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NAMES
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NAMES
The autodenomination of the tribe is Arikapú. The name Arikapú is also used by neighbouring peoples and by Westerners. Its origin is not clear. One possible explanation is that it originates from the neighbouring Makuráp (Tuparí) language, where arikapu refers to the japó bird (genus Gymnostinops).

The name Burukäyo refers to an extinct tribe known to the Arikapú and Djeoromitxí. It has been claimed by some that their language was very similar to Arikapú, so they may have represented a different clan. It may be this group which Snethlage refers to as Jabutitxitxi or Bakurönjatxitxi and whose language is supposed to be similar to Djeoromitxí. The suffix txitxi means ‘big’ in both Arikapú and Djeoromitxí.

Another name encountered in the literature is Maxubí or Mashubi, referring to an ethnic group that probably spoke Arikapú. This name was recorded only once, during the expedition of the English explorer Fawcett in 1914 (B. Fawcett 1953). The name is not recognised by any present ethnic group of the region, and its etymology is unknown.

The Djeoromitxí are traditionally known to Westerners by the name Jabutí. The name Jabutí or Yabuti is found in some linguistic sources to refer to the language family that includes the Arikapú and Djeoromitxí languages (for example Greenberg 1987). Since it is useful to have a denomination to cover both languages, it may be a good idea to reserve the name Jabutí for this.

 

Hein van der Voort
Radboud University Nijmegen [The Netherlands]
Goeldi Museum, Belém [Brazil]
hvoort@xs4all.nl
February, 2008
 
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