Dear Editor,
Relatively, Indigenous month 2023 could be described a success in the Amerindian communities throughout Guyana. In planning, there were elements who perhaps thought the plans which were meant to achieve the success would have failed. Editor, we Amerindians survived history through thick and thin. No mountain was too high, no river too wide, or deep; we prevailed. The challenges were many, notwithstanding. Our challenges today as a people are still many, as they present themselves in society. Throughout the ages there were challenges. Yes, there were battles for survival; health issues, food security problems. Land could have been a major issue, which continues to be, but in the end Amerindians prevailed, triumphant over those challenges. And that is what matters.
Today, while we continue to celebrate our Indigenous Heritage, year by year, we cannot ignore the challenges we continue to face as a People. We cannot continue to celebrate our Ancestors’ Great Spirit while we continue to slight the wrongs committed against our own people. To do so is to insult the Great Spirit of our Ancestors. Let’s celebrate but let’s also remember the story of our great Ancestors: their resi-lience, their strength and unity, their boldness in face of struggles. While we continue to celebrate, these very Ancestors are overlooking to see whether we will overcome our own unique challenges with similar resources they had.
Let us remember our Great Ancestors whose lives made our celebration possible today. Let us continue to trudge the jungle, paddle the deep rivers, but so too let us continue to remember our ancestors who lived and died, passed traditions to us so that their culture, our culture can live on. They are our example. Long live the Amerindians of Guyana.
Sincerely,
Joseph C Atkinson
