Shipibo Foundations · Module 3: People and Possession · Lesson 5 of 5

Upriver, downriver: who is who

By the end you can say where on the river someone is from, and why that matters.

4 new words · about 8 minutes

Jakón yantán! Good afternoon! — Xáwe is with you for Module 3.

Identity follows the river. Chíponki — downriver, historically the Shetebo. Réboki — upriver, the Konibo. Napónbekon — midriver, a newer term. On the Pisqui river: the Piskibo. Together, the teachers said, all are paro jonibo — people of the river. Accents and dialect shift slightly along the water.
Culture note. This is why the people are called Shipibo-Konibo with a hyphen: historically distinct river identities that merged over the last century. The names carry their geography in the body: Réboki, upriver, from the word for the nose's tip; Chíponki, downriver, from the word for the bottom. And 'Shipibo' itself: shipi, a small monkey, plus the plural -bo. The dialects differ mostly in accent — Konibo speech carries more nasalization (ikentian where Shipibo says iketian).
✓ sourced Module 1-1 Adjectives deck slide 2 · nothing invented

The words

Read each one. The next screen hides the meaning so you can test yourself.

Chíponkidownriver
Rébokiupriver
Napónbekonmidriver
paro jonibopeople of the river

Cover the meaning

Say it before you flip. Be honest — "again" brings it back.

tap to reveal
tap to flip back

Match the pairs

Tap a Shipibo word, then its meaning.

Try it

Practice. Sketch the river from memory: which identity goes with which direction?

Now you write it

Accents optional while you learn — jakon = jakón.

Check yourself

Upriver, associated with the Konibo, is…
paro jonibo means…
Xáwe
✓

Lesson complete

Xáwe approves — Jakonshaman!

You can now say where on the river someone is from, and why that matters.

← Previous Module 4: Verbs and Real Conversation →

All lessons