THE beautiful community of Hiawa in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) is bordered by the mighty Kanuku Mountains and home to a little over 400 persons.

In East-Hiawa, near its Primary and Nursery school is a small Catholic church where many of the villages visit every Sunday for Mass.

The Pepperpot Magazine met a couple from the village of Shulinab, who, while awaiting the service, revealed that they had 47 grandchildren with the number still likely to increase.
Persons were seen traversing mainly by foot and bikes while some were even seen in the back of a tractor, an alternative means for a shorter journey.

Many of the people of Hiawa are young and vibrant. Several young children including babes and teens were seen playing amongst each other or helping out with the daily chores such as cooking.
The older folks are quiet but observant. Several of them in the community still speak and understand the Macushi language which is the most popular of the Cariban languages, spoken by some 25,000 people in Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela.
They farm to eat, while the surplus is sold in Lethem which is 18 miles away from the village.