Iskonawa

The Iskonawa are an Indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon whose ancestral language, Iskonawa, belongs to the Panoan language family. Traditionally, they lived throughout the watersheds of the Callería, Utiquinia, Shesha, and Abujao rivers.
Following contact with outsiders in the late 1950s and relocation to the Shipibo-Konibo community of Callería, the Iskonawa experienced significant cultural and linguistic change. Today, around 120 people identify as Iskonawa, but only three first-language speakers remain: Nelita Campos Rodríguez (Nawa Nika), Juana Meza Rodríguez (Pibi Awin), and José Pérez Rodríguez (Chibi Kawa).
Today, the Iskonawa people are working to strengthen and revitalize their language and culture through ODEBPI and the Escuelita Iskonawa. This community-led initiative brings children and Elders together to learn the language alongside traditional stories, songs, designs, and other ancestral knowledge through play, art, and technology.
In partnership with 7000 Languages, Escuelita Iskonawa created this online course to support both Iskonawa learners and anyone interested in learning the language. We hope this course helps Iskonawa continue to grow for generations to come.