CHAPTER 24
THE AMERINDIANS
24.I BASIC FEATURES OF THE SECTOR
24.I.1 Distribution
24.I.1.1 The best estimate of the Amerindian population
indicates it to be 46,010 or 6.4 percent of the total population. This suggests
that the Amerindian population has declined by 5.8 percent between 1993 and
1999, when the two most recent surveys were undertaken. Amerindians rank as the
fourth largest ethnic group, after East Indians, Africans and Mixed Guyanese.
They comprise most of the population in the remote interior of Regions 1, 8, and
9 and a significant percentage (one-third) of Region 7. The bulk of the
Amerindians live in Regions 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. Regions 1 and 9 have 28.80 per
cent and 24.95 per cent respectively of the Amerindian population, followed by
Regions 2, 7 and 8 with 11.72 per cent, 9.45 per cent and 8.63 per cent
respectively.
24.I.1.2 The Amerindian peoples in Guyana were traditionally
separated from each other by natural environments and by their distinct
languages. This pattern still holds true, except for the coastal Amerindian
settlements of Region 1 and at Orealla in Region 6, in which Arawaks, Waraus and
Caribs are often found in the same village.
24.I.1.3 The highest number of Amerindians (about 15.500) is to
be found among the Arawaks (or Lokonas as they call themselves). These are
followed by the Makushi whose population is about half that of the Arawaks. Next
are the Wapishana whose numbers are slightly higher than the Warau, the Akawaio
and the Patamona. The Caribs are the next smallest group, and, at the bottom of
the Amerindian population scale, are the Arekuna and Wai Wai, remnants of the
Atorad people who still speak their own language and can still be found living
in Wapishana communities.
24.I.2 Socio economic Conditions
24.I.2.1 While the Amerindian
population is important in regional demographic terms, it is not homogeneous.
Perhaps as a result of this, it has not traditionally been an effectively
organised lobby. There are signs, however, that the position is now changing and
that Amerindian groups are exercising an increasing influence on matters which
affect their rights. Because Guyana=s
future would, to a large extent, be based on the utilization of its natural
resources, which are generally to be found in the country=s
interior where Amerindians predominantly live, this is an important
development.
24.I.2.2 External influences contribute to profound changes in
Amerindian attitudes and in their ways of life. For example, because of the
upsurge in mining activities in areas adjacent to their communities, monetary
values are increasingly being placed on goods and services which in the past
were generally considered to be free. Indeed, young people now measure their
status by the possession of consumer goods, and display a growing reluctance to
engage in subsistence agriculture.
24.I.2.3 Most Amerindians are self-employed, concentrating on
traditional subsistence activities such as agriculture, hunting and forestry.
Less than half a percent of them is self-employed in fishing, mining, quarrying,
and manufacturing. This suggests that, in spite of the rapid changes which are
occurring in many areas of the interior, most Amerindians continue to operate
outside the cash economy and are still dependent on a subsistence way of life.
24.I.2.4 The staple diet of the Amerindians consists of
cassava, which supplies them with most of the carbohydrates which they consume.
Protein generally comes from fish or meat, which is either fished or hunted for,
by the family, or bought either from the most successful community fishermen or
hunters, or from interior shops owned by coastlanders. However, both sources of
protein are now being adversely affected. In the case of fish, the use of heavy
duty hydraulic earthmoving equipment on or near riverbanks by the mining
industry increases water turbidity, which in turn reduces the quality of the
spawning grounds of many fish species and clean water for villages and people.
The use of chemicals such as cyanide and mercury is also poisonous to fish life
and people. In addition, many of the traditional habitats of birds and animals
have been disturbed by timber exploiters.
24.I.2.5 The majority of Amerindian communities have little or
no access to potable water. This is due to the fact that the traditional sources
of pure water, creeks and rivers, have increasingly come under the threat of
pollution from the mining industries that have been established in the interior,
beginning in the early 1980s.
24.I.2.6 In comparison with the other ethnic groups, a larger
proportion of Amerindians is classified as poor in the most recent survey data
available. Indeed, in 1999, 95 percent of the population in Regions 8 and 9, who
are preponderantly Amerindian was classified as being in a state of absolute
poverty. Given their comparatively small numbers, reversing the poverty status
of Amerindians might appear to be a manageable task. In fact, however, it may be
extremely difficult, because of their dispersed settlement pattern, the
difficult terrain in which they often live, the high cost of administering
interior projects, and the lack of skills both in the Amerindian and in the
wider population.
