Avá-Canoeiro
PrintPrimary tabs
A language of Brazil
Alternate Names
Abá, Avá, Awana, Canoa, Canoe, Canoeiro, Canoeiros, Cara Preta, Carijó, Indios Negros
Location
Goiás state: Terra Indigena Ava-Canoeiro; Tocantins state: Bananal island, upper Tocantins river valley.
Language Maps
Language Status
8a (Moribund).
Dialects
The groups in Tocantins and Goias speak different dialects, and have lived apart for over 100 years.
Typology
12 consonants and 12 vowels (6 oral, 6 nasal).
Language Development
Grammar.
A portion of the group is called ‘recem-contatados’, or recently contacted (1970s and 1980s). One group on the Tocantins river, contacted in 1973, had 10 people, later reduced to 5. The other group on the Araguaia river, contacted in 1983, had 4 people. Another portion is officially recognized as ‘isolados’, or self-isolating seminomadic groups with highly restricted access. Population of these later groups unknown, but several small groups could exist, the largest estimated at some 25 people. Total population estimates not possible due to the unknown number who remain uncontacted (2020 ISA). Traditional religion.