Caquetío, also called Caquetío Arawak, is an extinct Arawakan language. The language was spoken along the shores of Lake Maracaibo, in the coastal areas of the Venezuelan state of Falcón, and on the Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. Only some short wordlists still exist of Caquetío.
Name An important discovery was the term kakïtho used by the Lokono to refer to "people" or "living beings", which encompasses a broader meaning than the term loko. The Lokono term "kakïtho" is related to the Caquetío word kaketío, and both are also related to Pre-Andes Maipuran terms for "person". The Piro (Yine language) and Apurinã respectively use the terms kaxiti and kakiti to designate "people". Given the widespread use of this term, it is believed to have originated from Proto-Maipuran. Some suggest that the name "Caquetío" may have originated from the Caqueta River. The misspelling of "Caquetío" as "Caiquetio" stems from an early Spanish document.
History Around 500 BCE, the Caquetío language group separated from the Middle to Upper Orinoco areas, migrated alongside the Apure River, and headed northwest to Venezuela. Eventually, they reached the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. Simultaneously, other groups like the Carib, Lokono, and Taíno evolved due to migrations from the Orinoco to the Caribbean region. The Caquetio switched to Papiamento in 1800.
Geographical distribution Caquetío was spoken not only on the ABC islands but also along the Venezuelan coast, particularly in the Yaracuy, Portuguesa, and Apure river regions, today the states of Falcón and Lara. The language declined as the indigenous Amerindian population decreased during Spanish occupation.
Vocabulary With the arrival of Europeans, the dominant Caquetío language emerged. Many place names (toponymy) and personal names (anthroponymy) persist along the Falcón coast, and some have survived on Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire. Although Caquetío's influence on Papiamento is limited, some originally Caquetío words are present in Papiamento.
Toponymy Indigenous names are prevalent in specific regions of Aruba, such as Sasiriwichi at the northwestern tip, near the California lighthouse. Additionally, the hilly areas in eastern Aruba, from Cashiunti, Huliba, Kiwarcu to Coashiati or Jamanota, and the north coast between Andicuri and Oranjestad, abound in Caquetío toponyms.
Influence Notably, many Caquetío words in Papiamento pertain to local flora and fauna, unfamiliar to European settlers and the African slaves who arrived in the area in early 16th century.
Sample words In the first table a few words and expressions of the Caquetio language, which could still be recalled by a few elders (with some difficulty as the language had already been dead at the time) and which were recorded by Dutch pastor A.J. van Koolwijk in Aruba in 1880. CaquetíoDutchEnglish? ?Hoe gaat het?How's it going? (as an answer to "Hida (meeuw)?")GoedGood!Ga zitten!, Ga zitten op de stoel!Sit down (on the chair)!!Geef mij te eten!Give me food!!Ga weg!Go away!Ik ben geschrokkenI got spookedEen eetlepelSpoon, Een kalebas om uit te drinkenDrinking bowl or bottle made from a calabash, Een zakBag, PocketHuismeubelenFurnitureEen dingThingRegenRain(Gebed na het eten)(Prayer at the end of a meal)Arbeiders om te plantenWorkers for plantingCastagnetCastanetEen maïskoekMaze cookie(Bezwering na het vangen van een leguaan)(Prayer after having caught an iguana)Een kindChildRoodbilkikkerColombian four-eyed frogGestreepte AnolisCuraçao striped anole In the summer of 1882, Alphonse Pinart collected some vocabulary of the native language of Aruba. His vocabulary is presented below. +glossCaquetiorainto ask for something to eatsack, pouch, be gone!!devil, wicked spiritthing, object (?)give me to eat!!spoonsit down!!good morning!!phantom, hobgoblinhow do you do??water-gourd, fruit of Libidibia coriariaSpondias mombinCereus repandusAgaricusMimosa unguiscataAbrus precatoriusCytisus catjanMalpighia glabraCratera gynandraRagara octandraRobinia pulcherrimaSapindus coriariaTheretia nerifloraDiodon hystrixCharacinus cyprinioidesChaetodon fromitusEpinephelus fasciatusCymindes illigeriFulica sp.?Orpheus americanusCathartes curasoicaRana sp. (?)Sitophilus granariusFormica cephalotaCassiopea frondosaTermes fatalisConops sanguisugaIchneumon nigerMytilus edulislizard
Sample phrases Pinart also collected the following exorcist's or conjurer's "formulas": +UsageCaquetiomaledictory formulafor frightening childrento remove cactus-spines from the body..to remove fishbones or other obstructions from the throatfor hunting the iguana.
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