Guyana

A Wapishana cultural activist is trying to revive a dying language

by Atiba Rogers, GlobalVoicesNovember 23, 2018

In the midst of Guyana’s lush rainforests, nestled between the Rupununi River and Brazilian border, dwells the Indigenous Wapishana tribe. Linguist and cultural activist Adrian Gomes hails from an isolated Wapishana village, yet, he speaks less Wapishana — an Indigenous Arawakan language spoken in Guyana and Brazil —than English. Now, he’s trying to revive the […]

Wapichan set up ground-breaking system to defend human rights and monitor ancestral lands

by South Rupununi District Council (SRDC)September 20, 2017

Lethem, Guyana, 19 September 2017: Amidst increasing concerns about threats to their forests, wetlands and way of life, the Wapichan People of Guyana (South America) have set up their own ground-breaking system to defend their human rights and monitor their ancestral lands against harmful development. Community information has been collected using a grassroots land use […]

Amerindians in Guyana Leery of Emerging Oil Economy

by Neil Anthony GiardinoDecember 23, 2015

This September Lenox Shuman and fellow Arawak Amerindians marched to the Prime Minister’s office in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown, wearing war paint and clutching bows and arrows. It was a display of cultural identity that ended in a pledge to defend the country against neighboring Venezuela, who has laid claim to more than half of this […]

Wapichan showcase new proposal to save tropical forests on traditional lands

by John Ahni SchertowFebruary 8, 2012

The indigenous Wapichan people of Guyana came forward this week with a new grassroots proposal that would allow them to care for 1.4 million hectares of pristine rainforest on their traditional territory in south-west Guyana. The Wapichan’s proposal, which is centered on a digital map created with GPS technology, would also secure their traditional economic […]

Guyana’s Wai Wai establish a precedent for Indigenous People

by John Ahni SchertowOctober 5, 2007

During the second Latin American Parks Congress this week, the Wai Wai established a new precedent for Indigenous People, becoming the first to declare their territory a ‘Community Owned Conservation Area.’ Backed by a government decree and supported by US-based Conservation International (CI), they also banned miners and loggers from their section of the Amazon […]

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