INDIGENOUS Heritage Month 2015 yesterday opened amid much fanfare, with President David Granger making a solemn pledge to preserve the languages and traditions of the Guyana’s first people.The occasion got under way just after 17:00hrs, with the President being greeted by Indigenous Peoples of the different tribes as he made his way to the benab in the Sophia Exhibition Complex where the launch was held.
On his way to the benab, persons bedecked in traditional Indigenous attire blew their horns, and soon after this subsided, the National Anthem “Dear Land of Guyana” was played.
President Granger, in his address to kick-start activities of Indigenous Heritage Month 2015, said the rich and diverse culture of the Amerindian people needs to be safeguarded.
“Modernisation and penetration by other cultures are threatening many of the traditions and values which our people hold dear,” he told the gathering of government ministers, including Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; diplomats; and Amerindians of the different tribes of all the regions.
Culture, the President said, encompasses the totality of a people’s experiences and existence, incorporates customs and traditions as well as values,and relationship with the environment and language.
Indigenous Heritage Month 2015 is being celebrated under the theme, ‘Preserving our customs and traditions,’ and according to the president, emphasis will be placed on the preservation of indigenous languages as the Constitution of the land mandates.
The Constitution says Indigenous Peoples shall have the right to the protection, preservation and promulgation of their languages, cultural heritage and way of life, and the President assured his audience that this will be upheld.
But, he said, Guyanese should get to learn more about their environment.
“We are ignorant about the names of plants, fish, birds, animals which abound in the hinterland; we are really ignorant about the environment around us,” he said, calling for a change and an embrace of indigenous languages.
“Language makes human cooperation possible; language is part of our people’s identity; language shapes our senses and our identity, so that we know who we are; it is a form of bonding. The heritage of our Indigenous Peoples, therefore, must be seen as the patrimony of all Guyana,” the President told the lively gathering.

CULTURAL RETENTION
The government, he said, favours cultural retention and continuity, and respects the identities and heritages of all peoples of Guyana.
He told the occasion that unfortunately, the language of the Indigenous Peoples is under threat of dying, as it is not part of the “BlackBerry generation.”
“We cannot allow this to happen,” the President said, pointing out that a Hinterland Language, Cultural and Sports Commission will be established to support the preservation efforts.
The Commission, among other things, will be charged with the responsibility of promoting and preserving the Indigenous languages in accordance with the Constitution.
It will also take steps to ensure the culture, traditions and customs flourish, and are more widely appreciated and respected.
“We will ensure that wherever possible, children in Indigenous communities receive formal instruction in their native languages,” he said, noting that dictionaries will be compiled in all the Indigenous languages.
The president also announced that the government will re-establish the Amerindian Languages Project at the University of Guyana (UG), but will rename it The Indigenous Peoples’ Language Project. It will be tasked with completing the compilation of dictionaries in Indigenous languages.
Meanwhile, Vice-President and Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Sydney Allicock said Indigenous Heritage Month is about the celebration of the work and life of the country’s First Peoples.
“We must be a very proud people. We the Indigenous Peoples of the world have been the keepers of God’s forests; all of humanity now depend on the sacrifice and hard work of our forbears. We must continue their work; it is the least that we can do to honour their memory,” he said.
Santa Aratak of Region 3 has been designated Heritage Village 2015. The launch featured songs and dances from the Katiwau Dance Group, the Surama Cultural Group and several individual performances.

By Tajeram Mohabir

(Photo by Adrian Narine)