See also: Wayuu language

Wayuu
Total population
approx. This article is about the language spoken in South America for the language of Nepal see Wayu language. 293,777 in Venezuela (2001 Census) approx. 144,003 in Colombia (1997)
Regions with significant populations
La Guajira Peninsula  Colombia and  Venezuela
Languages
Wayuu language
Religions
Traditional
Related ethnic groups
Arawak group

Wayuu (also Wayu, Wayúu, Guajiro, Wahiro) is an Amerindian ethnic group of the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela. La Guajira Desert is located in the northernmost part of Colombia in the La Guajira Department, covering most of La Guajira Peninsula including Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the This article is about the language spoken in South America for the language of Nepal see Wayu language. The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for Cassava flour was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. La Guajira Desert is located in the northernmost part of Colombia in the La Guajira Department, covering most of La Guajira Peninsula including Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the They are part of the Maipurean (Arawak) linguistic family. Maipurean (also Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipúre, Arawakan, Arahuacan, Maipuran Arawakan, "mainstream" Arawakan

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 2.1 The Guajira rebellion 2.2 Evangelization process 3 Demographics 3.1 Clans 3.2 Language 3.3 Religion 4 Lifestyle 4.1 Music and dances 5 See also 6 Footnotes 7 References 8 External links

Geography

The Wayuu inhabit the arid La Guajira Peninsula straddling the Venezuela-Colombia border, on the Caribbean Sea coast. La Guajira Desert is located in the northernmost part of Colombia in the La Guajira Department, covering most of La Guajira Peninsula including For the region see Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea (kəˈrɪbiən or /ˌkærɨˈbiːən/ is a tropical Sea in the Western Hemisphere Two major rivers flow through this mostly harsh environment; the Rancheria River in Colombia and the El Limon River in Venezuela representing the main source of water, along with artificial ponds designed to hold rain water during the rain season. A wet season or rainy season is a Season in which the average Rainfall in a region is significantly increased

The territory has equatorial weather seasons: a rainy season from September to December, which they call Juyapu; a dry season, known by them as Jemial, from December to April; a second rainy season called Iwa from April to May; and a long second dry season from May to September. The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the Tropics.

History

The Guajira rebellion

The Wayuu had never been subjugated by the Spanish. The two groups were in a more or less permanent state of war. There had been rebellions in 1701 (when they destroyed a Capuchin mission), 1727 (when more than 2,000 Indians attacked the Spanish), 1741, 1757, 1761 and 1768. In 1718 Governor Soto de Herrera called them "barbarians, horse thieves, worthy of death, without God, without law and without a king. " Of all the Indians in the territory of Colombia, they were unique in having learned the use of firearms and horses. ^[1]

In 1769 the Spanish took 22 Wayuus captive, in order to put them to work building the fortifications of Cartagena. The reaction of the Indians was unexpected. On May 2, 1769 at El Rincón, near Río de la Hacha, they set their village afire, burning the church and two Spaniards who had taken refuge in it. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1769 ( MDCCLXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Riohacha, Rio Hacha or Rio de la Hacha (River of the Axe - Wayuu: Süchiimma) is a city and municipality in the northern Caribbean They also captured the priest. The Spanish immediately dispatched an expedition from El Rincón to capture the Indians. At the head of this force was José Antonio de Sierra, a mestizo who had also headed the party that had taken the 22 Guajiro captives. The Guajiros recognized him and forced his party to take refuge in the house of the curate, which they then set afire. Sierra and eight of his men were killed. ^[2]

This success was soon known in other Guajiro areas, and more men joined the revolt. According to Messía, at the peak there were 20,000 Indians under arms. Many had firearms acquired from English and Dutch smugglers, sometimes even from the Spanish. These enabled the rebels to take nearly all the settlements of the region, which they burned. According to the authorities, more than 100 Spaniards were killed and many others taken prisoner. Many cattle were also taken by the rebels. The Spaniards who could took refuse in Río de la Hacha and sent urgent messages to Maracaibo, Valle de Upar, Santa Marta and Cartagena. Maracaibo is the second-largest city in Venezuela after the national capital Caracas and is the capital of Zulia state Cartagena send 100 troops. The rebels themselves were not unified. Sierra's relatives among the Indians took up arms against the rebels to avenge his death. A battle between the two groups of Indians was fought at La Soledad. That and the arrival of the Spanish reinforcements caused the rebellion to fade away, but not before the Guajiro had regained much territory. ^[3]

