Our Culture, Our Heritage, Our Life: A Fusion of Indigenous Diversity
AMERINDIANS for many decades were seen as ‘people of the forest’ whose culture was confined to the ‘bushes’ and many exploited simply because many people saw them as vulnerable. Over the years this has virtually changed under the current administration as much emphasis has been placed on improving the livelihoods of the Amerindians. The current People’s Progressive Party Civic administration remains rooted in its continued effort to have a unified country. This means that integration of the Amerindians in the democratic organizations of this country is essential. Amerindian Heritage month first came into being on the 10th September, 1995 when the late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan dedicated the month of September to commemorate the achievements and contribution of Amerindians to Guyana over the years. However, late President Cheddi Jagan committed to having their culture and their other contributions to Guyana recognized at the national level, in 1995 dedicated September as Amerindian Heritage Month. To this day Amerindians have no doubt left an indelible mark in Guyanese History.
Early History
The Amerindians are the descendants of the indigenous people of Guyana. Broadly grouped, the coastal and interior tribes are the most predominant in Guyana. The coastal Amerindians are the Carib, Arawak, and Warrau, whose names come from the three language families of the Guyanese Amerindians. The populations of coastal Carib in Guyana declined drastically in the nineteenth century, but Arawak and Warrau communities have been thriving due to strong communal bonds and can be found near the Pomeroon and Corentyne rivers. The interior tribes of Amerindians are declassified into seven tribes namely; Akawaio, Arekuna, Barama River Carib, Macusi, Patamona, Wai-Wai, and Wapisiana. The Akawaio, Arekuna, and Patamona live in river valleys in the western section of Guyana. Two Amerindian groups live in the Rupununi Savannah region: the Macusi in the northern half and the Wapisiana in the southern half. The Wai-Wai lives in the far south of the country, near the headwaters of the Essequibo River. All of the interior Amerindians originally spoke Carib languages, with the exception of the Wapisiana, whose language is in the Arawak linguistic family. The term tribes are a linguistic and cultural classification rather than a political one. By the 1990s, all of the Amerindian groups had undergone extensive acculturation. The coastal Amerindians were the most acculturated, sharing many cultural features with lower-class Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese. There had been considerable intermarriage between coastal Amerindians and Afro-Guyanese and in some instances with Indo-Guyanese. The Wai-Wai and the Barama River Carib were probably the least acculturated of the Amerindians due to the distance of settlements from major civilizations. However over the years this has changed as many of these tribes and communities have made significant changes and as such they have been integrated into society. Nevertheless, most Amerindians spoke English though in their own dialect, while those close to Guyana’s borders chose the neighbouring language as a second one. Finally, most Amerindians had been integrated in one way or another into the national economic system, though usually at the lowest levels.
Life
Amerindians, today, live semi-traditional lifestyles in communal settlements and are no longer nomadic as their ancestors. They live in territories that are politically defined and in many cases on titled land that they own as a group. The political structures of these communities are linked to the local government system and village chiefs and their councilors are elected to serve for five years. These have been made possible through the efforts of the current administration and the return to democracy in 1992. To this day a greater focus is now placed on the livelihood of our first people. External influences continue to influence the profound changes that have taken place in Amerindian attitudes and in their ways of life. Most Amerindians are self-employed, concentrating on traditional subsistence activities such as agriculture, hunting, fishing and forestry. In spite of the rapid changes that have occurred in many of the hinterland communities most Amerindians continue to operate outside of the cash economy and a great lot are still dependent on the subsistence way of life. Amerindian diet contains predominantly cassava, from which much of their carbohydrates come from. Fish and wild meat provides the requisite protein content of their meal. These are either bought from fishermen in the village or from local hunters or either the families themselves. Tools for daily lives are garnered from the forest. Dugout canoes are carved out of the trunks of trees. Palm fronds can just as easily be plaited into roofing material as they can be woven into an instant backpack for carrying food and supplies into and out of the forest. The Amerindians also can prescribe their own medicine as they know which herbal life is good for many ailments. Their nights are dimly lit by oil lamps, or just by stars. Thus nature plays a major part in the lives of the Amerindians. The entire surroundings encapsulate what nature has to offer.
