Pemon language
Encyclopedia
The Pemon are an indigenous people of South America, living in areas of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. They are also known as Arecuna/AricunaJaricuna, , Kamarakoto/Camaracoto, Taurepan/Taulipang.
They are one of several closely related peoples called Ingarikó
and Kapon, and sometimes go by the name of the Macushi (Macuxi, Makuxi).
(in Spanish
: Pemón) is a Cariban
language spoken mainly in Venezuela
, specifically in the Gran Sabana
region of Bolivar State. According to the 2001 census there were 15,094 Pemon speakers in Venezuela
.
The Pemon were first encountered by westerners in the 18th century and encouraged to convert to Christianity
. Their society is based on trade and considered egalitarian and decentralized, and in Venezuela funding from petrodollars have helped fund community projects, and ecotourism opportunities are also being developed. In Venezuela Pemon live in the Gran Sabana grassland
plateau dotted with tabletop mountains where the Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall, plunges from Auyantepui
Canaima National Park
.
The Makuxi, who are also Pemon speakers, are found in Brazil
and Guyana
in areas close to the Venezuelan border.
Pemon mythology includes gods residing in the grassland area's table-top mountains called tepui
. The mountains are off-limits to the living as they are also home to Ancestor spirits are called "mawari".
The first non-native person to seriously study Pemon myths and language was the German ethnologist Theodor Koch-Grunberg
, who visited Roraima
in 1912.
Important myths describe the origins of the Sun and Moon, the creation of the tepui
mountains, which dramatically rise from the savannahs of the Gran Sabana and the activities of the creator hero Makunaima and his brothers.
for his "global stone" project. Since that time there is an ongoing but yet unsuccessful dispute of the Pemon trying to get the stone back, involving german and venezuelan authorities and embassies, up to the current president Hugo Chávez
.
They are one of several closely related peoples called Ingarikó
Ingarikó
The Akawaio are an indigenous people who live in Roraima , Guyana, and Venezuela.They are one of several closely related peoples called Ingarikó and Kapon.-References:...
and Kapon, and sometimes go by the name of the Macushi (Macuxi, Makuxi).
Language
PemonPemon language
The Pemon are an indigenous people of South America, living in areas of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. They are also known as Arecuna/AricunaJaricuna, , Kamarakoto/Camaracoto, Taurepan/Taulipang....
(in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Pemón) is a Cariban
Cariban languages
The Cariban languages are an indigenous language family of South America. They are widespread across northernmost South America, from the mouth of the Amazon River to the Colombian Andes, but also appear in central Brazil. Cariban languages are relatively closely related, and number two to three...
language spoken mainly in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, specifically in the Gran Sabana
La Gran Sabana
The Gran Sabana is an important natural attraction in Venezuela, located in the south of Bolívar State on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border, approximately 1,400 km from Caracas. The area has a tropical humid climate with an average temperature of 28 °C, but at night it can go down to 13 °C...
region of Bolivar State. According to the 2001 census there were 15,094 Pemon speakers in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
The Pemon were first encountered by westerners in the 18th century and encouraged to convert to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Their society is based on trade and considered egalitarian and decentralized, and in Venezuela funding from petrodollars have helped fund community projects, and ecotourism opportunities are also being developed. In Venezuela Pemon live in the Gran Sabana grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
plateau dotted with tabletop mountains where the Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall, plunges from Auyantepui
Auyantepui
Auyantepui, also Auyantepuy, Auyan-Tepui, or Aiyan-Tepui, is a tepui plateau in the Gran Sabana region of the Bolivar State in Venezuela. It is one of the largest tepuis in the Guiana Highlands, with an area of .Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world, drops from a cleft near the summit...
Canaima National Park
Canaima National Park
Canaima National Park is a 30,000 km² park in south-eastern Venezuela that borders Brazil and Guyana. It is located in Bolívar State, and roughly occupies the same area as the Gran Sabana region....
.
The Makuxi, who are also Pemon speakers, are found in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
in areas close to the Venezuelan border.
Myths
The Pemon have a very rich mythic tradition which continues to this day, despite the conversion of many Pemon to Catholicism or Protestant religions spread by missionaries.Pemon mythology includes gods residing in the grassland area's table-top mountains called tepui
Tepui
A tepui , or tepuy, is a table-top mountain or mesa found in the Guiana Highlands of South America, especially in Venezuela. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran Sabana....
. The mountains are off-limits to the living as they are also home to Ancestor spirits are called "mawari".
The first non-native person to seriously study Pemon myths and language was the German ethnologist Theodor Koch-Grunberg
Theodor Koch-Grunberg
Theodor Koch-Grünberg was a German ethnologist and explorer who made a valuable contribution to the study of the Indigenous peoples in South America, in particular the Pemon Indians of Venezuela and the indigenous peoples of Brazil in the Amazon region.After studying humanities at the University...
, who visited Roraima
Monte Roraima
Mount Roraima is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tepui plateau in South America. First described by the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in 1596, its summit area is defended by 400-metre-tall cliffs on all sides...
in 1912.
Important myths describe the origins of the Sun and Moon, the creation of the tepui
Tepui
A tepui , or tepuy, is a table-top mountain or mesa found in the Guiana Highlands of South America, especially in Venezuela. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran Sabana....
mountains, which dramatically rise from the savannahs of the Gran Sabana and the activities of the creator hero Makunaima and his brothers.
"Kueka" stone controversy
In 1999 Wolfgang Kraker von Schwarzenfeld arranged the transport of a red stone boulder, weighing about 35 metric tons, from Venezuela's Canaima National Park to Berlin TiergartenGroßer Tiergarten
The Großer Tiergarten, simply known as Tiergarten, is an urban public park of Germany located in the middle of Berlin, completely in the homonymous locality...
for his "global stone" project. Since that time there is an ongoing but yet unsuccessful dispute of the Pemon trying to get the stone back, involving german and venezuelan authorities and embassies, up to the current president Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
.
Sources
- Venezuela: the Pemon pages 112,113 and 178 December 2008 Conde and Nast Traveler
- Theodor Koch-GrunbergTheodor Koch-GrunbergTheodor Koch-Grünberg was a German ethnologist and explorer who made a valuable contribution to the study of the Indigenous peoples in South America, in particular the Pemon Indians of Venezuela and the indigenous peoples of Brazil in the Amazon region.After studying humanities at the University...
1917 – "Vom Roraima Zum Orinoco" ("From Roraima to the Orinoco") - David John Thomas 1982 – "Order Without Government: The Society of the Pemon Indians of Venezuela" (University of Illinois Press)