Towards holistic development for Indigenous people in Guyana

Immaculata Casimero is Wapichan from South Rupununi. Varshnie Herman is the current Indigenous queen of Orealla village region six and is engaged in social and humanitarian works in her community. Timothy Williams

is Wapichan from Aishalton and is a graduate in Geography from the University of Guyana. Medino

Felician Abraham is from Moruca, a community considered by many to be fast developing but losing

elements of its culture and language.

“We welcome development but we have to be careful not to lose our culture and traditions completely by

it” (Bernadette Abraham, elder of Moruca)

September is designated Indigenous heritage month in Guyana. It is a time when we pay tribute to our past leaders who laid the foundation and a time where we highlight our culture and reflect on our trajectory, with a focus on how we would like to see development in our communities and country that can be sustained for future generations. Our discussion takes on the topic of holistic development that should include all spheres of our lives: economic, cultural, political, environmental, social and spiritual.

Over the years we were neglected by central governments on the coast because of our customs and traditions, and were not provided with access to equal opportunities for “development” in communities. However, in recent years there have been some changes in this situation, which has seen some of us get involved economically by becoming traders and local entrepreneurs. Being engaged also means indigenous communities having access to services (even though they are precarious) that exist in urban environments: roads and transportation, education, potable water, renewable energy to acquire electricity, health care, job opportunities and modern technology etc.

While the linear approach of development which most of our communities were schooled by and are engaged in may contribute to a certain model of “progress” and upward mobility for our people, conventional development usually takes on a one sided approach that sees most aspects of our culture as tradition that must be overcome or left behind. Thus, there is need to develop other aspects as well, particularly for those communities that maintain strong practices of indigenous languages and local customs, including local knowledge of the environment. Plans for infrastructural development come mostly from outside to our communities, and usually they are linked to party affiliates to build roads and bridges etc. for us; often these are not durable because planning and execution lack local knowledge and input of the people on the ground. The same can be said for conservationists who come from outside to tell us how to conserve the forest as if we were not doing it for thousands of years, even though we appreciate their expertise in modern technology to assist us. For education, it’s a similar experience with planning that comes from outside, a top down approach with little contribution that is inclusive of our indigenous epistemology and way of learning in the mainstream system. Including our proposals of cognitive learning from the ground in the national curriculum can be meaningful to our children, generating better academic performance as government collaborates with us to reduce the disparity in education and other social services between the hinterland and the coast.

Furthermore, the experience of “progress” in some of our coastal communities has brought about a throwaway culture resulting in the pollution of the environment with rubbish and other harmful debris in some of our villages. The reconditioned cars, old motor bikes, old excavators left to rot at neighbouring mining sites; other appliances we purchased that eventually become unusable, dumped in our backyards or on the roadside, greeting those who enter once clean, unpolluted and supposedly “underdeveloped villages.” Concomitantly with conventional development evolving in our communities, enters the excess use of drugs and other substance abuse among young people, some of whom become mentally ill and not cared for by most community members. This includes the spread of illnesses like malaria, alongside social ills like stealing and child neglect. There is need for us to develop a proactive approach in responding collectively to these issues that are entering our villages and putting additional strain on the local authorities, most of which are unprepared to deal with the changes.

We have a right to practice our own vision of change and progress, and should not only be viewed as exotic or museum pieces by some people. For example the Wapichan people have a management plan showing their vision of development that is anchored in a holistic approach to culture and land. Other communities should make theirs. This includes continuing to plant and eat organic nutritious foods to keep us healthy and strong vis a vis the available junk food that is contributing to the rising health problems among our people.

It is important to develop and embrace our languages and also use modern technologies like creating an App to promote them. Additionally, we should value and develop customs and traditions as part of our indigenous identity, draw on our local knowledge of architecture to construct durable and eco-friendly buildings and roads; and with the state’s assistance further promote local technologies and skills in relation to producing handicrafts, arts, music and other production. Other elements that need to be further developed are our human relations, with regard to collaboration in the local collective work system. This vital aspect of working together is paramount to us in achieving significant goals in unity. The other dimension that needs to be cultivated is our inner being, to value the philosophy of our ancestral connection to land and sacred sites.

An important element for our holistic development is empowerment, through education that can enable us to

be in meaningful dialogue with churches, schools, companies, non-governmental organizations and others who make plans for our development from outside the communities, plans that are rarely sustainable. Additionally, being empowered will enable us to dialogue with the country’s leaders and collaborate with them in executing development plans that directly address our needs in our communities, since from past experiences we have noticed that most projects usually turn into white elephants from development plans drawn up for us from Georgetown, in a context where we are primarily seen as handouts for votes.

Hence, there is need for holistic development based on an education not only of the intellect but that teaches our children and teachers to value their culture and tradition, as well as provide scholarship opportunities for the academically gifted to achieve their dreams in all areas to develop the country. Furthermore, an education geared towards a holistic development for our people includes decolonizing the mentality that learning only occurs with a pen and paper in the classrooms, because rich traditions of learning and knowing exist in our communities. We need to make more use of these traditions and stories to enable our children to be literate in reading and writing (in English and the local languages), including encouraging more indigenous scholars to write and publish books (bilingual ones) from and with our communities.

A holistic approach to development should be promoted by an indigenous epistemology that makes us learn of our rights to land, the environment and the laws that govern us. Where our leaders acquire capacity building skills to govern the village efficiently; and where village councils are trained to write proposals, possess effective management ability, record keeping and other technical skills for effective leadership. This type of learning should produce rounded village leaders with knowledge of technology and culture, besides integrity, intellect, and wisdom to lead our communities in a holistic development approach that sustains indigenous culture and tradition for future generations in Guyana.