Matthew 15:32-39
Part 1: Verses 32-35 in Jarawara
Matthew 15: 32-39
The Jarawara language calls the Amazon Rainforest its home. The nearest river is the Purus, a tributary of the Amazon. Their main village is called Kasanofa (from Casa Nova), whose exact location changes every few years. The Jarawara practice a mixture of hunter-gathering and slash-and-burn agriculture, requiring this level of mobility.
The Jarawara live within the borders of Brazil, with Peru and Bolivia lying a few hundred kilometres to the south.
Jarawara has three dialects: Jarawara, Jamamadi and Banawa. They belong to the Arawá family. Neighbouring languages include: Sorowaha, Paumari, Deni and Kulina, among others.
When Dixon began his fieldwork during the early 1990’s, the Amazonians still practiced their traditional religion. He then witnessed the arrival of Evangelical Missionaries, and by the time he left, around a hundred (mostly younger) people had converted.
Here is the full passage, you can find the English in your physical Bible.
Jarawara.
32. Mēmakiti wato hā hinamahimaro Kabine ati nareka, ‘Oko tabari mē tama kana hāro; otā amo ni trei ni jā, mē tafe watare. Fimineke ihi mē toki onofa okare, foro ni onofa okare hawi jā.’
33. Mēmakiti wato ati narake, ‘Nahomake hā. Tamake hāro. Jamata botone ē na awara?’
34. Mē Kabine ati nake, ‘Tē kā bao ēribe?’ Mē ati narake, ‘Bao seti na, aba tatama rabake.’
35. Ati nawahaka, ‘Naho nahi bofe jā’.
36. Bao seti ni wara namarika, aba wara narika, ati faja toforemisareka. Baka hinarake, mēmakiti wati hikakawake. Mēmakiti wati tāri naharake mē nahi hā jā.
37. Tafa hawa jā, akaraharake, ibisiri amake; ibisiri kā isiri mō ni seti narake.
38. Mēmakiti tafarake, mē miri ni kowato na, mēfanawiri matehe bisa amake.
39. Mē nahi ati nareka “Tē tokomahi!” Tokifirika, tokimisaka Jamaneme jā.
Jarawara has a total of 12 Past Tense Suffixes.
1. Distance
There is Immediate, Recent and Distant Past.
These can refer to specific times, but if you put them together they show a sequence of events. The Distant happened first, followed by the Recent, followed by the Immediate.
In this context, we’ll be exclusively using the latter purpose.
2. Evidence
Each Past Tense Suffix tells you whether the person saw it or not.
These are called Eyewitness vs. Eyewitness.
In this one, we only use the Eyewitness variants.
3. Gender
Jarawara has 2 Genders: Masculine and Feminine.
We will explore the quirks of Jarawara Gender throughout this passage.
The first verse in any language is always the most difficult. Not only was this not the exception, it was the example that proves the rule most of all.
NJV. Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
Jarawara. Mēmakiti wati hā hinamahimaro Kabine ati nareka, ‘Oko tabari mē tama kana hāro; otā amo ni trei ni jā, mē tafe watare. Fimineke ihi mē toki onofa okare, foro ni onofa okare hawi jā.’
Mēmakiti wati hā hinamahimaro Kabine ati nareka = Jesus called to his disciples and said:
Mēmakiti wati = disciples
hā hinamahimaro = (he) called to them
Kabine = Jesus
ati nareka = said
mēmakiti men is the Plural of makiti man.
Most Jarawara Nouns do not have a dedicated plural. Normally, you just put mē they/them after that words.
With a few words however, it becomes a Prefix.
This is all that you have to know about Jarawara Nouns.
hā hinamahimaro has five components:
1. hā = call.
…
2. hi- = Object.
3. na = do.
4. -ma = Back.
5. -himaro = they did, and I saw it.
Jarawara is an incredibly verb-heavy language. In fact, it is probably the verb-heaviest language across which I have ever stumbled.
Most verbs take an Auxiliary, usually na. I will translate this to either do or make, depending on what I prefer.
The full name for –himaro (or simply -maro) is the Far Past Eyewitness Feminine.
ati nareka has four components:
1. ati = language, speech, voice, words, etc…
…
2. na = make.
3. -re = did, and I heard it.
4. -ka = he does.
-re is short for -hare, the Immediate Past Eyewitness Masculine.
All of the Past Tense Suffixes can lose their first syllable, which always begins in a /h/.
The name Jesus comes from Hebrew Yehoshua (יהשוע) Yahweh is salvation.
I created Kabine from kabi na scoop up water or (a stump in water) snags (a boat).
When Peter is walking on water, a gust of wind causes him to doubt, and he begins to sink into the water. Jesus walks over and scoops him up before he drowns.
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 BSB:
Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Oko tabari mē tama kana hāro = I feel sorry for these people
Oko tabari = my spleen
mē… hāro = they here visible
tama kana = they hold it in their hands
tama kana comes from tama na hold a single object in the hand or grab.
Without the Auxiliary, we get tama be many (but countable), which you will meet below.
feel sorry/moved with compassion comes from Greek splangchnizomai (σπλαγχνίζομαι), which actually comes from splangchnon (σπλάγχνον) inward parts.
Jarawara tabari spleen is only one vowel away from tabori village, dwelling place.
otā amo ni trei ni jā, mē tafe watare = they have been with me for three days, and have nothing to eat
otā amo ni = our sleeps
trei ni = being three
jā = after
mē tafe = their food
watare = does not exist
In Jarawara, it is normal to use amo sleep to refer to the passing of days.
There is also jia, but this comes from Portuguese.
In Jarawara, you never do something after doing something else.
