Santa Mission Santa Aratak | |
---|---|
Village | |
Coordinates: 6°33′42″N58°19′49″W / 6.5618°N 58.3304°W Coordinates: 6°33′42″N58°19′49″W / 6.5618°N 58.3304°W | |
Country | Guyana |
Region | Essequibo Islands-West Demerara |
Settled | 1858 [1] |
Government | |
• Toshao | Hilton Williams [2] |
Area | |
• Total | 220 km2 (84 sq mi) |
Population (2012) [4] | |
• Total | 277 |
Santa Mission (also: Santa Aratak [2] or Santa Aratack [5] ) is a village in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Region of Guyana. Santa Mission is mainly inhabited by Lokono Amerindians. [1] The village is located on the Kamuni Creek, a tributary of the Demerara River. [6] The village of Hopetown, an early Chinese settlement, is located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Santa Mission. [7]
Santa Mission was founded in 1858 by Alfred Patterson, a lumberjack who was looking for Wallaba trees ( Eperua falcata ). The village is built on white sand hills along the blackwater Kamuni Creek. [1]
The economy of Santa Mission is based on tourism, craft making, and logging. [2] The village has a Nursery and Primary school, [1] a healthcare centre, [6] and a local library. [3] In 2008, the festivities of the Amerindian Heritage Month were held in Santa Mission. [3] As of 2015, it was the only indigenous village in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara with titled land. [1]
Located on top of the hill is a giant silk-cotton tree. During the Dutch colonial era, the tree was used a navigation aid on the Demerara River. In the Lokono language, the tree is called Kamaka which means "mother of all trees." [1] There is a village monument dedicated to the past toshaos (village chiefs) and a kamuni Women Craft shop. [8] Near the village is the Arrowpoint Nature Resort, a privately owned tourist resort with its own nature reserve. [9]
Santa Mission does not have a connection to the road network and can only be accessed via the river. [1] Arrowpoint Nature Resort operates a ferry service from Timehri (Cheddi Jagan International Airport) which makes a stop at Santa Mission. [9] The journey will take between 45 minutes and one hour. [1]
In 1864, Chinese missionary O'Tye Kim petitioned the Court of Policy for a Chinese settlement. [10] In 1865, Hopetown was founded on the Kamuni Creek and started with 25 settlers. The village was named Hopetown after Admiral James Hope who had visited the village. It is located at 6°31′58″N58°16′51″W / 6.53277°N 58.2808°W . [7]
Hopetown flourished and peaked at 800 people in 1874. [7] The economy was mainly based on charcoal production. When the demand dwindled, many Chinese moved to other towns. [11] By 1914, about a third of the population was non-Chinese and there were only 46 Chinese left. [7]
Demerara is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a Dutch colony until 1815 and a county of British Guiana from 1838 to 1966. It was located around the lower course of the Demerara River, and its main settlement was Georgetown.
Essequibo Islands-West Demerara is a region of Guyana.
Parika is a port village located in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara region of Guyana. Its ferry service is operated by the Ministry of Transportation, to and from the Essequibo Islands and West Demerara area. It is a hub for land transport, since it is a route stop for local taxis commonly called "buses."
The Pomeroon River is located in Guyana, South America, situated between the Orinoco and the Essequibo rivers. The area has long been inhabited by Lokono people. The Pomeroon River is also one of the deepest rivers in Guyana.
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Guyana, officially the Co‑operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the south and southwest, Venezuela to the west, and Suriname to the east. With 215,000 km2 (83,000 sq mi), Guyana is the third-smallest sovereign state by area in mainland South America after Uruguay and Suriname, and is the second-least populous sovereign state in South America after Suriname; it is also one of the least densely populated countries on Earth. It has a wide variety of natural habitats and very high biodiversity.
Rockstone is a village on the right bank of the Essequibo River in the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region of Guyana, altitude 6 metres. Rockstone is approximately 26 km west of Linden and is linked by road.
Mainstay Lake is a lake in the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region of Guyana, near the Atlantic coast, northwest of the mouth of the Essequibo River, 12 miles (19 km) north of Adventure. There is a 0.5 miles (0.80 km) stretch of white sand at the edge of the lake.
George Simon was a Guyanese Lokono Arawak artist and archaeologist. He was the founder and mentor of the Lokono Artists Group, a group of Lokono artists from Guyana, based primarily in Simon's hometown of St. Cuthbert's Mission. Simon was widely regarded as one of the leading Guyanese artists of his generation, and his paintings are notable for their explorations of Amerindian culture and the Guyanese environment. He was also recognized for his achievements as an educator, his efforts to develop opportunities for Amerindian artists in Guyana, and for his work as an archaeologist.
The lands inhabited by indigenous peoples receive different treatments around the world. Many countries have specific legislation, definitions, nomenclature, objectives, etc., for such lands. To protect indigenous land rights, special rules are sometimes created to protect the areas they live in. In other cases, governments establish "reserves" with the intention of segregation. Some indigenous peoples live in places where their right to land is not recognised, or not effectively protected.
St. Cuthbert's Mission is an Amerindian village on the Mahaica River in the Demerara-Mahaica region of Guyana. It comprises approximately 200 households. St. Cuthbert's is regarded by many people in Guyana as the "cultural capital" for Amerindians.
Fairview (Kurupukari) is an indigenous settlement on the Essequibo River, in the Upper Demerara-Berbice region of Guyana. It is the entry point to the Iwokrama Forest. Former president David A. Granger once referred to Iwokrama as the "green heart of Guyana."
Karasabai is an indigenous village of Macushi Amerindians in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana. It is located in the South Pakaraima Mountains, and near the Ireng River which flows south to the Amazon River.
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Capoey is a village in the Pomeroon-Supenaam Region of Guyana. The village is mainly inhabited by Lokono Amerindians. It is located on Lake Capoey, a blackwater lake, which is one of largest lakes of Essequibo.
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Santa Mission had just celebrated its 157th anniversary