Women in French Guiana

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Two modern-day women from French Guiana. The woman in front is peeling manioc (cassava, Manihot esculenta). Instrument rudimentaire pour reduire le manioc en farine.jpg
Two modern-day women from French Guiana. The woman in front is peeling manioc (cassava, Manihot esculenta).

Women in French Guiana are women living in or are from French Guiana. Some of these women are from the Maroon society of French Guiana. Although matrilineal in nature, some Maroon women in French Guiana once acted only as assistants or basia to the kabiten or male leader. A common job for the Maroon women in French Guiana include cleaning work in coastal areas, particularly in the markets of Saint-Laurent and Cayenne to earn income that would support their children. [1]

Other women from French Guiana also come from other ethnic groups such as the Kali'na, the Oyaricoulet, and the Wayana peoples.

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The Demographics of French Guiana are characterized by a young population with 44% below the age of 20 as of 2017. The total population stood at 268,700 as of January 1, 2017. The demographic profile is a reflection of the territory's high fertility rates. Regarding nationality, as of 2010, 64.5% of the population had French nationality, while 35.5% were of foreign nationality with significant communities from Suriname, Haiti, and Brazil among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suriname</span> Country in South America

Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, sometimes considered part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. Situated slightly north of the equator, over 90% of its territory is covered by rainforests, the highest proportion of forest cover in the world. Suriname is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south. It is the smallest country in South America by both population and territory, with around 612,985 inhabitants in an area of approximately 163,820 square kilometers. The capital and largest city is Paramaribo, which is home to roughly half the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kourou</span> Commune in French Guiana, France

Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Kourou is famous for being the location of the Guiana Space Centre, the main spaceport of France and the European Space Agency (ESA). It is an administrative district in French Guiana and the main town there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marowijne District</span> District of Suriname

Marowijne is a district of Suriname, located on the north-east coast. Marowijne's capital city is Albina, with other towns including Moengo and Wanhatti. The district borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, the Surinamese district of Sipaliwini to the south, and the Surinamese districts of Commewijne and Para to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroons</span> African refugees who escaped from slavery in the Americas, and their descendants

Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and Islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into separate creole cultures such as the Garifuna and the Mascogos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saramaka</span> Maroon ethnic group of Suriname and French Guiana

The Saramaka, Saamaka or Saramacca are one of six Maroon peoples in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. In 2007, the Saramaka won a ruling by the Inter-American Court for Human Rights supporting their land rights in Suriname for lands they have historically occupied, over national government claims. It was a landmark decision for indigenous peoples in the world. They have received compensation for damages and control this fund for their own development goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Guianas</span> Region in north-central South America

The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, is a region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guyanas: Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, formerly British, Dutch and French Guyana. Broadly it refers to the South American coast from the mouth of the Oronoco to the mouth of the Amazon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aluku</span> Maroon nation in French Guiana and Suriname

The Aluku are a Bushinengue ethnic group living mainly on the riverbank in Maripasoula in southwest French Guiana. The group are sometimes called Boni, referring to the 18th-century leader, Bokilifu Boni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramaccan people</span> Maroon ethnic group of northeast Suriname

The Paramaccan or Paramaka are a Maroon tribe living in the forested interior of Suriname, mainly in the Paramacca resort, and the western border area of French Guiana. The Paramaccan signed a peace treaty in 1872 granting the tribe autonomy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ndyuka language</span> Creole language of Suriname and French Guiana

Ndyuka, also called Aukan, Okanisi, Ndyuka tongo, Aukaans, Businenge Tongo, Eastern Maroon Creole, or Nenge is a creole language of Suriname and French Guiana, spoken by the Ndyuka people. The speakers are one of six Maroon peoples in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. Most of the 25 to 30 thousand speakers live in the interior of the country, which is a part of the country covered with tropical rainforests. Ethnologue lists two related languages under the name Ndyuka, the other being a dialect of Lutos.

The Music of French Guiana is a very rich and varied music of several styles and cultures coming from Europe, Africa and the Americas by the Amerindians due to its history and its multi-ethnic diversity.

Maroon Music is a genre involving people of African descent that were not born on the continent creating songs in an African language. It is named after the Maroon (people), African refugees who escaped from slavery in the Americas and formed independent settlements. Just as the Maroon people created their own societies in lands foreign to them in attempts to retain their freedom, Maroon music is an attempt by African American artists to reacquire their Mother tongue through writing music in an indigenous African language. Maroon Music subject matter centers around stories about Maroon leaders and other historic freedom fighters of African descent, Maroon groups, peace, unity, and righteousness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of French Guiana</span>

The coat of arms of French Guiana, a région of France located in South America, consists of a boat full of gold on a green river, charged with three white water lilies. In chief, the fleurs-de-lis of France appear beneath the date 1643. On either side of the shield is an anteater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayana</span> Indigenous people located in the Guiana highlands

The Wayana are a Carib-speaking people located in the southeastern part of the Guiana highlands, a region divided between Brazil, Suriname, and French Guiana. In 1980, when the last census took place, the Wayana numbered some 1,500 individuals, of which 150 in Brazil, among the Apalai, 400 in Suriname, and 1,000 in French Guiana, along the Maroni River. About half of them still speak their original language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Guiana</span> Overseas department and region of France in South America

French Guiana is an overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west and Brazil to the east and south, French Guiana covers a total area of 84,000 km2 (32,000 sq mi) and a land area of 83,534 km2 (32,253 sq mi), and is inhabited by 295,385 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ndyuka people</span> Maroon ethnic group of Suriname and French Guiana

The Ndyuka people or Aukan people (Okanisi), are one of six Maroon peoples in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. The Aukan or Ndyuka speak the Ndyuka language. They are subdivided into the Opu, who live upstream of the Tapanahony River in the Tapanahony resort of southeastern Suriname, and the Bilo, who live downstream of that river in Marowijne District.

Anarchism in French Guiana has a short, and little recorded, history. The only continental territory in Latin America to remain under European control into the 21st century, Guiana has not seen the same political developments as most countries in the region. Still, anarchism has existed to some degree, mainly through the presence of political prisoners deported to the colony. In the modern era, anarchism has had a minor presence in the Guianan political milieu.

Bokilifu Boni was a freedom fighter and guerrilla leader in Suriname, when it was under Dutch colonial rule. Born in Cottica to an enslaved African mother who escaped from her Dutch master, he grew up with her among the Maroons in the forest. He was such a powerful leader that his followers were known as Boni's people after him. They built a fort in the lowlands and conducted raids against Dutch plantations along the coast. Under pressure from Dutch regular army and hundreds of freedmen, they went east across the river into French Guiana. Boni continued to conduct raids from there, but was ultimately killed in warfare.

Saramaka is a neighbourhood of Kourou, French Guiana. The neighbourhood is mainly populated by Saramaka maroons from Suriname who settled in the area during the construction of the Guiana Space Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">France–Suriname relations</span> Bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations between France and Suriname were established on 25 August 1976. Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana share a common border of 520 kilometres (320 mi). Suriname operates an embassy in Paris, a consulate in Cayenne, and an honorary consulate in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. France operates an embassy in Paramaribo, a consulate in Georgetown, Guyana, and an honorary consulate in Albina.

References

  1. Polimé, Thomas (translated from Dutch by Kenneth Bilby). "The Role of Women in the Maroon Societies of Suriname and French Guiana". This article was commissioned by SITES for the Educational Resource Guide to the exhibition Creativity and Resistance: Maroon Cultures in the Americas. Retrieved 3 November 2013.