-At fourth day of NTC meeting
TOSHAOS and Senior Councillors from more than a dozen Amerindian communities were yesterday given the opportunity to work along with the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) to clarify their respective village borders. When this process is completed, this will bring the number of titled Amerindian communities to 109.
Additionally, there are 34 communities seeking applications for extension of their village lands.
Those involved in the clarification exercise were Eclipse Falls, Four Miles, and Karaiko, Region 1; Batavia, Kambaru, Tasserene, and Kangaruma, Region 7; Tuseneng and Karisparu, Region 8; Sawariwau, Katoonarib, Parabara, and Rupunau, Region 9; and Rivers View, Region 10.
Following the completion of yesterday’s exercise, GLSC personnel will visit the various communities to further confirm the boundary lines and ensure there are no overlaps before the land titles are presented.
This activity was part of the agenda for the 5th National Toshaos Council meeting which is being held at the Guyana International Conference Center (GICC), Liliendaal under the theme, “Consolidating and Expanding Frontiers for Amerindian Development.”
“This is a very opportune occasion for particularly those communities who have applied for titling and have been waiting for quite a while,” Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai stated.
She emphasised that when applications are made for titling, there is cause for verification or investigation. In this regard, the GLSC had requested from the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs that the Toshaos be brought to Georgetown to assist them in carefully mapping the proposed areas, particularly for those titled areas.
“The description and proposed map that you would have sent, you know it best, because you would have gone through with your community all the nooks and crannies and you would have listed your names,” Minister Sukhai indicated.

The clarifications of the community boundaries are also key to the operations of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
GLSC faces challenges with the names of some of the communities since they are not included in the Gazetteer of Guyana.
Minister Sukhai emphasised that the issuing of land titles is a part of the PPP/C Government’s commitment to ensuring that the indigenous people of Guyana have the constitutional right to land ownership and that they are not denied such.
At the opening ceremony of the NTC several Kaburi, Region 7, Campbell Town, Region 8 and Moco Moco, Region 9 received their land title certificates from President Bharrat Jagdeo. (GINA)