Monday, August 9 is the date set aside by the United Nations (UN) as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Guyana has, over the years, observed this international day, in addition to Amerindian Heritage Month, as it pays homage to the indigenous people of Guyana, who according to history – and the most recent empirical, scientific data from carbon dating – were the first persons to inhabit this land of ours.
The Amerindians, historically, were divided into many tribes, nine of which are currently living and could be accounted for in Guyana. The history of the Amerindians predates the history of the other two dominant races living in Guyana, namely the Africans and the Indians. The former being brought here during the dehumanising years of slavery as slaves, and the latter as indentured servants after slavery was abolished.
While the Africans and Indians, post independence, have been able to develop themselves in congruence with the advancement of civilisation as they live predominantly on the coastal plains where the Capital City and transit ports were established. The indigenous peoples, who are more grounded in “traditional customs” and culture, live a more isolated life in the remote regions of Guyana.
Some historians and scholars argue, however, that it was the influence of Great Britain prior to Guyana gaining independence – in the 1800s that led to Amerindians being isolated. It is argued that during colonial rule after the abolition of slavery, changes in export commodities decreased the need for a formal relationship with indigenous peoples. This, the scholars noted, led the British to formulate a policy of isolation and “wardship” in the 19th Century followed by the establishment of a “reservation system” in the 1900s.
With the passage of time, however, many of the Amerindian groups had undergone extensive acculturation, especially those living along the coast.
Whatever the theoretical applications being proffered, the outcome was that the Amerindians, who were the first inhabitants of this land, were clearly stagnated. It was for this reason and more (agreement between Great Britain and Guyana), that proposals to reform the condition of the indigenous people – more so, within the classifications of recognising their rights to autonomy, self-determination, political participation, as well as access to lands, territories and resources – were mandated.
These mandates were effected and embodied in the Amerindian Act, which was established in 1951, and most recently amended in 2006. The Amerindian Act has enshrined in it, inter alia, provisions for grants to communal lands, leases, intellectual property rights, environmental protection, mining and forestry, governance and consultations intended to better the lives of the indigenous people.
Despite the advances being made in the developmental sphere of our Amerindian brothers and sisters, many of them are still trapped in the “isolationist” paradigm due to a host of mitigating factors. Primary of which is their inability to tap into wealth which is centrally located in coastal areas such as towns. Most of the Amerindians are still living in the remote areas of Guyana and are disconnected from the modalities and benefits of the coastal areas. Benefits such as a proper education.
A proper education is integral towards our economic and social advancement as a people and it is the only vehicle through which the abyss of poverty can be surmounted.
It is probably for this reason that the theme for this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, “Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Education”, is being expounded.
According to the UN’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, “On this International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, I call on Governments everywhere … to improve access to education for indigenous peoples and to reflect their experiences and culture in places of learning…Let us commit to ensuring indigenous peoples are not left behind as we pursue the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Improving access to education for indigenous peoples is important now than it was ever before, since there are persons who are of the view that the Amerindians should not be the beneficiaries of their fundamental rights – such as access to communal lands – accrued to them for being the traditional inhabitants of Guyana among other pertinent reasons.
If most of the Amerindians living in Guyana receive a proper education, they would be better informed in the social and economic direction that they would want to establish for themselves and be less susceptible to exploitation and deceit on the part of individuals who are supposed to have their best interest at heart, both at the domestic level and internationally.