24.I.2.7 Less than 1 percent of the interior population had
received post-secondary education according to the 1999 HIES. In addition, the
urgent need for upgrading basic skills among the adult population to prepare
Amerindians to manage the resource base in their villages, as well as to take
fuller advantage of job openings within the developing economy in the Guyana
interior, has been identified at every recent forum of indigenous
representatives.
24.I.2.8 A less easily definable aspect of the existing
situation results from the markedly egalitarian ethos that is a significant
factor in the traditional Amerindian social organization that is now being
transformed in several ways. Until very recently, most Amerindian communities
were essentially lacking in hierarchical distinctions. Few villagers worked
outside the communities, and those who did generally earned modest wages in
timber grants or in other manual occupations. However, beginning in the early
1980s, the expansion of the gold and diamond mining industries attracted many
Amerindian males. Some, who worked on their own, struck gold; while others, who
hired-out their labour to medium or large scale mining operations, were able to
earn considerable amounts of cash in relatively short periods. As a consequence,
mining fever extended beyond the mineral-rich areas to attract Amerindian males
from all parts of Guyana. There can therefore be little doubt that the scale of
Amerindian involvement in mining is a contributory factor to the changing
dynamics of village life.
24.II ISSUES AND CONSTRAINTS
24.II.1 Issues
Land
24.II.1.1 The Amerindian Lands Commission Report, published in
June 1969, identified 128 Amerindian communities in the country. Requests for
land titles were made by 116 of them. Although the other twelve communities did
not request land titles, the commission recommended that titles be granted to
ten of them. This was done in 1991. The commission also recommended that land
titles be vested in Local Authorities and that individual land titles be given
to residents of 8 communities. In addition, a conditional grant was recommended
for one community, and reservation status for two other communities. Full titles
were granted to 62 communities under the Amerindian Act. Titles for very
scattered communities were to be known as Districts, and two were recommended
under this head. At the time, 12 villages in the Upper Mazaruni District were
not granted title because of their involvement in a proposed hydroelectric
scheme. However, those communities also received land titles in 1991.
Outstanding issues and problems that remain to this day are the failure to
implement all the recommendations of the Land Commission; the inadequacy of the
areas covered by land grants; the failure to demarcate boundaries on the ground;
the failure to train local authorities to administer and manage titled lands;
and the small number of individual titles which were granted, although the Act
provides for the issuance of such titles.
24.II.1.2 Approximately 7 percent of
the national territory of Guyana has been titled to the Amerindian population.
Land title encompasses usufruct rights Cto
fish, farm and hunt on the landC as well as rights to all timber on
reserved lands, and occupancy rights. Subsoil rights are excluded. It is worth
noting that those forest reserves which are at present under the sole control of
Amerindian communities are considerable, comprising 1.4 million hectares. If
harvested sustainably, these forests alone could support the indigenous peoples
for generations.
24.II.1.3 Land titles have been given in different forms,
namely as Amerindian villages, Amerindian areas, and Amerindian Districts.
Amerindians hold land collectively, although individual/family parcels are
identified and generally accepted at the community level. In some communities,
the village council has identified parcels for housing, farming, etc.
24.II.1.4 Sixty percent of the
Amerindian communities in Guyana now holds title to some of their traditional
lands, totaling 7 percent of the Guyanese national territory. Most of this land
is within Amazonian or savannah ecosystems, and are of poor soil quality. The
criterion to grant land titles is based on the fact that Amerindians occupied
these lands before the independence of Guyana. The preamble of the Amerindian
Lands Commission Act, Cap. 59:03 states that AWhereas the Government of Guyana has decided that the Amerindians should
be granted legal ownership or rights of occupancy over areas and reservations or
parts thereof where any tribe or community of Amerindian is now ordinarily
resident or settled and other legal rights, such as rights of passage. In
respect of any other land which they own by tradition of custom, they de
facto enjoy freedom and permissions corresponding to rights of the
nature@. The current Constitution does not guarantee any of these
rights and the Minister responsible for Amerindian Affairs holds the powers to
adjust, redraw and grant land titles.
24.II.1.5 It might also be of interest to note that according
to Articles 2 and 3 of Cap:62:01, State Lands (Amerindian Regulations),
half-castes forfeit all the rights of Amerindians over state lands. A
gender-related observation is that, according to the same articles, Amerindian
women who marry a non-Amerindian man also loose their rights. The converse is
not true. It is more than probable that these Articles could create a
gender-equity issue.
