Between December 7 and 20, 2024, a series of events will celebrate the launch of the second printed edition of the first Kaiowá-Portuguese Dictionary (760 pages). Organized by Professor Graciela Chamorro from the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), this project catalogs over 6,000 entries, along with cultural and linguistic notes that reflect the worldview of the Kaiowá people.
The launch event will occur in two phases: the first will be in-person on December 7 at 7 PM (local time) at Casulo Espaço de Cultura e Arte in Dourados (MS), followed by a virtual broadcast on the Javali YouTube channel on December 20 at 6 PM (Brasília time).
On December 9 at 2 PM (local time), Professor Chamorro will give a public lecture titled "The Kaiowá-Portuguese Dictionary" at the Indigenous Intercultural College (FAIND) at UFGD.
This work results from over 20 years of research by Graciela Chamorro, who began engaging with Kaiowá and Guarani communities in 1983. Born in Paraguay, where her native language is Guarani, Chamorro focuses on studying and promoting indigenous languages, particularly Kaiowá.
The idea to transform her research into a book emerged in 2017 after collaboration with Assis Benevenuto, founder of Editora Javali. The first digital version was released in 2022, made available for free with support from the Itaú Cultural Rumos program.
The printed edition was first published in 2023, and now, in 2024, a new expanded hardback edition arrives, funded by the Cultural Investment Fund (FIC) of the Mato Grosso do Sul Culture Foundation (FCMS).
Chamorro states that the dictionary meets the growing demand from the Kaiowá community, especially educators and students who use and teach the language. It serves as a tool for reflection on the language, aiding in the production of teaching materials and preserving the ancestral knowledge of the Kaiowá.
According to the author, "every writing is an attempt to represent the language," and this dictionary publication is a significant step toward establishing a standardized writing system for Kaiowá.
The project involved collaboration from various specialists, including university professors and over 25 indigenous contributors who provided essential knowledge for the work's construction. Innovations in the second edition include new entries, linguistic borrowings, and expanded meanings.
The dictionary also incorporates metaphors relating the human body to the house and environment, as well as the inclusion of scientific names for living beings, enriching its content further.
Additionally, the dictionary features a significant innovation: the incorporation of a Portuguese-Kaiowá vocabulary, prepared by linguist Jorge Domingues Lopes, enabling non-speakers of Kaiowá to find translations of words in the language.
The dictionary is enhanced by illustrations from Kaiowá artist Misael Concianza Jorge and mini-biographies of Kaiowá collaborators, along with academic texts that delve deeper into the study of the language.