Language: Andoa was a Zaparoan language once spoken along
the border between Peru and Ecuador. The last speakers died in the 1990's; however, some Andoa elders still
remember something of the language. Andoa was an agglutinative
language with many suffixes and predominantly SOV word order.
It is closely related to the Arabela language, and some
linguists consider them to be dialects of a single language.
Thanks for your interest in indigenous American languages!
Names: Originally the Andoa, Gae, and Shimigae
were three distinct Zaparoan bands, but under pressure from colonization, they have effectively merged together, and all three of these
names are still sometimes used to refer to them. Spelling variants of these names include Gaye, Gay, Shemigae, Semigae, and Simigae.
In older literature, the Gae tribe was sometimes called the "Siaviri" or "Slaviri"; the origins of this name are obscure, but it was
probably a place name. Sometimes the Andoa language is referred to as
Arabela-Andoa, considering its close relationship with
the Arabela language.