Baniwa of Içana
language
Baniwa (Baniva), or in older sources Itayaine (Iyaine), is an Arawakan language spoken in Guainía, Colombia, Venezuela, and Amazonas, Brazil. It forms a subgroup with the Tariana, Piapoco, Resígaro and Guarequena languages. There are 10,000 speakers.
Varieties
Aikhenvald (1999) considers the three main varieties to be dialects; Kaufman (1994) considers them to be distinct languages, in a group he calls "Karu". They are:
Baniwa of Içana (Baniua do Içana)
Curripaco (Kurripako, Ipeka-Tapuia-Curripako)
Katapolítani-Moriwene-Mapanai (Catapolitani, Kadaupuritana)
Various (sub)dialects of all three are called tapuya, a Brazilian Portuguese and Nheengatu word for non-Tupi/non-Guarani Indigenous peoples of Brazil (from a Tupi word meaning "enemy, barbarian"). All are spoken by the Baniwa people. Ruhlen lists all as "Izaneni"; Greenberg's Adzánani (= Izaneni) presumably belongs here.
Ramirez (2020) gives the following classification for three separate dialect chains:
Southern (Karotana): lower Içana River, also a group living in Victorino on the Guainia River (Colombia-Venezuela border)
Mapatsi-Dákeenai (Yurupari-Tapuya)
Wadzoli-Dákeenai (Urubu-Tapuya)
Dzawi-Mínanai (Yauareté-Tapuya)
Adaro-Mínanai (Arara-Tapuya)
Central (Baniwa): middle Içana River (from Assunção Mission to Siuci-Cachoeira) and its tributaries (Aiari River and lower Cuiari River); also around Tunuí
Hohódeeni
Walipere-Dákeenai (Siucí-Tapuya)
Máolieni (Cáuatapuya)
Mápanai (Ira-Tapuya)
Awádzoronai
Molíweni (Sucuriyú-Tapuya)
Kadáopoliri
etc.
Northern (called "Koripako" in Brazil): upper Içana River (from Matapi upwards), Guainia River, headwaters of the Cuiari River. Has individual ISO 639 code.
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