Bakairi (Kurâ)

Bakairi is a Cariban language spoken in Mato Grosso state in southern Brazil by about 900 people. It is also known as Bakairí or Bacairí. The native name of the language and the people who speak it, Kurâ, means "the people" or "human beings". They also use the name Bakairi today.

There are two dialects of Bakairi: Eastern Bakairi, spoken by about 700 people in the Bakairi Indigenous Reservation (Área Indígena Bakairi) near Paranatinga; and Western Bakairi, spoken by about 200 people in the Santana Indigenous Reservation (Área Indígena Santana) near Nobres.

Since the 1960s missionaries from the Summer Institute of Linguistics (S.I.L.) have been translating Biblical texts into Bakairi. A number of other people have documented the language, and there are some other publications in Bakairi.

Bakairi alphabet and pronunciation

Download an Bakairi alphabet chart (Excel)

Sample text (Lord's Prayer)

Pabai kaynonro, tynrenseim lelâlâ mawyly, izedy awyly warâ idânârâ nhutudyzemo xina. Ânguy âwankuem âepyra nidâ. Tarâ xina iwymâryem ikâ. Xina xirâ onro anano modo ize mato ara lelâ xina aiedyse awyly, târâ kaynâ agonro modo ize mato ara aito ara lelâ. Âmâlâ kopaelâgâembaba xina ipyniry âundugâ. Inakanhe xina aitobyry xygakegâ, âkelomo inakanhe tynynâ aitobyry xina nhenanânehon-ho ara. Satanás izepa mato aienehonze keduo, xina agâlâ ikâ, izepa mato xina aniempyra itoem. [Xina iwymâry âmâ. Ton-honre kehoem âmâ, amânhedyse mato aiese. Tynrenseim âmâ. Aunlolâ ise âmâ, typygueim keba. Arâlâ ise] — warâ aguewâtaungâ Deusram.

Contributed by Wolfgang Kuhl

Sample video in Bakairi

Information about Bakairi | Numbers

Links

Information Bakairi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakairi_language
http://www.native-languages.org/bakairi.htm
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bkq
http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/1791
https://pib.socioambiental.org/en/Povo:Bakairi

Cariban languages

Akawaio, Akurio, Bakairi, Carib, Carijona, Hixkaryána, Ikpeng, Japreria, Macushi, Panare, Pemon, Tiriyó, Wayana, Ye’kuana, Yukpa

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 23.04.21

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