State of Amazonas now has 17 official languages; understand

Last Wednesday (19), the state of Amazonas now has 17 official languages. The historic change marked the officialization of 16 indigenous languages ​​as part of the culture and formation of Brazil.

The act took place after the release of the first Federal Constitution translated into Nheengatu, the only language that is still preserved from ancient Tupi.

To the Agência Brasil portal, Rosa Weber, president of the Federal Court of Justiceand the National Council of Justice, stated that the event represents a very important constitutional fact.

Weber added: “Confirmed that today marks a milestone in the constitutional history of our country, My wish is that we keep moving forward so that, together, we can achieve what our constitution crave. In other words, that we can build together a truly inclusive Brazil”.

In addition to the featured release, the Indigenous Language Protection Policy also ensures that

indigenous languages can be used in any territory, even if it is not an indigenous land.

The 16 indigenous languages ​​of the Amazon

The enactment of the law in the state of Amazonas added several languages ​​that were already part of the communities. Now, the 16 languages ​​below are officially part of the Brazilian state:

• Apurinã;

• Baniwa;

• Dessana;

• Kanamari;

• Marubo;

• Matis;

• Matses;

• Mawe;

• walls;

• Nheengatu;

• Tariana;

• Tikuna;

• Tukano;

• Waiwai;

• Waimiri;

• Yanomami.

Rosa Weber took advantage of the event to reinforce that many words that are widely used in other regions of the country are also of indigenous origin, such as “guri”, “guria” and “maloca”.

The act in the northern state would be a way of taking care of the “future of Brazil”, which also represents the Brazilian people.

(Image: Fellipe Sampaio/SCO/STF – Agência Brasil/Reproduction)

Federal Constitution with translation in Nheengatu

In addition to other ceremonies that took place at the event, a version of the Federal Constitution translated into an indigenous language, thirty-five years after its enactment, was presented. The translation process was carried out by 15 bilingual indigenous people.

The choice of Nheengatu was made because of its importance as the only language that is still spoken and descends from Tupi-Guarani. Likewise, it is considered the Amazonian General Language.

The launch of the Federal Constitution translated into a historic event like this represents the appreciation of indigenous culture as part of the formation of Brazilian customs and vocabulary.