Grade Six Social Studies
The Interior Savannahs
Hello boys and girls.
I trust you had an awesome week at school. I do hope you are making deliberate efforts to learn something new every day, which means you have to read not only your school books but also children’s magazines, newspapers, and fiction novels that are appropriate for children. If there is a library in your community, I would highly recommend you become a member of the library if you are not already. The library would have lots of fiction and non-fiction books on a variety of topics and subject areas that would be useful for your National Grade Six Assessment and beyond. Using the library correctly would help you to form a life-long love of reading. Exposure to books and appropriate information would help you gain literacy, a skill that you will use for the rest of your lives. “It is books that are the key to the wide world; if you can’t do anything else, read all that you can.”– Jane Hamilton
For the past weeks, we widely studied the Natural Regions of Guyana. We examined the Low Coastal Plain, the Hilly Sand and Clay Region, and the Forested Highland Region. Today, we will explore the fourth natural region: The Interior Savannahs. Specifically, we will:
1) Describe the Interior Savannahs
2) Discuss the population, occupations/industries, and economic activities
found in the Interior Savannahs
3) Examine its weather and climate in some of the important places
Description of the Interior Savannah
A Savannah is defined as a tropical grassland with scattered trees. The Interior Savannahs are found in the southwestern part of Guyana next to the Brazilian Border. This area consists of rolling grasslands with a few hilly areas. The Savannahs of Guyana are named after the Rupununi River.
Did you know?
The forested Kanuku Mountains divide the Interiors Savannahs into two areas: 1) The North Savannahs are about 5180 km.
2) The South Savannahs are about 6475 km.
Let’s compare the North Savannahs with the South Savannahs
The North Savannahs have gently rolling grasslands with clumps of trees in wet areas; the South Savannahs, on the other hand, are hillier. The Shiriri, Marudi, and Bat mountains are found in the Southern Savannahs.
Vegetation
The vegetation is chiefly grass and scattered palm trees. Trees can be found along the river bank.
Important to Remember: There is a long dry season and a long wet season. Each of these lasts for about six months. During the long dry season, the earth becomes dry and parched. The sun’s heat sometimes starts fires with the dried grass, destroying much of the grasslands and causing cattle to be scattered.
Fact/Tip: The Savannahs are called cattle country because of the grasslands. Physical Features of the Interior Savannahs are:
Let’s Look at the Population
The population comprises mainly Guyana’s Indigenous people, the Amerindians, who, in addition to being farmers are also vaqueros or cowboys.
Vocabulary Building: Vaquero is a Spanish word for a herder of cattle.
Fact/tip: Vaquero means a person who manages cattle on horseback.
It is a wonderful experience to see the vaqueros rounding up the cattle and sometimes catching them with lassoes. They do this on horseback. Boys and girls, you must know that this activity calls for much skill on the part of the vaqueros since they have to anticipate the movement of the animals and the distance over which they have to throw the lasso.
You might be wondering what a lasso is.
Some examples of a lasso
A lasso is a rope or long thong of leather with a noose used especially for catching horses and cattle
Let’s look at the major Occupations/Industries in the Interior Savannahs Remember an occupation is a job or profession that a person does to earn a living.
● Cattle ranching, mainly for beef ● Balata bleeding
● Farming e.g., peanuts, maize (corn),
cassava, vegetables
● Fishing and hunting
● Craft work: Making hammocks, leather articles, such as belts and bags, and jewellery, such as beadwork
● Furniture making: Nibbi Furniture
Fact/tip: Most balata bleeding in Guyana occurs in the Kanuku Mountains’ foothills in the Rupununi.
Important facts about the Nibbi Plant!
Nibbi is a Hemi-epiphytic plant. This means that they attach themselves to trees but are rooted in the ground by aerial roots. The long, straight free-hanging roots are considered to be suitable for weaving. The Nibbi tree is said to be sustainable since the roots of Nibbi can be collected without killing the plant, which is considered to have great potential as a non-timber forest product. After harvesting, new roots take about five years to grow back into the soil. After collection, the “rope” is immersed in water to keep pliable until use. Once ready to use, the outer bark is peeled off and the root is slit into long strips. Roots are harvested domestically and used for weaving baskets, tying thatches on roofs, and other minor uses. On a commercial basis, Nibbi is one of the raw materials (along with Kufa, Clusiaspp) necessary for the production of the attractive wicker-type Nibbi furniture, which supports a small but profitable furniture industry in Guyana.
Some economic activities of the Interior Savannahs:
Cattle rearing is the main economic activity of the interior Savannahs. This activity is popular because of its vegetation. There are extensive grasslands that stretch for many kilometers and are suitable for grazing cattle. Cattle rearing is done on a large scale. Thousands of cows are reared in the savannahs mainly for the production of beef, which is sold in all the natural regions of Guyana.
Did you know? Beef forms a very important part of the diet of the people living in the Interior Savannahs. The beef is cut into strips and smoked until it is cured or preserved. This product is called ‘tasso’ and can now be kept for long periods without spoiling.
Farming is done on a small scale. The crops which are grown include maize, corn, sweet potatoes, cassava, beans, peanuts, fruits, and tobacco.
Tanning of leather: This is the process by which animal skins are made into leather. The leather is used to make bags, belts, wallets, and footwear.
Balata is bled from trees to make ornaments.
Let’s learn about leather making in the Interior Savannahs
Another important economic activity of the Interior Savannahs is the tanning of leather. When cattle are killed, not only is the meat useful but also the skin. It is used for making leather, the process by which the skins are made into leather is called tanning. The leather is used for making bags, belts, sandals, shoes, slippers, and wallets.