Culture
Amerindian arts and craft still represent early stages of man’s history. Painting of the body and the use of bright pigments are still common in some tribes. Tattooing is less common. These are some of the simplest forms of Primitive Art and are common in many parts of the world. This tendency is also reflected in certain practices in advanced societies. Among the Guiana tribes (inclusive Guyana), designs vary from simple geometrical forms to rather intricate patterns often showing an appreciation of symmetry and effect. Tribal dances and other festive occasions call for much ornamentation and body painting. As the tribes advanced and acquired some leisure, more effort was devoted to decoration; even stone articles were more finely finished and polished. Punctured designs in pottery gave way to incisions and painted designs. Clay figures of legendary beasts and creatures of the wild or the supernatural were used to decorate pottery. Animal designs were also used in basketry work. Designs were fashioned after animals and as civilization developed domestic and other articles ceased to be plain. As contact with other tribes led to trade, design and decoration acquired an added importance and creative art received a new stimulus. This effect is very obvious up to the present day in many forms of Amerindian art. Especially so in scraped and incised decoration on pottery. Generally a higher degree of ornament is apparent in the manufacture of the interior tribes. More elaborate patterns are seen in paddles, pottery of all sorts, some colourful feathers are worn and even hammocks are coloured. Amerindian baskets work is particularly neat and of a high order. Materials of different colours are used and skillfully woven to produce patterns of animal or geometrical designs. Baskets are made for different purposes. Some are also adorned with cotton and feathers. Cassava graters are also made in elaborate designs, the chips of stone being arranged in definite patterns. Working in wood is also an admirable Amerindian art. Canoes, stools, bows, arrows and other articles are very skillfully worked. Head-dresses, ornaments, necklaces, and musical instruments are well finished and often elaborately decorated.
Achievements
Amerindians in Guyana have achieved a lot over the last few years and this has catapulted them into the spotlight. Many of them have become famous through various portfolios held across the country. Notable among those are Dr. Desrey Fox and Climate Change advocate, Yvonne Pearson who is also Head of the National Toshoas Council. The indigenous community has more reasons to be proud as well as one of its very own now sits on the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in Bertie Xavier. The Amerindian Affairs Ministry has been at the helm of development for varying projects and communities across the country. Achievements have been made in sports, culture and education and it’s a fact that we cannot hide. Education has been the greatest achievement of Amerindians under the current PPP/C administration. High academic achievers from the hinterland who acquire scholarships to further their studies in the city now have a place of their own after a new dormitory was commissioned. The $94.5M facility at Liliendaal will house approximately 120 students (78 girls and 42 boys) drawn from 20 Villages in Regions one, two, seven, eight, and nine and ten are expected to occupy the new students’ dormitory at Liliendaal. The gesture is one of several fulfillments of Government’s commitment to ensure Amerindians enjoy the privileges of life like any other ethnic    group in society.
Access to primary education for hinterland students is today 100 percent and secondary education is increasing with schools in Santa Rosa, Waramadong, Three Mile, Aishalton, Kwakwani and the Sand Creek secondary schools. In 2009 hinterland students achieved 89.9% passes. Many of the graduating scholarship students have gone on to higher institutions of learning and training such as the Cyril Potter College of Education and the University of Guyana. Many have returned to their regions and are today serving as education officers, graduate/trained head teachers, doctors, medexes, dentists, staff nurses, midwives, engineers, lawyers, administrators etc. Several are in Cuba undergoing training in various disciplines. These investments in education by our government not only fulfill one of the many commitments set out in the PPP/C’s manifestoes of 1992, 1997, 2001 and 2006 but place many of our Amerindians in a position where they are now able to be a part of the mainstream of available economic opportunities.
The Amerindian presence has been the longest in Guyana and, therefore, as the indigenous people, they have helped to forge a nation out of an untamed land to create the foundation of what is now Guyana. As the communities interact more and more with other cultures they will redefined themselves and find new roles for the 70,000 strong Amerindian men and women in this multicultural and pluralistic society.