka name; it is a Spanish word for scrublands. In Peru, the Gran Pajonal is a placename referring to the plateau between the Andes Mountains and the Ucayali River, which was traditionally inhabited primarily by Asheninka people. The native people of this region are therefore often known as Gran Pajonal Asheninkas or Gran Pajonal Campas. ("Campa" is a Quechua name for the Asheninkas, which is less preferred by them than their own name.)

Here are links to our webpages about the Pajonal tribe and language:

Pajonal language
Asheninka
Asheninka pronunciation
Arawakan language family
South American Indian tribes
Amazon jungle people

Here are links to more Internet resources about the Pajonal Indians:
Ashéninka Pajonal Language
Campa Pajonal Asheninca
Gran Pajonal

And here are a few good books about the Pajonals:
Asheninka Stories of Change
Asheninka Pajonal New Testament
Salt of the Mountain: Campa Ashaninka History and Resistance in the Peruvian Jungle
Upper Perené Arawak Narratives of History, Landscape, and Ritual

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