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In San José de Yarinacocha, Pucallpa, PUCP Inaugurated the Chana Scientific Station for Language Sciences and Interculturality, a Space for the Preservation and Strengthening of Amazonian Languages
The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) has inaugurated the Chana Scientific Station for Language Sciences and Interculturality in San José de Yarinacocha, Pucallpa, Ucayali. This initiative aims to preserve and strengthen Amazonian languages. The project was made possible thanks to PUCP's Vice-Rectorate for Research, the Department of Humanities at PUCP, the Max Planck Institute, and the University of Zurich.
Text: Vania Ramos Mendívil
Photos: Renato Pajuelo
Chana: The Inspiration and MissionChana is the name of a bird from the Amazon that has the ability to mimic the songs of other birds. Amazonian peoples, such as the Shipibo, associate this species with intelligence and the linguistic diversity of their communities. This diversity is reflected in the 44 languages spoken in the Peruvian Amazon region out of the 48 indigenous languages registered by the Ministry of Culture (Mincul) in Peru.
With this inspiration, the Chana Scientific Station for Language Sciences and Interculturality was established. The station was inaugurated by PUCP on Thursday, October 5th, in San José de Yarinacocha, Pucallpa, Ucayali.
Goals and CollaborationsThe station aims to be a hub for research and activities that promote the documentation, preservation, and revitalization of Amazonian languages. It will serve as a platform for collaboration among linguists, anthropologists, and local communities, fostering intercultural understanding and the transmission of linguistic heritage.
By establishing Chana, PUCP demonstrates its commitment to supporting the cultural and linguistic richness of Amazonian peoples, ensuring that these invaluable aspects of their identity are preserved for future generations.
At Chana, we aim to foster a collaborative approach between academia and communities.
Scientific and Intercultural Meeting Space
The station, managed by our Department of Humanities and the Vice-Rectorate for Research, is not just a place for the scientific study of indigenous languages for academic purposes. It also seeks to be an intercultural meeting place where people from Amazonian communities, researchers, and local organizations can obtain tools to keep their languages alive through educational and social projects.
For PUCP, Being in This Area of Great Linguistic Diversity is Very Important for Developing Not Only Academic Research But Also Helping Amazonian Peoples in the Process of Reconstituting Their Identity.
Dr. Aldo Panfichi
Vice-Rector of Research, PUCP
Dr. Roberto Zariquiey, a researcher from the Department of Humanities leading the Chana team, explains that the station is dedicated to understanding, preserving, and revitalizing the linguistic diversity of our Amazon. "The goal of Chana is not just to study linguistics. The idea is also to engage with the environment, promote educational projects, and language revitalization initiatives that help preserve the human wealth and linguistic diversity of the Amazon and Peru," Zariquiey explains.
Our Vice-Rector of Research, Dr. Aldo Panfichi, emphasizes the importance of PUCP having a linguistic research station in an Amazonian locality with such diversity. "In this region, there are about 29 linguistic families, some at different levels of survival. For PUCP, being in this area of great linguistic diversity is crucial for developing not only academic research but also assisting Amazonian peoples in their process of reconstituting their identity. We want to contribute to them and return the knowledge produced, with the goal that new generations can learn from their mother tongues," stated Dr. Panfichi.
"The goal of Chana is not just to study linguistics. The idea is also to engage with the environment, promote educational projects, and language revitalization initiatives that help preserve the human wealth and linguistic diversity of the Amazon and Peru."
Dr. Roberto Zariquiey
Researcher from the Department of Humanities and Leader of the Chana Station
At the inauguration of Chana, two of Europe's most prominent language researchers were present: Dr. Russell Gray, Director of the Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution at the Max Planck Institute, and Dr. Balthasar Bickel, Director of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Evolving Language" at the University of Zurich.
International Partners of Chana
To bring this scientific station to fruition, our university partnered with two significant international institutions in the study of linguistic diversity worldwide: the Max Planck Institute and the University of Zurich.
"Chana will be based on a model that creates connections with local people and international links. From this, we will be able to generate new understandings of local indigenous languages, the languages of Peru, and ultimately do something relevant for the scientific community."
Dr. Russell Gray
Director of the Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution at the Max Planck Institute
At the inauguration of Chana, two of Europe's most prominent language researchers, with whom Dr. Roberto Zariquiey had already been collaborating on projects, were present: Dr. Russell Gray, Director of the Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution at the Max Planck Institute, and Dr. Balthasar Bickel, Director of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Evolving Language" at the University of Zurich.
Dr. Gray, who works professionally in the fields of linguistics and psychology, explained how studies in both disciplines have traditionally taken a colonialist and extractivist approach. At Chana, however, the aim is to foster a collaborative approach between academia and communities.
"I am very excited about the possibility of generating research, whether experimental or descriptive, in collaboration with the communities and speakers. Likewise, it is positive that the work at the station has arisen from cooperation among the three institutions (PUCP, Max Planck, and the University of Zurich) for the great projects that will come in the future."
Dr. Balthasar Bickel
Director of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Evolving Language" at the University of Zurich
"I hope that by working directly with local universities and community members, PUCP will generate scientific work at Chana through collaboration rather than with an extractive approach. I trust that Chana station will thrive because it will be based on a model that creates connections with local people and international links. From this, new understandings can be created, both of local indigenous languages, Peruvian languages, and ultimately, something relevant for the scientific community," reflected Gray.
