A GRAMMAR OF WAMPIS

by

JAIME GERMÁ N PEÑA

© 2015 Jaime Germán Peña

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (United States) License.

A DISSERTATION

Presented to the Department of Linguistics

and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon
in partial ful"llment of the requirements
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

December 2015

iii
 CHAPTER XXI nasalization), discourse structure, comparative reconstruction (with other Jivaroan

languages), and language contact.

THIS GRAMMAR IN BROADER CONTEXT
For the most part, this grammar has been written employing linguist’s jargon
This grammar has provided detailed documentation and analysis of the
and in a speci"c (academic) writing tradition. It is thus my hope that this grammar
structures of Wampis, as well as of the functions those structures serve. The main goal
sparks discussion amongst specialists looking at patterns of the Wampis language, as
has been to provide an accurate description of the language, covering sound patterns,
well as at how those patterns may inform current theories of language, regardless of the
prosody, morphological processes, word classes, simplex and complex constructions,
theoretical perspective one takes.
and selected notes on discourse. I have provided hypotheses to try to understand the
As we approach the end of this work, I would like to dedicate a few words to
synchronic phenomena found in the Wampis language, either by relating them to
discuss, if brie/y, one "nal topic: the impact of this work for the greater scienti"c
processes of grammaticalization or to greater cognitive pressures, as well as by relating
community, as well as for interested members of the public, including the community of
my "ndings to typological claims in the broader literature. In addition, the present work
Wampis speakers.
has also provided basic ethnohistorical and ethnographic notes about the Wampis
I have tried to be careful in presenting de"nitions as clearly as possible to make
people.
the grammar more accessible to non-linguists. Some parts of this work may constitute a
Any language that is spoken is in constant movement, i.e., it is shaped by the
"rst introduction to the Wampis world for scholars from other "elds, for instance,
constant activity of its speakers. A grammar is never "nished. I have no illusions of
anthropologists, ethnographers, educators or historians. While this is a grammar written
having captured everything that can be found in a language like Wampis, or that the
by someone who views language through analytical tools provided by linguistic
hypotheses presented in this work will remain unchallenged. Much investigation
theories, I would be happy if part of the knowledge transmitted here, which has been
remains to be done for Wampis, especially in the "elds of prosody (including

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shared with me by my Wampis teachers and collaborators, provokes the reader to the ultimate goal is to facilitate that the Wampis people themselves be able to use these

become interested in learning more about the Wampis language and the Wampis recourses as they see "t, and to facilitate resource development with the ideal goal that,

people. at some point in the future, the Wampis people can produce materials of diverse types

The Introduction in Chapter I stated that the Wampis are very conscious of their in their own language. That is a di#cult goal to achieve, and perhaps it will be some

language and other cultural aspects that come with language. They want to do things time before it can be feasible, but it is not a crazy idea. Though endangered, the

with their language, and they have expressed needs related to language such as Wampis language is still being transmitted to future generations, and younger

materials for intercultural education, vocabulary, development of jargon for speci"c generations are able to write in Wampis. Though writing has not been standardized,

"elds, and translation of Peruvian laws and policies into Wampis for future consultation there are interesting writing practices using Wampis, both inside the community—many

of new legislation with the Wampis population, especially in regard to land prospection Wampis write poems and songs—and outside the villages—such as using technologies

and land rights. One of the issues of writing this dissertation in English is a basic (chat and other social media) to communicate over distances, for instance. But there are

problem of accessibility: many Wampis and Peruvians will have to work harder to read still many complex challenges. Consider the following example: Just three weeks before

and understand this grammar, as English is not their "rst language—that is very unfair. I submitted my dissertation to my committee, I received an email from a Wampis friend

One "rst step to remedy this problem is to make the data collected for the research who is now in Lima. She has received higher education at university level in Lima. She

presented here available to the public, especially to the Wampis. A second step is to try is one of the most intelligent and caring people I have met, and is doing some

to make a bilingual pedagogical grammar and a dictionary (Wampis/Spanish), taking extraordinary things; for instance, she is writing literature in Wampis. In Peru,

the present work as a basis to achieve those goals. Such products will help produce especially in the area of the Amazon, that is truly unique. I translate speci"c parts of

materials for education as well as help in translation of laws, for instance. In general, her message with her permission (the email was originally written in Spanish; I have

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anonymized personal references and the reason for underlining certain portions of the tradition may be unfair to those most interested in reading it but who do not read

translation will be explained shortly): English; so it is my task to make this work more accessible to non-English readers,

