The Wayuu (also Wayu, Wayúu, Guajiro, Wahiro) are an Amerindian ethnic group of the Guajira Peninsula in northernmost part of Colombia and northwest Venezuela.
Population: 300,000
Wayuu Language
The Wayuu language, called wayuunaiki, is part of the Arawak language family predominant in different parts of the Caribbean.
To promote cultural integration and bilingual education among Wayuus and other Colombians, the Kamusuchiwo’u Ethno-educative Center, or Centro Etnoeducativo Kamusuchiwo’u, started an initiative to create the first illustrated Wayuunaiki-Spanish, Spanish-Wayuunaiki dictionary.
Some words in the Wayuu language are:
- Good morning -> Buenos días -> Wattamat
- Good afternoon -> Buenas tardes -> Anas alika
- Good night → Buenas noches -> Anas aipa
- Good bye -> Hasta luego -> Oünus taya
- Thank you -> Gracias -> Anawatshuja