Evangelization process

The process of evangelizations of the Wayuu people restarted in 1887 with the return of the Capuchin friars under reverend friar José María de Valdeviejas. Evangelism is the Christian practice of proselytisation. The intention of most evangelism is to effect Eternal salvation to those who do not follow the Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin ( OFM Cap; in England and Ireland, O In 1905, Pope Pius X created the Vicariate of La Guajira and as first Vicar, friar Atanasio Vicente Soler y Royo in an attempt to "civilize" the Wayuu people. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Saint Pius X ( Latin: Pius PP X) ( June 2, 1835 &mdash August 20, 1914) born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the In the broadest sense a vicar (from the Latin Vicarius) is a representative anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior ^[4]

The friars the created the orphanages for Wayuu children beginning with the La Sierrita orphanage built in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in 1903; followed by the San Antonio orphanage in 1910 located by the Calancala River, Nazareth orphanage in the Serrania de Macuira mountains in 1913 creating a direct influence over the Rancherias of Guarrachal, El Pájaro, Carazúa, Guaraguao, Murumana, Garra patamana and Karraipía. Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Spanish word Ranchería refers to the workers' quarters of a Rancho, and has become extended into English to mean a native village While Nazareth had some control over the rancherías of Taroa, Maguaipa, Guaseipá and Alpanapause. The friars constantly visited the settlements inviting to attend mass. Wayuu children in the orphanage were educated with traditional European customs. Conflicts between the Wayuu people and the Colombian government decreased since then. In 1942 Uribia celebrated for the first time Christmas and New Year's Eve. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Uribia is town and municipality of the Colombian Department of La Guajira. New Year's Eve is on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year and the day before New Year's Day. ^[5]

Demographics

According to a 1997 census in Colombia, the Wayuu population numbered approximately 144,003 - representing 20% of Colombia's total Amerindian population and 48% of the population of the Department of La Guajira. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The Department of La Guajira or simply La Guajira (la ɰwa'hiɾa is a department of Colombia. The Wayuu occupy a total area of 4,171 square miles within approximately 10 Indian reservations, 8 of which are located south of the Department (including a very important one called Carraipia). An Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American Tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau

In Venezuela, the population is estimated at some 293,777 individuals, according to the 2001 census, with some 60,000 living in the city of Maracaibo. This makes the Wayuu the largest indigenous group in Venezuela, representing 57. 5% of the Amerindian population.

Wayuu tribes are not uniformly distributed within these territories as their population is concentrated primarily in the outskirts of such settlements as Nazareth and Jala'ala, on the plains of Wopu'muin and Uribia, and within the municipalities of Maicao and Manaure, where population densities are some of the highest in the peninsula. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or Maicao ( Wayuunaiki: mai-ka-u) is a city and municipality in the Department of La Guajira, northern Republic of Colombia. This irregular distribution is intimately related to seasonal changes in the weather - during the dry season, a significant percentage of the population crosses the border into Venezuela to work in the city of Maracaibo and its nearby settlements; however, once the rainy season begins, these Wayuu tend to return to their homes on the Colombian side. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Maracaibo is the second-largest city in Venezuela after the national capital Caracas and is the capital of Zulia state Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America.

Wayuu people refer to themselves simply as "Wayuu" and do not acknowledge the term "Indian," instead preferring the term "people. " They use the terms Kusina or "Indian" to refer to other ethnic indigenous groups, while using the term Alijuna (essentially meaning "civilized") to refer to outsiders or persons of European ancestry.

Clans

Families in the Wayuu culture are divided into clans, some of these are:^[6]

CLAN	TERRITORY	TRANSLATION
Aapushana	Eirakajaule Jasauwo´u Kanakantui Matuwolu´u Sipano´u Ushuwo´u watchulepu Wolu´u Watkasainru´u Polumolu´u Shooliyuu-kanejeruu	Sour with something Land of the beach Intercalated Forgotten Land of si´iya Land of pans Away from the pulp round object Inside the heart of the Wolunka house Axe on the ground Hideouts
Epieyu	Lumoulein Puuroulepu	bushes where sleepiness is felt
Iguana	Wo'upanalu'u Puuroulepu	Close to the eyes For the birds
Jayaliyuu	Kalimiru´u Aralietu´u Uraichein Mekijanao	Animal teeth to herd Little "curarire" Eyes without head
Jusayuu	Polujalii Maraalu'u	Beware of the Axe On top of the land
Pausayuu	Patsuarui Paluwo'u	Frightened Arrive at the sea
Sapuana	Tuikii Waaleru	Fire Inside you
Tijuana	Uchali´i Oulemeru´u	Play A lot
Uliana	Alainmapu Chawaisu Anuapa´a Pusichipa´a Kaijawou´u Sekuolu´u Uchaispa´a Pulashu´ulia Soulawo´u	All come together One on top of the other When it turns into a boat When it turns into a bat The teeth of out eyes Coming here Going there I have more power than you The one that saws
Uliyuu	Iisho´u	Of Cardinal
Uraliyuu	Aalasu Paluuto´u	Passing by My eyes are of sticks
Ulewana	Iruwo´u	Olive face
Walepushana	Ishajiwo ´u Alapuolu ´u	Burned eyes laing eyes
Walapuana	Atuairuku	Nurturing

