Project Facts

Participants

• Four graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin: Christine Beier and Lev Michael of the Department of Anthropology and Mark Brown and Lynda De Jong of the Department of Linguistics
• A team of linguistas: Trinidad Pacaya Inuma, Ema Llona Yareja and Hermenegildo Diaz Cuyasa
• A team of especialistas: Arturo Vargas Tuisima, Miroslava Guimack Llona and Hilter Panduro Guimack
• Current and former Apus, or community leaders, and Ciro Panduro Guimack, the bilingual schoolteacher
• Faculty at The University of Texas at Austin: Joel F. Sherzer in the Department of Anthropology and Anthony C. Woodbury and Nora England in the Department of Linguistics
• Robin Gerrow, communications director for the College of Liberal Arts

Project

Document the Peruvian language of Iquito through creation of a dictionary, grammar book and teaching aids, and train members of the San Antonio community as language teachers

Timeline

A three-year project, starting in the summer of 2002

Location

The village of San Antonio, 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) from Iquitos in the Amazon Basin of northeastern Peru

Objective

Document and help revitalize the indigenous culture and language of San Antonio, the last thriving Iquito community in the Amazon Basin of Peru