Instead, you must always do something after something’s being done. For example:
Oko sina hisi ni hawa tohaharake. = I have just finished sniffing snuff.
oko = my
sina = snuff
hisi = to sniff
ni = is.
hawa = be accomplished.
tohaharake = it has gone away.
In Jarawara hawa be accomplished often comes with to- Away to indicate something that has already happened.
Fimineke ihi mē toki onofa okare = I do not want to send them off hungry
fimineke ihi = because (they) are hungry
mē toki = their going away
onofa okare = I do not want
Jarawara has two words for because: the Feminine ihi and the Masculine ehene, and they both go after what they refer to.
toki has two components:
1. to- = Away.
2. ki = from ka in motion.
Jarawara has no words for come and go, but to-ka away in motion and ka-ke in motion coming.
to- also appears in any place where English uses become.
foro ni onofa okare hawi jā = lest they collapse on the way
foro ni = (their) falling down
onofa okare = I do not want
hawi jā = on the track.
foro na fall down only ever refers to more than one human or animal, hence the absence of mē.
onofa okare has five componens:
1. o- = I [x2].
2. nofa = want.
…
4. -ka = is/am.
5. -re = Negative Feminine.
As I said earlier, Jarawara has Masculine and Feminine.
Where it differs from a Western European Gender system is that the Feminine is default, even when a man saying “I” or “me”.
NJV. And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?’
Jarawara. Mēmakiti wati ati narake, ‘Nahomake hā. Tamake hāro. Jamata botone ē na awara?’
Mēmakiti wati ati narake, Nahomake hā. Tamake hāro. = The disciples said to him, … ‘So great a multitude.
Mēmakiti wati = the disciples (lit. men who study)
ati narake = said (to him)
Nahomake hā = they are standing here.
Tamake hāro = they are many.
ati narake has four components:
1. ati = voice/speech.
…
2. na = make.
3. -ra = did.
4. -ke = she does.
In the previous verse, we met –ka, the Declarative Masculine.
Here, we meet –ke, the Declarative Feminine.
Referring back to Jarawara Gender:
You only use the Masculine Verb endings with a Singular Masculine Noun.
Plural Masculine Nouns also take Feminine Verb Endings.
so great a multitude is a translation of ochlon tosouton (όχλον τοσουτον) lit. (a) crowd such (size).
I saw straight away that this was going to be a difficult one.
I came up with: Nahomake hā. Tamake hāro.
By themselves, each word means:
nahomake = they are stand and sitting
hā/hāro = this one visible
tamake = they are many.
nahomake has two components:
1. naho = sit/stand (for >1 human/animal)
2. -make = a little way off.
By itself, -makI is called the Following Suffix. It comes from the merging of two other suffixes:
1. -ma = Back.
2. -kI = Coming.
In Jarawara, “this one visible” takes the Feminine hāro and the Masculine hāri.
I include the de-gendered form hā so that the final hāro has more emphasis.
‘Jamata botone ē na awara? = Where in a deserted place could we find enough bread?
Jamata = food/crops
botone = a place with a lot of
ē na awara = how many are there
This was easily among the most difficult sentences I have ever translated. The first two words are simple enough. The last three, however:
1. ē = what about?
2. na = is.
3. awara = what does he seem?
Here is an example of ē na awara from Dixon’s grammar
Tiwa tefe oni kā tinero ē na awara? = How much money do you think I owe you?
A more literal translation: My owing you’s money appears to be how much?
I tried using hika where, but this proved too difficult for me.
KJV. And Jesus saith unto them, How many leaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
Jarawara. Mē Kabine ati nake, ‘Tē kā bao ēribe?’ Mē ati narake, ‘Bao seti na, aba tatama rabake.’
Mē Kabine ati nake, ‘Tē kā bao ēribe?’ = Jesus says to them, ‘How many loaves do you have?
Mē = to them
Kabine = Jesus
ati nake = he says
Tē kā bao = your bread
ēribe = how much/many?
Jarawara bao bread comes from Portuguese pão.
tē kā has two components:
1. tē = you/yours.
2. kā = of.
In Jarawara, the “of yours” comes before the Noun, with the Words in the opposite order to English.
Jarawara also makes a distinction between Alienable and Inalienable Possession, which I will explore if it comes up.
Mē ati narake, ‘Bao seti na, aba tatama rabake.’ = And they said, ‘Seven, and a few fishes.’
Mē ati narake = they said
Bao seti na = the bread is seven.
aba tatama rabake = a few fishes
aba tatama rabake has three components:
1. aba = fish.
2. tatama = being many.
3. rabake = it does a bit.
In Jarawara, you don’t speak about a “few” things.
Instead, things are either not many or are a bit of many.
KJV. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
Jarawara. Ati nawahaka, ‘Naho nahi bofe jā’.
Ati nawahaka = then he said
Naho nahi = sit you down!
bofe jā = on the ground
The -waha in nawahaka is the Next Thing Suffix. It often becomes “now” in English.
Jarawara bofe = English ground, bottom, or even trousers.
In a society where you sit on the floor all the time, do you need different words for “bottom” and “ground”?
naho nahi has three components:
1. naho = sit/stand.
…
2. na = do.
3. -hi = do it now!
Jarawara has a total of 8 Imperative Suffixes. For now, we’ll explore the Immediate Positive Imperatives, i.e., do it right now.
These Suffixes are the Feminine -hi and Masculine -ho.
Sadly, I must tell you that you can’t say *naho naho.
That is because naho only refers to three or more people.
When it comes to sitting you say:
1. ita = one person.
2. joro na = two people.
3. sī na = plural inanimate objects.
4. teme na = two people.
Of these verbs, ita is the only one of these verbs that can take the Positive Immediate Imperative Suffix -ho.
Sources:
R.M.W. Dixon, The Jarawara Language of Southern Amazonia (Oxford: University Press 2004)