Total population | |
---|---|
~83,000 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Colombia | ~50,000 |
Panama | ~33,000 |
Languages | |
Northern Emberá, Emberá-Catío, Emberá-Chamí, Emberá-Baudó, Eperara, Spanish | |
Religion | |
jaí, Evangelicism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Wounaan |
The Emberá listen , also known in the historical literature as the Chocó or Katío Indians are an indigenous people of Panama and Colombia. In the Emberá language, the word ẽberá can be used to mean person, man, or indigenous person, depending on the context in which it is used. There are approximately 33,000 people living in Panama and 50,000 in Colombia who identify as Emberá.
The Emberá language, is not a single language but a group of mutually-intelligible languages spoken throughout Panamá and Colombia. Along with Wounmeu, they are the only extant members of the Chocó language family and not known to be related to any other language family of Central or South America, although in the past relationships have been proposed with the Carib, Arawak, and Chibchan language families.
An established Emberá alphabet has been officially recognized by the government of Panama, consisting of:
To date, there have been very few books published in the Emberá language. These are mostly educational materials produced by Panama's education ministry (MEDUCA) or by Christian missionaries. The most significant of these to date is a Bible translation containing the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament titled Ãcõrẽ Bedea, "the word of God." The following is an excerpt from the book of Matthew: