INDIGENOUS people from across the Caribbean were able to celebrate and showcase their culture at CARIFESTA’s Indigenous Community Festival.
This Indigenous Community Festival was part of a string of community festivals being held in various places across Trinidad and Tobago as part of activities for CARIFESTA XIV. Kicking off the string of festivals was this Indigenous Festival, held in Arima.

Representing Guyana’s first people was a group of Indigenous folk from the Indigenous communities of Orealla and Ciparutu. The small group performed an Arawak song and dance at the Arima velodrome on Saturday afternoon.

This group was formed because of CARIFESTA but in the short while it has been in existence, it has been seeking to promote the Arawakan language, according to member, Ingrid Devair.

“We’re hoping that through this group, we can learn the songs (in Arawak) and learn the meanings so through that we can be able to teach the younger generation,” she told this newspaper.

Added to that, she noted that the group would have drawn inspiration from the other Indigenous peoples from other parts of the Caribbean. In fact, in Arima, there was a unique mix of Indigenous cultures from a handful of countries.

“It is a nice experience to know that they’re other (Indigenous) people around the Caribbean and they’re proud of their Indigenous identity and are bringing it and showcasing same in different forms,” Devair highlighted.

The group is not only hoping to revel in the rich Indigenous culture presented, but will be seeking to bring back some of the culture and techniques seen to add to the “flavour” of Guyana’s Indigenous Heritage Month celebrations, which will be held in September.