| Caquetío | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Venezuela Aruba Bonaire Curaçao |
| Region | Falcón,ABC Islands |
| Ethnicity | Caquetío |
| Extinct | 1862, with the death of Nicolaas Pyclas (Aruba)[1] |
Arawakan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | arub1238 Caquetio |
 Map of the Caquetío nation | |
Caquetío, also calledCaquetío Arawak, is anextinct Arawakan language. The language was spoken along the shores ofLake Maracaibo, in the coastal areas of the Venezuelan state ofFalcón, and on the Dutch islands ofAruba,Bonaire andCuraçao. It is referred to as a "ghost language"[2] because no tangible evidence of it remains.[dubious –discuss] Only the name, along with some wordlists, still exist, as mentioned in references from 17th-century texts.
TheCaquetíos and theJirajara spoke an Arawak language, and theircultures showed great similarities.[3][dubious –discuss]
An important discovery was the termkakïtho[4][5] used by theLokono to refer to "people" or "living beings", which encompasses a broader meaning than the termloko. The Lokono term "kakïtho" is related to the Caquetío wordkaketío, and both can be traced back toPre-Andes Maipuran terms for "person". ThePiro (Yine language) andIrupina respectively use the termskaxiti andkakiti to designate "people". Given the widespread use of this term, it is believed to have originated from Proto-Maipuran.[4][6] Some suggest that the name "Caquetío" may have originated from theCaqueta River.[7][8] The misspelling of "Caquetío" as "Caiquetio" stems from an earlySpanish document.[9][8]
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the collection and study of indigenous languages were irregular, lacking a systematic approach. There are no remaining documents specifically dedicated to the syntax or grammar of Arawak languages from that time.[10] It was only in the late 18th century that linguists began to study and classify Arawak languages.[11]
Between 3000 and 2000 BCE, speakers of theProto-Arawak language journeyed along theRío Negro. They navigated theCasiquiare canal and settled in theOrinoco River area. This migration gave rise to the Proto-Arawak language and the formation of theProto-Maipuran language.[clarification needed]
Around 1500 BCE, they arrived in the Middle Orinoco region near theMeta River, initiating diverse subgroups. Notably, the Proto-Northern subgroup, the ancestral roots of the Caquetío people, emerged. These subgroups dispersed in various directions from the Middle Orinoco. Some traveled west via the Meta River to theVenezuelan Andes andColombia, leading to the emergence of theGuajiro andParaujano languages.
Others continued downstream along the Orinoco,[a] expanding intothe Guianas and theWest Indian islands. This expansion gave rise to the Arawak language (also known as Lokono) in the Guianas, and theIgneri language, which transformed intoIsland Carib in theLesser Antilles. The Proto-Northerners who settled in theGreater Antilles developed the now-extinctTaíno language.[14]
Around 500 BCE, the Caquetío language group separated from the Middle to Upper Orinoco areas,[15] migrated alongside theApure River, and headed northwest to Venezuela. Eventually, they reached the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. Simultaneously, other groups like the Carib, Lokono, and Taíno evolved due to migrations from the Orinoco to the Caribbean region.
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The vocabulary of northwestern Venezuela was shaped by numerous Arawak communities along the coast of Falcón state and the Guajira Peninsula. TheWayuu people communicate inGuajiro, while theParaujano language, spoken by theParaujano or Añú people, has faded. With the arrival of Europeans, the dominant Caquetío language emerged. Many place names (toponymy) and personal names (anthroponymy) persist along the Falcón coast,[16] and some have survived on Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire.[17][18] Caquetío was spoken not only on the islands but also along the Venezuelan coast, particularly in theYaracuy,Portuguesa, andApure river regions, known as the states of Falcón andLara. The language declined as the indigenous Amerindian population decreased during Spanish occupation.[19] Although Caquetío's influence onPapiamento is limited, some original Caquetío words are present in Papiamento.[20]
Indigenous names are prevalent in specific regions of Aruba, such asSasiriwichi at the northwestern tip,[21] near theCalifornia lighthouse. Additionally, the hilly areas in eastern Aruba, fromCashiunti,Huliba,Kiwarcu toCoashiati orJamanota, and the north coast betweenAndicuri and Oranjestad, abound in Caquetío toponyms.[22] Notably, many Caquetío words in Papiamento pertain to localflora andfauna, unfamiliar to Europeansettlers and the African slaves who arrived in the area in early 16th century.[20]
In the first table a few words and expressions of the Caquetio language, which could still be recalled by a few elders (with some difficulty as the language had already been dead at the time) and which were recorded by Dutch pastor A.J. van Koolwijk in Aruba in 1880.[23]
| Caquetío[23] | Dutch[23] | Papiamento | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hida? Hida meeuw? | Hoe gaat het? | Con ta?, Con ta bayendo? | How's it going? |
| Auw (as an answer to "Hida (meeuw)?") | Goed | Bon | Good |
| Hafe dobo danwajete! | Ga zitten!, Ga zitten op de stoel! | Bai sinta (riba e stoel)! | Sit down (on the chair)! |
| Cautje baulete! | Geef mij te eten! | Duna mi di come! | Give me food! |
| Dat je! | Ga weg! | Usha!, Bay for di djaki! | Go away! |
| Mimanta | Ik ben geschrokken | Mi a spanta | I got spooked |
| Carebe | Een eetlepel | Cuchara | Spoon |
| Totoemba, Waidanga | Een kalebas om uit te drinken | Totomo,[24] Bangaña[24] | Drinking bowl or bottle made from a calabash |
| Dauchikki, Dousebou | Een zak | Saco | Bag, Pocket |
| Bouseranja | Huismeubelen | Meubel di Cas | Furniture |
| Caula | Een ding | Cos | Thing |
| Adamoedoe | Regen | Awasero | Rain |
| Baroe hantoe wou | (Gebed na het eten) | (Oracion pa ora caba di come) | (Prayer at the end of a meal) |
| Kajappa | Arbeiders om te planten | Trahado pa por planta, Plantado | Workers for planting |
| Marakka | Castagnet | Castañeta | Castanet |
| Aboussoe | Een maïskoek | Buscuchi di mainshi | Maze cookie |
| Sako den comanari maria di watapoena fafa na douée sodji na ditiéri | (Bezwering na het vangen van een leguaan) | (Oracion pa ora caba di gara yuwana) | (Prayer after having caught an iguana) |
| Pekinini | Een kind | Mucha, Chikitin, (Pikinini = "Small") | Child |
| Dori | Roodbilkikker | Dori | Colombian four-eyed frog |
| Waltakka | Gestreepte Anolis | Waltaca, Toteki | Curaçao striped anole |
| Caquetío[25] | English[25] |
|---|---|
| adamudu | rain |
| bāru xantu uōu | to ask for something to eat |
| daushikki, daushēbu | tack, pouch |
| datiē! | be gone! |
| kāfa | devil, wicked spirit |
| kaula | thing, object |
| kantie baulēte! | give me to eat! |
| karebe | spoon |
| xaba dōboxedan guayete! | sit down! |
| xida mēo! | good morning! |
| xomoi | phantom, hobgoblin |
| xute kontābo? | how do you do? |
| totumba, waidānga | water-gourd. |
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Paper prepared for the Area linguistics Seminar, Ohio State University, Columbus, july 1970
Groote land baaij van de N:W:Hoek bij de indianen Sesereweetje genaamt.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)