I write to you hoping that you can read this message. I really do not have many
linguists’ contacts, especially those ones who study Wampis, so every time I have specially to the Wampis.

di#culties to understand my own language, strange as it may seem, I have hopes

of being able to read your work . . . Not long ago I had a meeting with someone My friend’s message also reveals some pre-conceptions of people about

who works in DIGEIBIRA at the Ministry of Education 295

and he recommended that
"rst I must learn Wampis if I want to write. It really left me thinking. I have many language. That one person suggests to another person that she has to learn her native

doubts that are not resolved . . . To give you an example, according to the special-
ist at DIGEIBIRA, the accent marks that I have used in my short stories should not language (which she already orally speaks, and writes) is striking, and sad, to me. In the

be there. My short stories are now without accent marks, the worst part is that
they do not have a good argument [to tell me why I should not use accent marks], best case scenario, the person at the Ministry of Education really wants to help but has

as for me, now I cannot explain why I put accent marks . . .”

no clue about how to do it (note also that he may be confusing oral with written
Some of the passages of this email, especially those that are underlined, reveal
language). The ideas 1) that one has to (re-)learn their own native language which they
several complex issues (some of them would probably need another dissertation to
already speak (in the case of my friend, Wampis); 2) that someone discourages the use
explain!), so I o$er here just brief comments. On one hand, this email reveals how
of my friend’s native language to express herself (in the case of my friend, via writing
important language is for the Wampis: my friend is truly concerned about whether she
literature in Wampis) left me very perplexed. There is much work to do in the "eld of
is representing her own native language, Wampis, in a fair way. On the other hand, my
intercultural education in Peru.
friend has a concern about being able to access this present work, but more
The Wampis are no exotic people. I consider it to be demagogic and very un-
importantly, whether she will be able to read and understand it. As I said, I am
critical to treat them as victims or “subaltern subjects”. It is true that, through colonial
conscious that having written this grammar in English and in a speci"c academic
and independent times, the Wampis have su$ered many abuses, but they have defended

themselves too. Unlike many other native groups in the Americas, the Wampis culture
295. DIGEIBIRA=Dirección General de Educación Intercultural, Bilingüe y Rural (General O#ce of
Intercultural, Bilingual and Rural Education).

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was never suppressed by the dominant colonial power, or by republican powers in
independent times—that combative spirit and sense of freedom has likely prevented the
extinction or total assimilation not only of the Wampis, but of the Jivaroan peoples in
yatsuru tajame wait anesam chichamkartukta wari uun sunaiyachkursha chichamjai
papijai
‘my brother, I tell you, please support us, we are not asking for a big thing (i.e.
money or other material things), but [help us express our needs] with words, with
documents’

general. The Wampis identity is centuries old, and dates back to pre-national Peruvian
times. Just like their language, the Wampis consider themselves subjects in a modern
culture, the Wampis culture, within the greater Peruvian national society. The Wampis
culture is not an immobile atavistic culture. It is very modern on its own way, and just
ameja atupkratkata tusa chicham etserkata iina yaaktari uunta jui
‘saying help us, inform with words here in our big city (i.e. Lima, capital of Peru)’
nunka Peru tamau nankata jui
‘here at the end of what is called Peruvian land’ (i.e. inform others of the situation
here where Peru ends=the Wampis territory)’298
The Wampis people, just like any other group, want to be respected and be able

like the language, the Wampis culture is in constant adaptation. I "nished Chapter II
to negotiate policies and laws that may a$ect them. They do not want someone else to

with a quote by one of my Wampis teachers: “we no longer defend ourselves with
take decisions in their name. I asked a Wampis leader, Juan Luis Nuningo, Apu (local

weapons, we defend ourselves with words”. It is perhaps no coincidence that one word
Chief) of the Community of Puerto Galilea, to record a text about current problems of

for ‘to defend’ in Wampis is based on the word t͡ʃit͡ʃama ‘word, speech’. 296
Language and
the Wampis, what they would like for future generations from his perspective. He

communication are at the center of Wampis culture, and much of what I found in
immediately construed a very interesting and wise speech, in which he considered a

Wampis discourse about how they conceive of themselves and their problems in current
good person (from a Wampis perspective) to be someone who knows the Wampis

times centers around being able to communicate their needs to others. As Óscar
language and culture as well as the national, mestizo culture (including Spanish, the

Jimpikit, secretary of the Community of Candungos, puts it:297

national language of Peru)—that is, the Wampis do not consider themselves an isolated

