Documentation and description of Karo, Brazil

Nilson Gabas Jr. , Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi

Project Details:

Field Trip Grant. Duration: 2004-2006. £12,430

Project Summary:

The aim of this project is to document and continue the description of Karo, a Tupian language spoken by approximately 130 Arara Indians in the Amazon region of Brazil.

Although Karo is still the first language acquired by children, the small number of its speakers places Karo in danger of extinction.

As part of the process of documentation, it is my intention to 1) elaborate a Karo-Portuguese dictionary, 2) publish a book of traditional myths and narratives, and 3) record the few cultural activities (feasts, ceremonies, etc.) still performed by the Arara, in audio and video.

An additional goal of the project is to produce a complete grammar of Karo. A preliminary version of the grammar is already undertaken (in the form of a Ph.D. dissertation). The process of completing the grammar includes re-writing the dissertation and transcribing texts fully.