From Immaculata Casimero, Jylleina Da Silva and Jesuit Medino Felician Abraham
Immaculata Casimero is from Aishalton. She is the coordinator of the South Rupunun women’s group. Jylleina Da Silva is the current indigenous queen of Cuyuni/Mazaruni, Region Seven. She is a Lokono and is a phlebotomy technician. Medino Felician Abraham is not following anyone. Autodesk_new He works with indigenous people on the Brazilian border with Guyana.
We offer these thoughts in observance of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples 2022. In researching the indigenous people of the Amazonian Caribbean of northern South America, we found that the archaeological literature on pre-Columbian history by Brazilian archaeologists such as Pedro Mentz and Guyanese Denis Williams, among others others, documented that our people inhabited the South American continent for thousands of years before 1492 when Columbus set foot on it. Their study together with other ethnohistorians further emphasized that at that time there was no Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, etc., but only a large expanse of territory inhabited by natives. This understanding indicated that indigenous people inhabited the lands of present-day Guyana, which eventually developed into a nation state.
Given this brief history, the country now has a growing 10% indigenous population in all 220 communities and 10 administrative regions across the country. Together, our nine different groups reflect a cultural diversity from the coast to the Savannahs and the Rupununi Mountains. It is a demographic that possesses a multitude of languages, traditions, customs and beliefs; including the natural resources in biodiversity and ecosystems that are preserved by our stewardship over the years. But unfortunately, this natural wealth currently faces a threat, with an anthropocentric view of development fueled by talk of increasing our gross domestic product (GDP) and politicians using our forest conservation efforts to promote fame. theirs on the international stage as champions of the land.
With a growing population of 80,000, our numbers can enable us to have proper representation in parliament and to be the protagonists for changes in decision-making matters related to lands, education and other critical areas that can allow us to we have a dignified life in Guyana. However, such an ambition may be a pipe dream, given that the two dominant political parties composed mainly of our coastal peoples do not seem interested in creating such a space for indigenous autonomy. We can say that they are skeptical of our strength and would rather do anything to split our ballots and label our voting demographics as swing votes, which ultimately makes us subject to their neo-colonial hegemony.
Living under this system does not improve us in our villages, especially at election time. In our communities, local party members repeat the polarized divide from the dominant rival gutter politics happening on the coast, and simultaneously use strategies to appease us in the form of government ‘aid and assistance’, which is great, but coming with agendas for the return of votes for political parties. This subordinate structure makes us as an indigenous people subject to continuous paternalism by successive governments. Therefore, to deal with this system, it is necessary for us to form a grassroots movement and strengthen ourselves by reviewing the trajectory and struggles of the elders who fought in unity for the following achievements: our rights to the lands; the creation of the American Act 2006; The National Toshao Council (NTC) and other key achievements even as efforts are made to control them by governments, as we saw at last month’s National Toshao Council (NTC) meeting.
Collective empowerment can promote initiatives, for example by developing District Councils in communities across the country, guided by the American Act of 2006. Efforts can be made to educate our youth on the American Act, the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as well as on Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) that deals with decision-making processes without pressure and intimidation inflicted on communities. It involves looking for the right ways to deal with projects, especially in relation to oil investments that can benefit our people in developing sustainable and efficient ways in the villages. Furthermore, a collective approach has the potential to assist the government in revising the Amerindian Act 2006 to be at par with international standards; to deal with critical issues that ensure the further demarcation of lands for the growing population and future generations and to regulate mining and environmental activities on our lands.
In addition to addressing the colonial legal systems governing land demarcations, there is a need to apply collective efforts at community levels to address the internal challenges caused by the inevitable transformations occurring in our communities and villages. Some of them are individualism in family and work environments; power-hungry individuals in positions of authority; drug and alcohol use; teenage pregnancies; domestic violence; and the reluctance of some parents to pursue their children for formal education in some communities.
We must admit that we have the power in our hands, take initiatives in forming groups to support each other, to take care of families who are in crisis and face social ills in communities. It’s good to see groups of women gradually growing; engaged in wonderful work in educating women about domestic violence and the role of men in the community. In parallel, there is a need for indigenous men to form groups to educate their brothers in decolonizing the macho mentality when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex, while acknowledging that not all men are abusive, there are many who respect women.
Being part of a multi-ethnic country, we coexist with other groups and are always in interaction with each other, and in this process transformation occurs; other groups influence us and we also influence and learn from them. As such, it is good to highlight the following sociolinguistic reality. This year, 2022-2032, begins the decade of Indigenous Languages designated by the United Nations. In this context, most of us speak English, our local languages and also Creole. The latter is also part of our identity, especially for indigenous peoples living in coastal areas. Thus, collectively, it is important to recognize Creole as an important role in children’s learning in schools, which can promote the revitalization of other indigenous languages in slowly dying coastal communities, and simultaneously other languages such as: Wapichan, Patamona, Macushi. , Acawaio and Arecuna that are strongly spoken of and that should be encouraged and promoted through community level initiatives.
It’s great to see some of our indigenous people bettering themselves through education and as entrepreneurs. At the same time, we need to ask critical questions about the attitudes that make us ‘development-minded money’, where we build concrete houses that transform our communities into concrete jungles and pollute the environment with plastic waste, reflects an attitude from the culture laid down as the best standard to live by. This ‘modern’ sociocultural reality happening in villages needs a collective response in education from our elders to balance modernity and tradition. Our elders are encyclopedias possessing a wealth of experience and knowledge of indigenous cultures. They can advise and impart wisdom to young people about caring for the environment, about indigenous economic knowledge, understanding weather patterns, knowledge about spirituality and ancestral lands, all of which are important wisdom for sustainable development and conservation. traditions for future generations.
Another aspect that is paramount is to incorporate the benefits of modern science and technology into communities, to promote our languages, to pursue higher education opportunities and to be researchers of our cultures, because it seems that it is mostly foreigners who have the economic means to produce studies. upon us, the “exotic people.” Additionally, we must use modern technology to educate ourselves on issues such as current world food prices. Indigenous people are struggling in Guyana with the rising cost of living even though the government is giving cash grants to families, but it is not enough to cover the cost of feeding the families.
We also need to be concerned about mining issues like the one at Chinese Landing, where we can show solidarity with other indigenous people there. The situation calls for us to come together and encourage negotiations with the Government to resolve the issue, because today it could be Chinese Landing and tomorrow it could be another community. Furthermore, our people must be constantly updated and educated about climate change; be mindful of how it is affecting our farms and livelihoods in communities and look for solutions on how to adopt and be ‘climate smart’ to keep farms producing in climate crises.
In conclusion, as we reflect on International Indigenous Peoples Day 2022 in Guyana, we must recognize our potential if we are united and empowered to do things: demand justice and respect for our rights; dealing with climate change transformations; knowledge of modern technology; and being united and proactive in tackling social issues in communities while contributing sustainably to the development of Guyana.