Language

Main article: Wayuu language

The Wayuu language, called wayuunaiki, is part of the Arawak linguistic family predominant in different parts of the Caribbean. This article is about the language spoken in South America for the language of Nepal see Wayu language. Mission Robinson (launched in July 2003) is one of the Bolivarian Missions (a series of anti-poverty and social welfare programs implemented by the current Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (ˈuɰo rafaˈel ˈtʃaβ̞es ˈfɾias (born July 28 1954 is the current President of Venezuela. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the This article is about the language spoken in South America for the language of Nepal see Wayu language. The term Arawak (from aru, the Lokono word for Cassava flour was used to designate the Amerindians encountered by the Spanish in The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting They have some minimal differences in dialect depending on the region of La Guajira they live in; northern, central or southern zones of this region. The Department of La Guajira or simply La Guajira (la ɰwa'hiɾa is a department of Colombia. Most of the new generations speak Spanish fluently but they understand the importance of preserving their traditional native tongue.

To promote Cultural integration and Bilingual education among Wayuus and other colombians, the Kamusuchiwo’u Ethno-educative Center or Centro Etnoeducativo Kamusuchiwo’u came up with the initiative of creating the first illustrated dictionary Wayuunaiki-Spanish, Spanish-Wayuunaiki. Bilingual education involves teaching all subjects in school through two different languages - in the United States instruction occurs in English and a minority language such as A dictionary is a book of alphabetically listed Words in a specific language with definitions etymologies pronunciations and other information or a book of alphabetically [1]

Religion

The structure of representation of this culture integrates a series of important deities into their mythical universe. Their central figure is Mareiwa, god creator of the Wayuu and founder of society. Pulowi and Juya, a married deity couple associated with procreation and life, where Pulowi is the female figure; related the wind and dry seasons, and Juya the male; a nomad figure related to hunting and seen as a powerful killer. Nomadic people, (from the νομάδες nomádes, "those who let pasture herds" also known as nomads, are communities of people that Hunting is the practice of pursuing Animals for Food, Recreation, or Trade. Wanulu represents the evil god, illness and death. Illness (sometimes referred to as ill-health or ail) can be defined as a state of poor Health. Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific

Children are born at home, assisted by the mother-in-law or the nearest female relative and represent for the Wayuu, in some way, the preservation of their species, preferring to feed children first and following strict diets when the surivival of children is not assured.

Puberty is not very important among boys, but girls are exposed to rituals when they start menstruating, requiring them to go through a period of seclusion. See also "Mensuration" a term sometimes used to describe Measurement, particularly in the context of Forestry. The girl is obligued to get a haircut shaving her head, and to rest in a hammock hung near the house. The hammock is a fabric sling used for Sleeping or resting while suspended above ground She is also fed with a special vegetarian diet called Jaguapi, bathes with frequency. She is taught on how to become a woman and female labor: sewing, birth control, pregnancy and maybe erotic techniques.

This culture believes that the life cycle doesn't end with death, but that a relationship with one's bones continues. Burials are very important. Burial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground The parents of the dead act in a certain way; first the cadaver is buried with personal belongings, and then, after two years, the body is exhumed, incinerated, put into ceramics, and buried once again in the clan's cemetery. The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word κεραμικός ( keramikos) A clan is a group of People united by Kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried.

Lifestyle

A traditional Wayuu settlement is made up of five or six houses that made up caserios or rancherias. The Spanish word Ranchería refers to the workers' quarters of a Rancho, and has become extended into English to mean a native village Each rancheria has a name after a plant, animal or geographic place. A territory that contains many rancherias is named after the mother's last name, because of the matriarchal structure of the Wayuu culture. The Wayuus never group into towns and rancherias are usually isolated and far from each other, to control and prevent mixing of their goat herds. The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe A herd is a large group of animals The term is usually applied to mammals particularly Ungulates.

The typical house is a small structure called piichi or miichi, generally divided into two rooms where they hang hamocs to sleep and to keep personal belongings such as cotton made purses and ceramics to keep water. The hammock is a fabric sling used for Sleeping or resting while suspended above ground Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp In American English, a purse is a small Bag, also called a handbag or a pocketbook. Living quarters can be either rectangular or semi-circular and the rooftop is made up of dried cactus hearts. A cactus (plural cacti) is any member of the Spine plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas Traditionally, the walls are made out of yotojoro^[7] - a wattle and daub of mud, hay and dried canes -, but some of them have shifted towards a more modern construction style, like using cement and other materials. Wattle and daub (or wattle-and-daub) is a Building material used for making walls in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed In computer gaming, a MUD ( Multi-User Dungeon, Domain or Dimension) is a multi-player computer game that combines elements of Hay is a generic term for grass or Legumes that have been cut dried and stored for use as animal feed, particularly for grazing animals like A cane is a long straight wooden stick generally of Bamboo, Malacca ( Rattan) or some similar plant mainly used as a support such as a Walking stick In the most general sense of the word a cement is a binder a substance which sets and hardens independently and can bind other materials together

Close to the main house they erect a common area, similar to a living room named luma or enramada, but almost in the open. A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge (in the United Kingdom and Australia) is a room for entertaining It's made out of six pillars and a flat roof and serves as a common area for everyday duties and where visitors are attended, business activities are handled and where relatives hang their hammocks for the noon power nap. The hammock is a fabric sling used for Sleeping or resting while suspended above ground A power-nap is a short Sleep which terminates before the occurrence of deep sleep or Slow-wave sleep (SWS intended to quickly revitalize the subject from drowsiness

The Dagger Cactus (Stenocereus griseus) which the Wayuu call yosú is the preferred source of roof and yotojoro wood. This plant is used for many other purposes - it can be planted to produce living fences around pastureland, and when young the shoots are fed to goats. A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary Pasture is land with Herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of Ungulate Livestock as part of a Farm or Ranch. The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe The fruit (iguaraya) are edible and pitahaya-like and are a popular food among the Wayuu. A pitaya ( or pitahaya ( is the Fruit of several Cactus Species, most importantly of the Genus Hylocereus Because the demand for yosú as food or for wood can be seasonally high, the plant population at times declines to a point where little fruit or cuttings for fences are available. It has thus been proposed to develop techniques by which the Wayuu can cultivate or tend for the cactus as a proper crop. ^[7]

Yotojoro originally refers to the cane-like inner wood of the yosú cactus. Given the varying availability of sufficient yosú wood for construction, other plants are also utilized. These include namely trupillo or turpío (Prosopis juliflora), jattá (Haematoxylum brasiletto), kapchip (Capparis zeylandica) and kayush (Peruvian Apple Cactus, Cereus repandus). Prosopis juliflora ( Spanish: bayahonda blanca) is a shrub or small tree native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean The Peruvian Apple Cactus, Cereus repandus, is a large erect thorny columnar Cactus found in South America. ^[7]

Music and dances

The Wayuu has contributed with their own traditional music and instrument. Their culture directly associates economy and social life with music; such as in the case of raising cattle, in which the indigenous sang to their animals. They also used music for meetings and celebrations, as well as mourning in funerals. The Yonna is the traditional dance of the Wayuu and is used to honor guests. ^[8]

The Wayuus created many rustic musical instruments called Kashi, Sawawa (type of flute), ma'asi, totoy and the taliraai (tubular flute), wootoroyoi (type of clarinet), among others. The Majayura or ritual of the "young wayuu virgin" in which the female dances towards the male for marriage, while other males perform rhythms with their traditional insturments until the male tumbles onto the ground. ^[9]

See also

• Arhuacos
• Koguis
• Taironas

Footnotes

References

• Villalobos, Soraya; Vargas, Orlando & Melo, Sandra (2007): Uso, manejo y conservacion de "yosú", Stenocereus griseus (Cactaceae) en la Alta Guajira colombiana [Usage, Managment and Conservation of yosú, Stenocereus griseus (Cactaceae), in the Upper Guajira, Colombia]. [Spanish with English abstract] Acta Biologica Colombiana 12(1): 99-112. PDF fulltext

External links

• (Spanish) Etniasdecolombia.org
• Wayuu myths and legends
• Wayuu Video: The people and their native land
• Ubuntu Linux in Wayuunaiki - a project to bring Wayuunaiki language support to Ubuntu Linux
• Unicef article on community radio keeping Wayuu culture alive in Venezuela
• pbs.org article on wayuus
• Denver Post article on wayuus
• (Spanish) Colombia's national library resume on colombian policies towards amerindian ethnic groups
• Brief explanation of the wayunaiiki language
• Psicologia del Caribe: Wayuus

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