Dictionaries & learning
Words that see the world differently
Every language carries its own picture of the world. Whoever says “ayni” also says: I give because I have been given. Whoever says “Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ” greets all relatives – stone, tree and eagle too.
Here you find the dictionaries I am gathering bit by bit. Every word with its meaning in five languages, pronunciation and source. In each dictionary you can switch to “Learn” at the top, or practise all languages mixed on the learning page.
Where there are good dictionaries by the peoples themselves that I may not copy, I link to them with the respective dictionary.
Celtic DictionaryWords from the sacred grove – Gaulish, Irish, Welsh and Celtic names in Switzerland, each word with its source and attestation.
Lakota DictionaryWords of the prairie – a glimpse into the Lakota language, gathered from freely available sources.
Wixárika dictionaryWords from the Sierra Madre – sacred places, ancestors and festivals of the Wixárika, with links to dictionaries by the Wixárika themselves.
K’iche’ DictionaryQatzij – words from the highlands of Guatemala: the sacred, Popol Wuj, the twenty days, numbers and greetings, with sources.
Quechua & Aymara dictionaryRuna Simi and Jaqi Aru – the languages of the Inca and the Andean peoples: Pachamama, apu, ayni and greetings from Lake Titicaca.
Shipibo DictionaryWords from the Ucayali – a glimpse into the Shipibo language, gathered from freely available sources.
LearnPractise words and knowledge playfully – flashcards, word quiz and questions on customs and rituals, for one language or all of them mixed.
Word of the day · Wixárika (Huichol) · The sacred & ceremony
mara’akame
ma-ra-’a-KA-me
singer, healer, shaman
Plural mara’akate. The one who sings leads through the night by the fire, heals and keeps the knowledge of the ancestors. Women, too, become mara’akame.
