- Words of the Kichwa language
- History of the Kichwa language
- Present
- Written language
- Traditions and organization
- References
Here is a list of words in Kichwa or Quichua, a language whose origin lies in the Central Andes of South America, known as the language adapted for communication between the Tahuantinsuyan population. Kichwano is claimed to have proven links with other language families.
Kichwa or Quichua is currently spoken by about 7 million people from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. The Kichwa population is made up of sixteen peoples of the Andes mountain range, being the Kichwasu official language, it is said that it has survived over time. These languages are used among the inhabitants according to age, geographical area and period.
You may also be interested in these words in Nahuatl.
Words of the Kichwa language
1- Mmashi: friend
2- Kawsay: home
3- Sumak: nice
4- Tuta: night
5- wawa: child
6- Wata: year
7- Kari: man
8- Warmi: woman
9- Kayakaman: see you tomorrow!
10- Puncha: day
11- Kikin: you
12- Mashna: How much?
13- Nuka: I
14- Mikuna: food
15- Ilakta: town
16- Maypi: Where?
17- Inti: Sun
18- Armhole: flower
19- Kaspi: stick
20- Huasi: house
21- Pungu: door
22- Billa: city
23- Mashi: partner
24- Sara: corn
25- Cucha: lake
26- Alpa: earth
27- Hallu: tongue
28- Chiri: cold
29- Llachapa: clothing
30- Pirka: wall
31- Manay: illness
32- Shungu: heart
33- Tullu: bone
34- Lulum: egg
35- Hujaltu: eucalyptus
36- Jirro: iron
37- Kunug: hot
38- Alku: dog
39- Misi: cat
40- Micha: light
History of the Kichwa language
The story tells that Fray Domingo de Santo Tomás during his mission in Peru, learned the Runesini language to communicate in his evangelization with the natives of the central region known as Qichwa, due to its altitude and warm climate, then preaching in their own language.
In his relations with the natives, he realized that when asked the name of their language, they responded qichwa and not runasini, which resulted in later in his publications affirming that this was the general language of Peru, being adopted until our days.
This Kichwa language, in its morphology, has a regular origin that gives rise to the formation of unpublished words, the non-use of articles, conjunctions and the non-distinction of linguistic genres.
Its richness lies in the multiplicity of the dialect, that is, in the communities there are words that are unique and of different intonation, which allows it to be related to something in different ways.
Present
This language continues to be spoken in countries such as Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile, northern Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador. In addition, its use has spread in the United States and Spain thanks to the large number of migrants. It is considered one of the most important languages in South America due to its use in more than 7 million inhabitants.
This has originated Intercultural Bilingual Education in the aforementioned countries. In the academic space, this language occupies large areas in alternative and intercultural universities, which has contributed to the consolidation and progress of this language.
This language varies depending on the region where it is spoken, for example it does not have the vowels eo, its alphabet has 15 consonants and 3 vowels. It is known as a binding language for the union of several words, that is, the union of several concepts in one word.
The fact that the new education in indigenous languages considers that it takes place in agricultural, artisanal or meeting spaces, was considered a great achievement in the development of cultural identity, based on the use of the indigenous language, Spanish and the practice of values.
There are academic centers such as the Simón Bolívar Andean University and university groups, which among their curricula include the study of the Kichwa language and culture, as a way of creating awareness in the population, which resulted in some indigenous people from the new generations are interested in rescuing their original language.
Written language
Regarding written production, between the years 1960 and 1970, various scholars stood out, such as Fray Domingo de Santo Tomás and Luis Enrique López, among others, who delved into this language and made different publications, which helped to advance in intercultural universities.
Currently, it has bibliographies written in Kichwa, such as dictionaries, stories, songs and modules to easily learn this language.
Thanks to the implementation of Intercultural Bilingual Education, students from the first to the seventh level have textbooks in the Kichwa language in their entirety.
In the political aspect, the Kichwa language is the main communication link between the different organized groups and the inhabitants of the towns to achieve analytical and reflective participation on the different topics of collective interest.
Traditions and organization
In religious matters, the indigenous people maintain the sacred mission of nature, taking care of trees, stones, mountains and lakes. In the mountains it is common to find altars made of stones on the side of the road, called "apachitas", and it is very common among their beliefs to worship the divinity called Jatum Pacha Kamak.
The main Kichwa labors stand out in rites, festivals, arts, medicine, house construction, food and drink; many of them appreciate his knowledge in traditional medicine and the use of medicinal herbs, ruled by a shaman.
Regarding internal and external communication between communities, their own forms are maintained, among which we find the churo to hold meetings between neighbors. As a curiosity, to demonstrate the strength of their peoples they use the cry “shukshunkulla”.
In health, there is a belief among indigenous people that evils come when the harmony between humans and things created by God is broken. They trust that the "pacha mama" does a purification and takes all the evils.
They argue that public health services improve if there is better food, drinking water, traditional medicine is maintained or health centers are built, among others.
The houses retain their influence in terms of design and manufacture, however, their interest in preserving the original building styles and materials has declined, instead they build their houses with concrete that consists of mixing cement, sand, gravel and water, maintaining the traditional functions of the interior space.
In the realm of ecological awareness, the Kichwas maintain their belief in harnessing natural resources. They use their own technologies to avoid erosion, natural fertilizers and crop rotation.
Finally, the Kichwa language is part of the Peruvian culture and through it models are transmitted in terms of culture, beliefs and ways of life.
It is thought that this dialect should not only be taught in schools but on the contrary, the current demands consist of getting the Peruvian government to make an effort to preserve it.
References
- Almeida, N. (2005) Indigenous Autonomy: facing the nation state and neoliberal globalization. Abya-Yala Editions. Quito.
- Cobo, M. (2016) Let's understand the Kichwa. Recovered from: eltelegrafo.com.
- Wikipedia Collaborators (2017) Quechuas Languages. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
- Fernández, S. (2005) Linguistic Identity of the indigenous peoples of the Andean region. Abya-Yala Editions. Quito.
- Kichwa Dictionary (2014) Kichwa. Recovered from: kichwas.com.