‘Land of the Rising Moon’

Capoey is a Wapishiana word, but Arawaks live in there, and it means land of the rising moon. It is a place known for its black water lakes, welcoming natives and speedboat races. The little village is located along the Essequibo coast, past its neighbouring villages like Aurora, Maria’s lodge, Suddie and Queenstown. Capoey is home to cultural and traditionally rich people who inhabit one bank of the lake. The village is home to almost 700 people, most of which originated from a few farming families. Today, the distinction between the village and the resort is as clear as could be to the people of this beautiful little village. It is said to have been born from a history of struggle, faith and a people who kept on fighting to become one of Guyana’s most noteworthy, visited and adored places. Capoey’s future is firmly planted in development, and the village can’t go anywhere but up.

On our quest to find more about the village behind the resort, encapsulated in beauty, the Pepperpot magazine spoke to the village’s long-standing Toshao. Having been born and raised in the village of Capoey, Ralph Hendricks is perhaps one of the longest-serving Toshaos, having held the post for more than 20 years. Toshao Hendricks was born into Capoey some 64 years ago when the little village by the lake was still just a mission started by the Methodist church. After attending school in Capoey, Toshao Hendricks went to high school on a scholarship. Upon his return, the Toshao admitted that he had no initial intention of working in a government job. Like many of the young men of the period, he was interested in the logging aspect of things.

After some time, however, he became a teacher, as he stated, “My mother is the one who took the initiative. My father died at 64 and I was just 15 years old. She took on the job of raising us. I went to school and after some time I became an agricultural science teacher.” He went on to teach for many years before retiring at age 50. As Toshao Hendricks stated, “Capoey was not like tis before. In 1988, I was still an acting teacher and at that time someone could have given you the leadership role.” Toshao Hendricks went to describe the day he became the Toshao as he returned from getting married, the former Toshao encountered him. “And I was coming back from church and the Toshao met me with the commander of the region and he said ‘I am old and I am done with this thing, you carry on.’”

Looking at the village of Capoey today, one could never have imagined that it was once a little mission founded by Adventist and later Methodist churches. One of the primary pillars of the community, the school, has changed and evolved with the rest of the community over the years. As the Toshao stated, “It was started by a few families. As a matter of fact the mission was not here. The first mission was at a stelling far away, that was the first mission and it was an Adventist mission,” he said. “Then the methodist came and started this mission here. It was a star apple tree they used to go to school under.” Today, the school is a beautiful building that comfortably houses all of the village’s children.

The captivatingly majestic beauty of Capoey’s black water lake is central to the village and its sense of identity. The existence of the river impacts a large part of the village’s history. According to the Toshao, the village of Capoey and surrounding areas were once plantations and home to slaves, and it was these slaves that gave the village its name. “Here was once a plantation. When the water dries every twenty years, but its years that it hasn’t dried,” said the Toshao. The lake in previous years, would go through an extreme dry period every 20 years, where the lake bed would be dry enough to walk over. During one of these dry spells, the village was formed as escaped slaves found a new home. As the Toshao stated, “We were once slaves, and they decided to escape during the night. And when they reached here, in this river bank the moon started to rise over the bushes. And they said, “Capoey, land of the rising sun.”

Today, the community has blossomed into a tourist’s destination and an adventurer’s dream. And this year, on September 24 will celebrate Heritage Month like many other indigenous villages, celebrating what it means to be Guyana’s first people. Toshao Hendricks stated that it is a tourist’s destination and an adventurer ‘s dream. “Heritage is the day when we all celebrate. We have labba, bush cow, bush hog and any other meat and fish you can have that day. We have cassava bread; we will have crab in different dishes. And many more activities that day”

The Toshao admitted that this would most likely be his last year in service, as he stated, “This is my last term as Toshao and I think I have had enough. I think the younger persons should take up the opportunity to continue from where I left off.” In all his years of service to the community of Capoey, Toshao stated that if there’s one thing, he could say about his village, it is moving forward. He stated that, “I can tell the rest of Guyana that we are developing slowly but surely.”