Chenapou protests over land titled to neighbouring village

-says half of population affected, urges halt of demarcation

Conflict is brewing between two Region Eight indigenous villages over land and despite pleas for the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs to intervene, officials have not responded to letters sent.

“If they don’t wanna do anything, we of ourselves would take action against it,” Edward McGarrell, the Toshao of Chenapou told Stabroek News. He said that the Village Council had sent a letter on the matter to the ministry in August and never received a response. “I feel bad because I think is something of urgency and something that you should treat as urgent,” he told Stabroek News on Thursday after another letter had been dispatched to the ministry.

McGarrell explained that just before the May 11th general elections, the village of Karisparu was granted its land title but it covers “over half of the population of Chenapou.” Over 50% of Chenapou villagers live in an area that is now deemed Karisparu’s land, he explained. He said that this area is on the other side of the Potaro River, outside of Chenapou’s titled land, but the people have been living there for years.

The Toshao said currently surveyors from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission are in Karisparu demarcating the land and if nothing is done by the ministry, the people of Chenapou would take action and stop them from coming into the area where they live.

“If the Ministry don’t want to do anything, I would do it of myself. If they want to come, let them come and talk to me because that’s my place and I know it better than any one of them,” he said. McGarrell said that the APNU+AFC coalition, during their election campaign, had promised to deal with issues faced by indigenous peoples. “Now that they’re in power, it look like they wanna go even worse than the previous administration and I’m not into it,” he said.

Chenapou wants the demarcation process to be suspended until the matter can be resolved. In a letter sent to Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs Sydney Allicock on August 14th, McGarrell wrote that at a community meeting on August 5th, residents of the Upper Potaro village agreed to write the letter urging swift action.

The letter, seen by Stabroek News, explained that Karisparu was granted a Land Title just before the May 11th elections. “This title granted covers land which we know as belonging to Chenapou and on which more than half of our population currently lives. The title was granted to Karisparu without prior consultations with the villagers in that community as well as consultations with the villagers of Chenapou. It has been mutually established a long time ago by both communities that a bay on the Arnik Creek be recognised as the common boundary. This has been respected by all until the title which was recently granted,” the letter said.

“As a community, we are very unhappy that a decision was made to grant the title to Karisparu by the previous administration without our free prior and informed consent [FPIC] and also without ground surveys to ascertain where mutual boundaries exist. We believe that if the granting of this title had followed internationally recognised and prescribed standards, we would not have been faced with the current situation. And if the Amerindian Land Titling project under which we assume this title was granted does not recognize our rights to participate in the discussions regarding titling and demarcation, then it is not following its mandate in ensuring that our basic human rights such as FPIC covered under the United Nations Declarations on the rights of Indigenous Peoples is being respected,” it added.

According to the Village Council, the people of Chenapou have lived on both sides of the Potaro River for generations, even before the community of Karisparu was formed. “With the new title that has been granted to Karisparu, it has caused a rift in the relationship we have built over the years with our new neighbours,” it said.

It recommended that the ministry set up a task force to look into having the title rescinded and the granting of land titles reviewed so as to ensure that their social, environmental and economic rights are safeguarded.

There was no response to this letter and during a visit to the city earlier this week, McGarrell delivered another letter to the ministry and also raised the matter at a meeting of the Executive of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) on which he sits.

In the letter, McGarrell noted that demarcation is happening on the ground. “We the residents of Chenapou Village strongly object the demarcation process and are not happy that the process is ongoing. Our lives and livelihoods are at stake here, we feel violated that our concerns are not given and attention,” the letter said.

It said that subsequent to the last correspondence, representatives of Chenapou have met with the Toshao and some councillors of Karisparu to discuss the issue and they have suggested that the people living in the disputed area still belong to Chenapou and that it will not be a problem. However, McGarrell said that according to the law, this is not possible.

He said that he raised the matter with a ministerial adviser who did not satisfactorily address the issue.

“There are many issues as it related to the Amerindian Land Titling project, however it seems like your team is moving ahead in the same line as the previous administration. This is not right; if communities are telling you that there are problems on the ground, it means Honourable Minister that there are problems. Let us for a moment suspend the process and have a thorough review,” he urged in the letter.

“We are being led to believe that our situation in not in your interest as demarcation has commenced even though we have written your office regarding same. We demand that the demarcation process be suspended until we can resolve the issue with our boundaries,” McGarrell asserted.

The Toshao told Stabroek News that the Chenapou residents living in the contested area are “not pleased with the title that was given to Karisparu, knowing that they are residents of Chenapou.”

“Big people gah stick to their word, be honest. If they really is a ministry supposed to be representing the indigenous people, you cannot be…claiming that you representing us and not representing us,” he said.

He noted that he had met with Karisparu’s Toshao as well as two councillors and three other residents in an effort to resolve the matter. However, he said, legally, Karisparu has the title and the people living in the contested area would be considered Karisparu people. “I see this would be a big problem,” he said.

“According to the Toshao, he saying is just like the same. He said they are your community members but if they are my community members, you got title over them, you can control them, you can say anything but legally—according to law—once I have title over this land, I can tell you what I have to tell you. The part over there doesn’t have same jurisdiction over you,” McGarrell related.

He said that if the ministry does not respond, the people would take action but they prefer the ministry visit and help to resolve the matter.