Recordings began in 2026 with communities along the Ucayali, including Comunidad Nativa Callería. The full course is being built lesson by lesson with named speakers and careful consent. You can reserve your place now and we will let you know the moment it opens.
Shipibo language course · In development
The Shipibo-Konibo Language Course
A 43-lesson course to learn Shipibo-Konibo, the language of some 35,000 people living in around 150 communities along the Ucayali in eastern Peru. Recorded with named speakers, built alongside a growing dictionary, and made so the language is heard, used, and carried forward.
Current status
Recording is underway now.
Forty-three lessons that move from first words into real conversation, paced so a complete beginner can follow and use the language day to day.
A growing Shipibo-Konibo dictionary recorded with named speakers, so learners hear the language from the people who carry it, with clear consent for every recording.
A free starter kit of key phrases, audio guides, and practical checklists for anyone preparing to visit or work respectfully in the region.
The course sits inside a wider archive of kené design, ráo plant knowledge, mythology, and river-life history, so words carry the world they come from.
A named share of every course sale returns to the Ucayali, funding equipment, transcription, and community copies. Buying the course helps keep the language work alive at its source.
Jose Saenz has been a critical partner in the Amazon, connecting Shipibo collaborators, translation support, and the relationships this course is built on.
Enrollment
$150 for the complete 43-lesson course.
One payment, lifetime access to every lesson and the growing dictionary. A named share returns to the Ucayali, and the rest funds the next language program the same way. Enrollment opens when the lessons are ready — add your email and you will be first to know.
Amazon partner
Jose Saenz
Jose does not work for The Community Garden, but he has been a critical partner in the Amazon. He connects Shipibo collaborators, supports translation and recording, and helps make sure the language work stays accountable to the communities it comes from.
His relationships along the Ucayali are the foundation this course is built on.
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