24.II.1.6 Only Orealla, of the Amerindian communities which
have received land titles, has had a physical survey of its reservation
boundaries properly carried out. At the time when title was granted in 1976,
aerial surveys were done to establish the boundaries of communities and 90
percent of the areas granted to Amerindian communities was demarcated by natural
boundaries. The cost of conducting ground surveys is, however, very high.
Indeed, the Department of Lands and Surveys has recently estimated that the
surveying of boundaries of Bethany alone would cost G$400,000, while a land use
mapping exercise for the nine Amerindian communities in Region Two has been
estimated to cost $4 to $5 million. It is possible, however, that this is an
area in which international agencies may be willing to provide support.
Nevertheless, there are still many communities, scattered over the entire
country that lack any security of tenure.
24.II.1.7 In summary, the questions that are of primary concern
to Amerindians with respect to land, are as follows: (i) resolution of the land
issue through the granting of titles; (ii) resolution of the problem of subsoil
mineral rights; (iii) regulation of the process of leasing or granting to
developers lands that were traditionally used by Amerindians without consulting
their communities; and (iv) development of rules for compensation of Amerindian
communities for the exploitation of natural resources contained on lands to
which they lay claim;
Mining
24.II.1.8 Amerindians do not possess
any rights to sub-surface minerals on titled land. However, mining is undertaken
by non-Amerindians on lands that lack any form of title, particularly in Regions
1, 7 and 8, that are claimed by Amerindian communities. Amerindians have the
right to mine, on community land, to a depth of six inches. However, if an
Amerindian wishes to mine at a greater depth on his community=s
land, that individual must give up, according to the law, the special rights
enjoyed as an Amerindian.
24.II.1.9 The scale of mining in and around Amerindian areas
has accelerated, and is predicted to increase dramatically in the coming years.
In addition, thousands of medium-scale prospecting licences have been issued in
the last few years. Even if only 10 per cent of the prospecting companies go on
to mine, the effects on the interior and its peoples will be considerable.
24.II.1.10 Mining, whether alluvial or hardrock, river dredging
or land mining, causes disturbances to the environment that affect the living
conditions of Amerindians. The negative results of mining include, but are not
limited to, noise nuisances, pollution of domestic water sources, land
degradation, the reduced navigability of rivers, flooding, and death to aquatic
life that Amerindians depend on as a food source.
24.II.1.11 The presence of mining operations in or near
Amerindian areas tends also to affect the population in several ways. First
because mining jobs are generally more lucrative, young men leave the farms and
other traditional means of livelihood, for mining. Second, the miners and
loggers bring in new ideas and gadgets, that influence the behaviour and
expectations of the villagers. Third, miners and loggers often take Amerindian
young men and women from the interior to the coastland, where they are likely to
be unable to cope with the environment and may become trapped in illegal
activities. Fourth because Amerindian culture is fundamentally related to the
land, any activity which interferes with this relationship, directly affects
their cultural integrity. Fifth, miners often destroy or damage the sacred sites
of Amerindians and other areas of cultural significance.
24.II.1.12 Amerindians are generally concerned that valuable
minerals are being removed from lands belonging to them without any meaningful
consultation and compensation. They are also apprehensive that the unregulated
harvesting of trees in areas adjacent to their communities might result in
irreversible environmental damage, particularly because they depend upon the
forest for food, shelter, medicines, and various other needs.
24.II.1.13 This apprehension extends to the developing tourism
industry. Since eco-tourism in Guyana depends on what nature provides, most of
that activity will take place in the interior. Contact with interior communities
and their environs can therefore be expected. While communities can benefit
economically from this activity, they can suffer negative social impacts if the
operations remain unregulated. While profitability should remain a goal,
protection of the environment and of the lifestyles of interior communities
should be the guiding factor.
24.II.1.14 Intellectual Property Rights and Cultural
Heritage
24.II.1.15 Indigenous peoples are
particularly vulnerable with respect to their heritage. Usually viewed as
Abackward@, they have been the targets of a type
of cultural imperialism, aimed at their assimilation into what are considered to
be more Aadvanced@ ways of life. Their arts and knowledge
are confusingly and contradictorily treated: often not regarded as world
treasures, they have been simply destroyed; at other times, they are collected
by museums. Today, the threat has intensified, and tourism, a growing demand for
Aprimitive@ art, and the development of bio
technology combine to threaten the ability of indigenous peoples to protect what
remains of their heritage. Perhaps not surprisingly, indigenous groups have
called for legislation to protect their intellectual property rights and to
promote the revival and enhancement of their heritage. Indeed, the Convention on
Biological Diversity, which has been ratified by Guyana, obligates the state to
recognise and protect indigenous intellectual property, to exploit such
knowledge only with the consent of the affected peoples, and to ensure an
equitable distribution of benefits.
