THE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has been actively involved in activities to commemorate Amerindian Heritage Month.

This is according to subject Minister Dr Frank Anthony, who made the disclosure in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Thursday at his Ministry on Main Street, Georgetown.
Dr Anthony pointed out that an event was recently hosted in the compound of the Ministry of Culture, where villagers of St. Cuthbert’s Mission attended and showcased their talent in the craft of straw-making.
He said that later this month, at the Walter Rodney Museum of Arts, an individual will be recruited to provide knowledge of Amerindian heritage and culture, such as their myths and legends through storytelling to children.
The minister added that sessions of weaving, basketry and other craft will be provided so as to showcase the skills and beauty of the locally made trinkets.

Dr Anthony also disclosed that a team from the National School of Music will scout the various Amerindian communities to seek talented individuals for a music competition, preliminaries for which are expected to commence soon.
He explained that with this initiative, there has been a challenge with translating the songs from the Amerindian language to English.
He revealed that the Arawak dictionary has also been republished. This dictionary, he added, serves as a translator for seven of the nine Amerindian languages and they are being distributed to various communities. He also mentioned that there was a collaborative effort with the Makushi people for the development of a workbook on the language, and copies were sent to the villages after being published.
On the topic of books, Dr Anthony pointed out that the ministry is in full support of a book of petroglyphs, which has been researched by Ms Donnis Williams.
He assured this newspaper that his ministry has been enthusiastically involved in having these activities put together for Amerindians and the wider Guyanese nation, noting that the ministry is keen on preserving the rich Amerindian cultures in Guyana.

(By Savitri Laikram)