Sanumá or ''Sanöma'' is a Yanomaman language spoken in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It is also known as ''Sanema, Sanima, Tsanuma, Guaika, Samatari, Samatali, Xamatari'' and ''Chirichano''. Most of its speakers in Venezuela also speak

Ye'kuana The Ye'kuana, also called Ye'kwana, Ye'Kuana, Yekuana, Yequana, Yecuana, Dekuana, Maquiritare, Makiritare, So'to or Maiongong, are a Cariban-speaking tropical rain-forest tribe who live in the Caura River and Orinoco River regions of Venezuela ...

, also known as Maquiritare, the language of the

Ye'kuana people The Ye'kuana, also called Ye'kwana, Ye'Kuana, Yekuana, Yequana, Yecuana, Dekuana, Maquiritare, Makiritare, So'to or Maiongong, are a Cariban-speaking tropical rain-forest tribe who live in the Caura River and Orinoco River regions of Venezuel ...

the Sanumá live alongside in the Caura River basin.

History

Throughout the centuries, the

Yanomami The Yanomami, also spelled Yąnomamö or Yanomama, are a group of approximately 35,000 indigenous people who live in some 200–250 villages in the Amazon rainforest on the border between Venezuela and Brazil. Etymology The ethnonym ''Yanomami ...

, originally from the Parima range, have spread up toward river valleys on the plains both to the south in

, and to the north in

. The Sanumá speak one of the four know

languages. It is in the rainforests of north

and south

that the groups have lived undisturbed until recently. In the last 40 years or so the western world has been knocking at their doorsteps wanting lumber and gold.

Dialects

Some linguists identify dialects such as ''Yanoma, Cobari, Caura,'' and ''Ervato-Ventuari'' in Venezuela and ''Auaris'' in Brazil. All the dialects are mutually intelligible. In Venezuela, Sanumá is spoken in the vicinity of the Caura and Ervato-Ventuari Rivers in Venezuela, while in Brazil, it is spoken in the Auari River region of

Roraima Roraima (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil. Located in the country's North Region, it is the northernmost and most geographically and logistically isolated state in Brazil. It is bordered by the state of Pará to the southeast, Amazonas ...

. There are three dialects spoken in

, Brazil:Ferreira, Helder Perri; Machado, Ana Maria Antunes; Senra, Estevão Benfica. 2019.
As línguas Yanomami no Brasil: diversidade e vitalidade
'. São Paulo: Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) and Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN). 216pp. * Awaris (2,955 speakers) * Aracaçá (29 speakers) *Hokomawä (180 speakers)

History

Dialects

References

Further reading