HAILING from the small Amerindian village of Wowetta, Rupununi, the Moses family, comprising of three brothers and two sisters, are quite unique in their own special way.
They are all distinguished karatekas and are in the process of training to represent Guyana at the Fourth IKD World Cup set to take place here in August 2022.
Apart from undergoing rigorous training, the proud and talented family are also teaching karate at the Guyana Karate College (GKC), the Amerindian Hostel and Orphanage at Liliendaal, East Coast, Demerara. The three brothers are all International Karate – Daigaku (University) black belts: Ernie – 29, Silas – 37, and Courtney -24.
The two beautiful and talented sisters, Rose, 27 and Pauline, 22, created karate history by moving from white to brown belt at their first grading on April 30, 2021. They were training privately for two years under their instructor, Shihan John Fernandes, 7th dan. Fiercely proud of their heritage and achievements, the closely-knit sisters are an embodiment to all women not only in their Amerindian community but Guyana as a whole.

While Shuseki Shihan is responsible for the overall development of GKC, both administratively and technically, each of the masters and instructors is responsible for developing each belt level student under their care. This method is the same as the educational system used in Guyana schools.
In Shihan’s absence, Karate Master Dr. Guy Low, 7th Dan, a well-respected medical doctor, and Assistant Professor at the University of Guyana, takes charge of all training.
The GKC is headed by legendary Guyanese Karate Master, Frank Woon-A-Tai, M.S., 9th dan, who, apart from preparing the five-member Moses Karate Family for next year’s championships, is also in the process of disseminating karate to the Amerindian community throughout Guyana.
According to Master Frank, all five Moses are naturally talented with a high degree of strength, speed, form, and spirit. Moreover, they are a family of character, integrity and social graces.
While the sisters excel at karate, they are also academically brilliant. Pauline is Personal Secretary to CEO John Fernandes at Astro Arts, an advertising company. Thus, she is well suited to administer and promote karate anywhere in Guyana.

On the other hand, Rose is a Pharmacy Technician and is awaiting an online course from the Ministry of Health in Forensic Law to begin. Rose holds an online Career Diploma from Penn Foster Career School in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA, as a Pharmacy Technician. She completed 27 pharmacy-related courses and needs Forensic Law before pursuing her B.Sc. in Pharmacy at the University of Guyana.
The GKC release pointed out that karate in the Caribbean began to spread when graduate students who learnt karate at the University of the West Indies returned to their home countries. This system is the same used by Japan and many other countries.
Wowetta, located in North Rupununi, is about six miles from Annai. The population of Wowetta is approximately 330 persons who speak Makushi. The village is the home of the Cock-of-the-Rock, one of Guyana’s famous birds.