296. The reader will "nd several instances of this word written as a stem <chicham> in the
direct translations of the examples (and transcribe using the Wampis alphabet, not IPA symbols).
examples below.
298. The Wampis territory is located in the border region with Ecuador.
297. In the following examples, my focus lies beyond grammatical explanations, so I just provide
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group, but they really want to be part of a national group while maintaining their own
unuimarti tusa wakeraj nuka wakerajai uchi
identity: ‘we want that our children learn (=receive education)’

ii wampisti unuimakrika kame iiña pujuti kajinmatkimuka amaichuwaiti turamtai

‘we the Wampis, if we learned (i.e. if we receive education), we should not forget imainsha nekas ekemas niisha ma

our own culture’ ‘far over there too [=in Lima], truly, sitting as authorities’299

apatka mai apatka unuimamaiñaiti apach pujut apach chichama nuu tuke ma uun matsatea imai

‘together both we must learn the mestizo culture, the mestizo language [and the ‘far there where the big ones (=authorities) are’

Wampis culture/language]’
. . . nui chichak kame unuimara asa nui chichaiñakai nekas nuka nuni

maa untsu nuniaku tumainaitji maa wiyaitjai wampisan ‘there, speaking, having learned, when they speak, truly, in that way’

‘then, doing that, we can say "I am Wampis"’

yachamaku chichaiñakai iincha aranturmaktiñaiti gobiernoka

kame unuimarunka tumaiñaitji turamtai antsuk iiña pujuti nekachu ‘when those [of us] who have learned speak, the government can respect us too’

‘we can call [the person who has been educated] “one who has learned”, and
To conclude, consider the following words also from Juan Luis Nuningo, Apu of
without doing that, then she/he doesn't know our culture’

Puerto Galilea:
kame aya apachi pujutiña nuke nekakrika
‘if we only learn the mestizo culture’ chicham weawai jutika iiña nunke surimkami iña nunke ayamrukmi
‘the word goes around like that, let us take care of our land, let us defend our

apachnumani yunutkauwa anin wantiniaji nuka kame land’

‘it seems like we have included ourselves in the mestizo['s society]’ (i.e. ‘it seems
like we have been assimilated to the national culture’) turamtai iiña pujutiña nu nekas kame kakaram asa iisha kame arantukmau atai
‘thus happening, because we truly strengthen our lives, we too are respected,’

nunia nuka ayatek menká

‘having done that, that one is lost’ iruntra takakmakur
‘while we work together,’
Juan Luis Nuningo considers access to education, respect and communication at

the center of Wampis e$orts for future generations:

indigenas timautisha chichamrumakur weakur arantukmau amainatji

‘we the so-called indigenous people, if we go around defending ourselves we can 299. The word <ekema> (/ɨkɨma/) means ‘sit’, but in this context it means ‘sit as authority’. In
be respected’ Wampsis culture, the respected adults and elders have a seat (/t͡ʃimpuiì/), which represents their
authority, where they sit to discuss di$erent matters with other people.
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 kame matsamsami nutikakur iisha tuke kishmataiksha kishmakar matsamsami kame This communication must start with the realization that the Wampis are not a static and
iiña waitkarmaiña nuu
‘let us live as if we shoo away, let us live shooing away those who bother us’ subjugated people, but very active people with their own voice—people who, by the

wishikramu achami teperkamu achami way, speak a very beautiful and very sophisticated language.
‘let us not be laughed at, let us not be dominated’

kame nuu chicham weawai kame nuwaiti ii anentaimsar

‘that word goes around, that is what we think’

unuimararti nekas uchi tusa wakeraj nuka

‘saying, truly, “let the children get educated”, that is what we want’

nuni ayamruniakar nuni chichamruniakar kame ii iruntrar matsamsar kame iisha

kakaram asarmi tusar
‘having done that, having defended ourselves, having done that, having defended
ourselves with words, we, living altogether, let us be strong’

uchika chicharnawai kame nuwaiti juti anentainka

‘we advise our children, that is our way of thinking.’

It is my hope that this work contributes not only to the knowledge of the

Wampis language, but also to a better understanding of the Wampis culture—of which

language is a central part. Moreover, it is my hope that the present work and its derived

future works contribute to a more profound knowledge of the speakers, and facilitates a

fair intercultural communication (cf. the allusions above to talk with the government,

or to inform others in the “big city” (Lima) of the problems the Wampis’ are facing, etc.)

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