Introduction

The Wayuu speak the Wayuu language (wayuunaiki) and have a population of over 150,000 in Colombia, with a total of over 416,000 in all countries. They are located in the department of La Guajira in Colombia and the state of Zulia in Venezuela, primarily on the Guajira Peninsula and adjacent areas.

The ISO code is [guc]. Alternate names include: Goajiro, Guajira, Guajiro, Uáira, Wahiro, Waiu, Wayu, and Wayúu. The classification of the language is Maipurean, Northern, Maritime, Ta-Maipurean.

Wayuu has been considered as one of the most vigorously spoken indigenous languages in South America (Crevels 2007). Wayuu speakers highly value their language. The younger generation, however, uses Spanish as well.

Materials produced in Wayuu include a grammar, texts, and the New Testament. The Latin script is used for all of these materials.

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