Heavy rainfall and flashes of lightning did not stop the hundreds of residents and visitors who turned up to celebrate the culture of Guyana’s first people last Saturday at Santa Mission, the chosen village for this year’s heritage celebrations.
Apart from this being the second time the village has been selected to host the national celebration, Santa Mission also celebrated 157 years since the village has been established.
Dramatic pieces, traditional dances, calypso hits from reigning Calypso monarch, King Pirai and guest appearances by the 10 beauties contesting for the coveted Miss Amerindian Heritage crown, were just some of what Santa Mission showcased last Saturday.
Visitors also got a chance to experience several indigenous dishes and beverages including Alligator tail, labba, pepperpot, Tocoma worm (beetle larvae), and cassava bread, piwari and fly (potato wine).
A line up of activities inclusive of swimming, tibisiri stripping, coconut tree climbing and cassava grating with the aim of showcasing the many talents of the indigenous people were also on the programme, however, they were called off as a result of the downpour.
Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs Sydney Allicock told the gathering that in spite of them being physically absence, the entire cabinet was there in spirit to join in the celebrations.
He expressed his pleasure at being able to visit the village a second time, while calling on residents to preserve and promote the culture of the indigenous people.
“If we give up our culture and traditions, we will be giving up our identity as indigenous people. Language is the cornerstone of any culture and our government has committed… to ensuring that our language is kept alive,” he said.
He further said, “We have class, we have quality and today we are here as a result of our heritage celebration pioneers. It was the sheer pioneering spirit of our indigenous leaders which caused so much to happen.”
Additionally, the minister encouraged villagers to unite, not just on a community level but a national level as well for the betterment of the indigenous population in Guyana.
“We … must be proud of ourselves. We have to understand that life is very precious, we must understand that we cannot do without each other. We need to attack issues rather than personalities,” he said.
“We can confront the evils of hate and disunity with the will to unite in the best interest of our village and communities. In this way we will honour our leaders of yesterday and produce better leaders today and tomorrow. It is in our culture to work hard first then celebrate hard second. Let us start the work to become a united family, a united village and a united Guyana.
“We can do much more, we must do much more. We must muster the will and courage to make our dreams a reality. Therefore we can make a pledge today to ensure we remove the lines that divides us in our villages.”
These sentiments were reiterated by Chairman of the National Toshaos Council, Joel Fredericks.
“It is a privilege that we are able to sit here today to celebrate our rich culture,” he said. “And I want to say how proud I am to be a descendant of the Arawak nation mixed with some Carib. I want to say to the indigenous people of this country: it is time we unite, stand firm and be brave and say yes, truly we have come a long way.”
He went on to say, “We have seen development from year to year happening in this country under the different governments. But all is not well, we have to unite and stand strong because our ancestors fought, and they fought and today we are still fighting for betterment. We have a great legacy that we must be proud of and pass on to the new generation.”
Additionally he encouraged finding a balance between preserving the rich culture of the indigenous people and the technological advancements that flood society as time progresses in order to live up to this year’s heritage month theme, ‘Preserving Our Customs and Traditions.’
At the end of the ceremony, Allicock, as well as Junior Minister, Valerie Garrido-Lowe were treated to a tour around the village, making stops at the village craft shop and guest house, and were given a demonstration of Tocoma harvesting before sitting down to an indigenous themed lunch prepared by the local restaurant Santac Fine Dining.
As for visitors and residents, time was spent indulging in sampling indigenous foods and beverages while others opted to take a dip in the river before heading back to Georgetown.
Found in the Demerara River along a picturesque Kamuni Creek, Santa Mission is the only Amerindian Village found in Region Three and had first hosted Heritage Celebrations in 2008.
