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| Earth-worship ceremonial dance |
My research project had as its goal the documentation of a previously unknown variant of Aymara. This language is unique from all other forms of Aymara, probably a result of its geographic isolation, which only now is coming to an end with the arrival of a road and a rapidly-growing outside influence. Together with the support of my committee (Leo Wetzels, Willem Adelaar, and Frans Hinskens, to whom I am greatly indebted), I have completed a description of this language in what is likely the short window before its death. I am greatly indebted to the support of all the Muylaqueños, in particular Edwin Banegas Flores and his family,who so kindly hosted me during my stay.
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| inter-community football team sponsored by VU University |
The result of the research is not only a linguistic description, but a corpus of narratives, myths, and ghost stories which is taken verbatim from the elders of the village. This collection of stories will soon be published as the first, and sadly, likely the last book in this particular language, thanks to a generous grant from the Cucu NGO. I invite anyone interested in learning more to my defense, scheduled for 16 December at 15:45.
