Tobacco leaves were smoked as part of the ritual during the First Peoples River Ritual on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
“Spirituality is a way of life”.
That’s what Santa Rosa First Peoples Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez said as he described the river ritual that was held by the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community on the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road Tuesday morning.
The river ritual is among the activities marked for Heritage Week, a week of holidays from October 10 to 15 to commemorate the first annual Peoples’ Day on October 14. This year’s theme is Recognizing the Resilience and Creativity of our First Peoples.
“We have lobbied for a long time for a day of recognition as the First People of Trinidad and Tobago. We had to pick a significant day, so we picked October 14.”
Bharath Hernandez said on October 14, 1637, High Priest Hyarima of the Nepuyo people did his “most courageous act” when he fought against Spanish oppression of his people by attacking the town of Saint Joseph – burning it to the ground.
“It is a day of resistance against the oppressors”.
Bharath Hernandez said his people revere water and as such pay homage to the river to honor its deep-rooted importance to their culture.
“Everything we do every day is based on an aspect of our spirituality. First peoples would have made their villages on the banks of rivers or near a watercourse because of the importance of water to life in general.”
“Water is sustaining, it’s healing, it’s cleansing, you can’t live without water and we respect water. We sing praises to water, we make offerings in the water with some of the traditional foods like bread and cashews etc. And, through the flowers we carry we make personal offers.”
Bharath Hernandez said contingents of indigenous people from Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Belize, St. Vincent and Dominica traveled to TT to participate in Heritage Week celebrations.
This year’s Heritage Week program will include:
10 October: Conference on Reparations, UWI St Augustine campus (10am – 12pm)
October 11: River Ritual, Arima River (6.30am)
October 12: Remembering the Ancestor Ritual, Red House (10:00)
October 13: Youth Forum, University of Trinidad and Tobago, Point Lisas Campus (9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)
October 14: Recognition Day, meeting at the Hyarima monument (6.30 am)
October 15: Church service and procession to the headquarters of the First Peoples of Santa Rosa (6:00 p.m.)
Like a festival (20:00)
Newsday Chief Photographer Jeff K Mayers captured these images from the Santa Rosa First Peoples River Ritual.
The First People paid homage to water during the river ritual at the Arima River on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
Drummer Sergio Bergmans from Suriname says a personal prayer as he blows smoke from tobacco leaves at the First River of the Peoples ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Street on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
Surinamese shaman Anesta Jagendorst adds the final purification by blowing smoke from tobacco leaves into special medicinal herb water at the First Peoples river ritual on the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
Suriname shaman Anesta Jagendorst blows smoke from tobacco leaves at Santa Rosa First Peoples Chief Ricardo Barath Hernandez, who is a symbolic cleansing of bad energy in the First Peoples River Ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Street on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Chairmen
Suriname Shaman Anesta Jagendorst smoking leaves at the First River Ritual of the Peoples at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Street on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
Surinamese drummer Sergio Bergmans cleans himself before the start of the festival as he respects the water in the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River on Blanchisseuse Street. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
Suriname Shaman Anesta Jagendorst, Santa Rosa First Peoples Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez and Queen Nona Lopez Calderon Galera Moreno Aquan make offerings after paying respects and saying a personal prayer during the First Peoples River Ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Street on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
Queen Nona Lopez Calderon Galera Moreno Aquan during the First Peoples river ritual in the Arima River. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
Surinamese drummer Sergio Bergmans of the band Waiono Arowakaan makes an offering after paying respects and saying a personal prayer during the First Peoples’ river ritual on the Arima River. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
Surinamese drummer Sergio Bergmans of the band Waiono Arowakaan, makes an offering after paying respects and saying a personal prayer during the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Street. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez and his 6-year-old granddaughter Amaya Bharath Hernandez during the First Peoples River Ritual at Arima River, Blanchisseuse Street on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
Santa Rosa First Peoples Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez performs a ritual during the First Peoples water ceremony at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road, Arima on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
The Santa Rosa First Peoples perform their river ritual at the Arima River on Blanchisseuse Road on October 1st. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
The Santa Rosa First Peoples perform their river ritual on the Arima River on Blanchisseuse Road on October 1st. The ritual was part of the Heritage Week celebrations. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers
