Prayer service kicks off Amerindian Heritage celebrations

The Indigenous community countrywide is eagerly awaiting the commencement of activities for Heritage Month 2018. The month-long activities will commence with a religious service at the Heritage Village in Sophia on the evening of Friday, August 31, and will culminate with the Annual Fund- raising Dinner on September 29.
On Opening Day Friday, the religious programme will feature a “Hallelujah Group” from Region Seven. Coordinator of this activity, Valary Dorrick, recently explained that the only indigenous faith that exists in Guyana is the “Hallelujah Religion”, and as such, the service would embody activities in accordance with this religion.
This form of worship is predominantly practised by several villages in Regions Seven, Eight and Nine.
It would be the second time Hallelujah Worshippers would be participating in the religious service. Last year, a group of six from Kangaruma Village, Middle Mazaruni and another six persons from Kamarang, Upper Mazaruni, Region

Seven, for the first time led the religious service with prayer and divine worship in their native Akawaio language.
This year, a twelve-member group from Jawalla Village, Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven, will lead the service. Dorrick said the service will begin with a “Wada Boo Call,” or the sound of a horn traditionally used by the Indigenous nations across Guyana as a signal to assemble.
“That’s how we are going to start, along with a welcome dance into the service. This is a religious dance, so we are doing the dance (using) religious songs. So you can come out and be a part of the service”, Dorrick noted.
Reflecting on last year’s service, it was recalled that the Guyanese populace was, for the first time, given opportunity to witness first-hand activities surrounding worship by this group, when all present participated in a religious dance after joining hands in a large group setting and moving orderly in a circle, stopping periodically to conduct various acknowledgements in accordance with the religion.
This exercise lasted for approximately half of an hour, with Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe’s full participation. This was not the first time Minister Garrido-Lowe would have experienced this form of worship.
Given that she is in constant contact with the Indigenous peoples, this is often the kind of welcome she is graced to experience.
Additionally, for many Guyanese who are unfamiliar with this faith, now is the opportune time to experience and share in the indigenous form of worship.
Ministers of the Government, members of the diplomatic corps and other dignitaries will be in attendance and share in the experience of the Hallelujah Worship. The service begins at 17:00h on Friday, and will be broadcast live on the National Communications Network (NCN) Radio and Television.