Aénts Chicham
- industry:
- Indigenous people
- Nationality:
- South American
Aénts Chicham is a linguist and cultural group that brings together the Achuar (Achual), Awajun (Aguaruna), Shiwiar (Maina Achuar), Shuar (Uuntsuri Shuar) and Wampis (Huambisa) language-speaking peoples in Ecuadorian Amazonia. In 2018, Shuar and Schuar leaders and intellectuals signed the Yápankam Declaration to change the name of the language family formerly known as ‘Jivaro’ to ‘Aents Chicham' (or Chicham), as 'Jivaro' or 'Jivaroan' is considered to be 'a pejorative exonym born from the colonial confrontations, which we have never used to name our languages nor our collective identities' (Yápankam Declaration, 2019)
According to the Yápankam Declaration (2019), 'Chicham derives from the root chichá-, “to speak”, and is translated as "what is spoken”, “word”, “discourse” and also as “language”; aénts has a broad meaning, translated as “person”, “people” or “beings”, but this term refers to all beings capable of communicating or susceptible to being affected by our communication —the maíkiua plant (Brugmansia arborea) is aénts; the bird auju (Nyctibius grandis) is aénts. Therefore, the Aénts Chicham family resonates deeply in the hearts of linguists and anthropologists to remind them that communication goes beyond the humans.'
Related Objects