We are finally heading out, seriously. After two months of
introductions, seminars, reports, more introductory meetings and other
preparations we are ready to visit the sites and communities, we read and heard
so much about but have not yet seen or experienced.
The company car is deemed fit after a final check up by the
mechanic (the roads will be bumpy and rough) and loaded with machetes, torch
lights and other field trip necessities, we are ready to roll. We’ll visit the
South of the Rupununi first for a variety of reasons. The most important one is
that the later during the rainy season (May-September) you travel, the higher
the chances will be you get stuck in the mud or be stopped by a swollen, un-crossable
river.
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| Not too sure what type of bat this is. Village kids were playing with it |
Before we leave our office in Lethem we, coincidentally, meet with
Theodore, a gentle man from the remote village of Maruranau, one of the
places we will visit on this trip. Theodore (or Theo) is an artisan, making
local crafts out of the natural forest material (baskets, mats, etc). He is
self taught, must be in his fifties and makes the most incredible, delicately
woven products out of natural materials. Theo won a prize last year for his
handicraft skills in one of the local competitions and has been invited to
Georgetown (pop. 300,000) to show his wares and to meet some dignitaries.
He just returned and
he tells us about his trials and tribulations. Before this visit, he had never
been further than Lethem (pop. 7,000), he had never flown and he needed a
“handler” in Georgetown. Utterly intimidated by the big city, he told us he
didn’t know how to hail a cab or bus, how to go from A to B or how to sleep in
a regular bed. He has slept in a hammock all his life and explains, that the
bed in the hotel he was sleeping at hurt his back and kept him up at night.
Although he said he liked the experience, we think he is glad to be back……
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| Young burrowing owls - mother came running to protect them when she saw us stopped |
So this is the world we are venturing into; of course there
are many people in the villages who have travelled, seen and experienced other parts
of the world (Brazil is close, many of the men go there to find temporary work)
but by and large, this part of the world, especially the South Rupununi, is
still untouched by our modern appliances and luxuries.
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| The local equivalent of beef jerkey |
No cell phones or internet access, bad roads, bullock carts or
a tractor, donated by the government, as only forms of transportation. There are cars and motorcycles
around but nature is still the ruling force here as we find out when we start
crossing rivers and hear about livestock, regularly being attacked and killed by
jaguars or pumas. Daily life on the
savannah…..
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| Still an important mode of transportation; near Maruranau Village |
During this trip, we will mainly visit AmerIndian
communities, which calls for a certain standardized, established procedure. The
company you work for (in our case CI) sends out a letter of introduction with
the purpose of the visit and time and date. Upon arrival, you report to the
Toshao (the elected leader of the community) and you then meet with him and the
present members of the village council. After this first, introductory meeting
you’ll meet with people from the village, who might be interested in what you
have to offer….
There are three different Amerindian groups here in the
Rupununi; the Makushis, living mainly in the North, the Wapisiana (Central and
South) and the Wai Wai (residing in the deep South). The Amerindian villages/communities
(there are, we understand, 162 in the whole of Guyana) are semi-autonomous,
have their own (licensed) land and are free to decide on what they will do with
it (compare Canada and the US). Agro-culture and tourism have been some of the
chosen options so, together with our new colleague Donovan (who is an agro
specialist) we head out, always under guidance of a CI staff, who has to
formally introduce us to the villages. Then we sit in at the meetings, listen, talk a
bit and listen more to see, what or if our advice is needed.
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| Women and children preparing cassava |
We came here to transfer our skills and we try to do so to
the best of our abilities. Every community is different, poses different
challenges and needs different solutions; more about our work later, too much
to tell about our first road trip but now you have to donate first.
INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DONATE TO CUSO
On OUR main blog page, navigate to the top right hand black menu bar. There are links here for American and Canadian donors. Both in Canada and the USA, your contributions are tax deductable. For non North Americans, if you feel so inclined, donate via the American donation page. Not tax deductable but a very worthwhile cause. Another way to donate is via Flipcause. Click on the link to access our flipcause page. It’s very easy to navigate; when you order with one of the online companies listed (Target, Expedia, Amazon for instance) a percentage of the purchase price is funneled into our fund raising efforts. A little bit less painful perhaps ……
A HUGE THANK YOU for staying with us through this blog and following our varied journeys to further explore this incredible world of ours as well as our fascinating cohabitants.....
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| Close up of a matapi, a long, woven tube used to squeeze dry the grated cassava (see others hanging in the background) |
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