KARARA: FROM ETHNOGRAPY TO LINGUISTIC DOCUMENTATION

Abstract

This  article  presents  the  first  steps  in  the  audiovisual  documentation  of  the Karara  language,  which  has  enabled  its  recent  identification  as  part  of  the  Arawak  language family, Pidjana subgroup. The Karara inhabited the northern Amazon until forced contact and the abduction of a family by Indian Protection Service agents in 1962, which resulted in  the survivors losing contact with the other members of their village on the Carará River, a tributary of  the  Jatapu  River  in  the  state  of  Amazonas. Drawing  on  ethnographic  and  documentary research, the article compiles what is known about the Karara language and its speakers, before describing   how   research   originating   in   anthropology   was   combined   with   linguistic documentation. Finally, the article summarises the initial data from the phonetic transcriptions of  the  Karara  language  carried  out  during  the  first  fieldwork  and  outlines  the  plans  for constructing  the  Karara  language  collection  in  the  Endangered  Languages  Archive  with  the support of the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme.