Documentation of the Ese Ejja language of the Amazonian region of Bolivia

Marine Vuillermet, CNRS

Project Details:

Field Trip Grant. Duration: 2007-2007. £8,402

Project Summary:

About 1200 Ese Ejjas live in the Amazonian region of Bolivia and Peru. Though declining fast, language vitality is still high in Portachuelo, their Bolivian nucleus where the documentation will be initiated, with permissions and invitations. Exploratory trips have helped identify potential consultants there and the community has expressed special interest in valorizing their indigenous skills (like fishing, hunting and weaving). Data from this trip will be used to sketch out the first grammar of the language, anticipating a future cross border and multidisciplinary documentation project of the Ese Ejja language at a later date.