pyjai

Kari'na

Etymology

From Proto-Cariban *pɨjati; compare Apalaí pyaxi, Akurio piyahi, Carijona hiyači, Trió pïjai, Wayana pïjai, Akawaio piyaisan, Pemon piyai, Ye'kwana jüwai, Yao (South America) peeiai, as well as (from non-Cariban languages) Wayampi paye.

Pronunciation

• (Venezuela) IPA^(key): [pɨððaj]
• (Suriname) IPA^(key): [pɨːjaj]

Noun

pyjai (possessed pyjairy, plural pyjaijan)

1. shaman
2. the practices or job of a shaman

References

• Courtz, Hendrik (2008) A Carib grammar and dictionary‎^[1], Toronto: Magoria Books, →ISBN, pages 2, 355
• Ahlbrinck, Willem (1931) “püyéi”, in Encyclopaedie der Karaïben, Amsterdam: Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen, page 399; republished as Willem Ahlbrinck, Doude van Herwijnen, transl., L'Encyclopédie des Caraïbes‎^[2], Paris, 1956, page 389
• Yamada, Racquel-María (2010) “pyijai”, in Speech community-based documentation, description, and revitalization: Kari’nja in Konomerume‎^[3], University of Oregon, page 797