Meanwhile, Balthasar Bickel indicates that on the path to understanding language diversity, from the University of Zurich, they have worked on scientific station projects in other parts of the world, such as Nepal, northern Canada, and Vietnam. Now, being in the Peruvian Amazon opens up more possibilities for understanding linguistic development. "I am very excited about the possibility of generating research, whether experimental or descriptive, in collaboration with the communities and speakers. Likewise, it is positive that the work at the station has arisen from cooperation among the three institutions (PUCP, Max Planck, and the University of Zurich) for the great projects that will come in the future as a result of this joint effort," he stated."
At the inauguration of the station, Nelita Rodríguez, one of the last speakers of the Iskonawa language, attended. At Chana, the Escuelita Iskonawa project was born for the revitalization of this language.
Research Lines Developed at ChanaResearch at Chana revolves around five well-defined lines:
In the photo, we see the operation of the "eye tracker" equipment, which studies how we process language based on visual stimuli.
Use of Technology
In modern linguistic studies, the use of technology is vital because, as Dr. Zariquiey explains, it has a very positive impact on people who speak the languages: "When you see your language on a computer or on a cell phone, you no longer feel that it is something of the past or that it is no longer useful; on the contrary, you feel that it can be used in new contexts. This is something we have seen very clearly in our work with the Iskonawas. That's why we strongly believe that language revitalization and language technologies should go hand in hand." Of course, Chana has incorporated the use of technology in several interdisciplinary projects within its research lines. "We have already developed prototypes for various technological tools. Chana has a model of automatic translator for Shipibo and spelling correctors. We have created different computational corpora and we want to continue in that line. That's why you'll see that in some projects people from the PUCP Computer Engineering are involved," explains Zariquiey. During the inauguration of the station, an equipment called an eye tracker was shown. While University of Zurich professor Caroline Andrews conducted tests on the equipment with the collaboration of Lleverson Silvano Campos and Edelvina Cumapa Campos - two young Iskonawa language speakers - researcher Roberto Zariquiey explained to us the usefulness of this equipment to understand how we process language from visual stimuli such as letters or photographs: "The eye tracker follows the movement of the eyes on the screen. So, for example, if you ask someone to read something, you can see what they read first, if they go back, if they understood it on a first read or have to read it several times. Also, if you put a word and images, then you can see what eye movement the person makes to identify which image is related to the word." "When you see your language on a computer or on a cell phone, you no longer feel that it is something of the past or that it is no longer useful; on the contrary, you feel that it can be used in new contexts."
Ongoing Chana Projects
Although the scientific station has just been inaugurated, Dr. Roberto Zariquiey has been working in that house for several years, which was owned by Adelina Maldonado, a Shipibo artist who was included in Forbes' "50 Most Powerful Women in Peru in 2023" list and who has been an important local ally for Chana's work.
One of the educational projects worked on in this space is the Escuelita Iskonawa, which aims to transmit this language and culture to younger generations and thus prevent its extinction. The little school uses technological tools and dynamics developed by the Chana Project. Furthermore, with PUCP linguist and Chapman University professor Dr. Pilar Valenzuela, a Language Documentation Project for the Amahuaca Language is being worked on.
"We have some projects with Shipibos and Iskonawas, we want to resume things with the Cacataibo and we have the idea of working with the Yanesha too. There is much to do and fortunately people trust us because they see that our way of working is respectful and ethical," says Zariquiey.
The funding received from the Max Planck Institute to develop research lines allows involving PUCP students and local universities in the projects, such as the National Intercultural University of the Amazon (UNIA).
In addition, Roberto Zariquiey explains that the funding received from the Max Planck Institute to develop research lines allows involving PUCP students and local universities in the projects, such as the National Intercultural University of the Amazon (UNIA): "With the Max Planck project, we have hired 10 students of Linguistics and Engineering who are being interns or research assistants. Also within that group, we have Shipibo assistants who are from local universities. We have a very close relationship with the people from UNIA, where more than 20 indigenous peoples are represented."
On the other hand, Professor and researcher from the Department of Humanities, Pedro Favaron, has contributed to Chana with his deep knowledge of the Shipibo-Konibo people, and is projecting a project on the verbal and musical art of said people.
The Chana scientific station of PUCP has already opened its doors and, with the help of local and international allies, is ready to be a meeting space where collaborative work is carried out with students, researchers, young people, and leaders of indigenous communities who are willing to achieve the survival of our Peruvian languages.
Wings and good wind for Chana.
Chana Team
The implementation of the Chana station was carried out by the team led by Dr. Roberto Zariquiey, professor and researcher at the Department of Humanities; PUCP researcher Mag. Mariana Poblete; linguist Alonso Vásquez-Aguilar, PUCP graduate and Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Testimonials
"There are researches from different fields that can contribute to educational content. We are currently participating in a research project related to the history of various indigenous peoples, which combines history, anthropology, linguistics, and genetics. The results of these studies, for example, can enrich history or social studies courses, whether at the primary or secondary level. Through the research conducted at Chana, we can make a contribution."
Dr. Pilar Valenzuela
PUCP Linguist, Chapman University Professor, and Chana Researcher
"The Iskonawas carry out the revitalization of this language from person to person. In the Iskonawa School, teachers teach us the language, but it is also a space where we practice it because we are living with the grandparents, uncles, and wise people. So, this space at the Chana station is a very suitable meeting place, where the Iskonawas come together and start speaking their language in the different activities that take place."
Felix Ochavano
President of the Organization for the Development and Common Good of the Iskonawa People (Odebpi)