Education
24.II.1.16 Because of several factors, the Amerindian
population has been traditionally excluded from the mainstream of educational
opportunities. The inability of Government to address these constraints has
resulted in a lack of educational opportunities for Amerindians. Education for
Amerindians should be wide in scope. It should not only address issues of formal
education for children in the school system, but should be extended to empower
Amerindians of all ages to improve their standards of living. Education and
training policies should be of such a nature that they enable Amerindians to
deal with other contemporary issues that affect them. Strategies should
therefore be designed to ensure that they encompass all aspects of human
development.
24.II.1.17 Training in the conservation and use of hinterland
resources should equip Amerindians to benefit fully from the development of
these resources. Such training should, among other things, focus on appropriate
agricultural techniques and forestry practices, food processing, handicraft,
artisanal trades, and on entrepreneurship and management.
24.II.1.18 The overarching economic difficulties which afflict
the entire country are intensified and affect education in the interior even
more adversely. As a result, Amerindian villages have suffered much in the
education sector.
24.II.1.19 Among the most important issues is the lack of
trained Amerindian teachers at the community level. The trained teachers in
Amerindian villages are often non-Amerindian. Despite the best intentions, the
result has been that education has a non-traditional focus that may not be
applicable to community development. Students are therefore not inculcated with
an appreciation of the value of their own traditions. In addition, many cultural
aspects of Amerindian life are being eroded. Among these is the gradual loss of
language, traditional dress and dance, and medicinal knowledge. To make
education a success and relevant to the needs of the Amerindian peoples, the
question of linguistics must also be addressed with urgency.
24.II.1.20 Many Amerindian teachers in the interior are not
trained and do not possess the requirements to enter the Cyril Potter College of
Education or the University of Guyana. This problem can be tied to a larger
issue, which is the absence of secondary schools in the interior. Decisive steps
in the educational area are needed to remedy this situation.
Village/Community Administration
24.II.1.21 In many Amerindian communities, the prescriptions of
the Amerindian Act are not followed; in others where they are followed, the
development of the communities is hampered by the limited powers given to
community leaders It is evident that the relevant regulations need to be
modernized so that more authority could be exercised by village and community
leaders. However, as with all systems of management and administration, checks
and balances should be put in place to ensure proper and efficient
administration and to avoid the misuse of power. In addition, substantial
efforts are required to train Amerindians in the techniques of
administration.
Health
24.II.1.22 The National Plan of Action for Children,
launched in March 1995 by the Government of Guyana in collaboration with
UNICEF, noted: "Conditions for Amerindian children and women of the hinterland,
taken as a group, are harsh in comparison with conditions for children on the
coast. Malaria, malnutrition, acute respiratory illnesses, and
diarrhoeal-related diseases are especially prevalent due to unacceptable water
and sanitation. High levels of teen pregnancy, poor maternal health and a
decline in breast-feeding are all of concern."
24.II.1.23 In some areas, individuals are caught up in such
poverty and deprivation that they often ignore the practices of basic health
care. For example, 8 out of 10 inhabitants in Region 1 habitually have malaria.
What is worse is that thirty-five per cent of those who have the illness have
not responded to the standard drug treatment, while an equal number are
re-infected three times and more during an average twelve-month period. This
situation may be rightly termed a national emergency. Indeed, for communities
and Regions as stricken as these, direct governmental intervention is critical;
not only in the areas of medical attention and supplies, but also through the
provision of food and vitamin supplements, particularly for schools, and
payments for work done on community projects. Training in public health (e.g.,
eliminating open stagnant pools of water) is also urgently needed.
24.II.1.24 Worm infestation is endemic in most interior areas.
The extremely low haemoglobin levels found in Amerindian patients who are
referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital are probably as much a symptom of
year-round worm infestation and repeated bouts of malaria as of poor
nutrition.
24.II.1.25 Over 50 percent of the children in Region 8 and more
than 30 per cent in Region 7 are affected with respiratory tract infections. The
highest percentage of children with diarrhoea is found in Region 9.
24.II.1.26 Nationally the rate of Sexually Transmitted Disease
(STDs), including AIDS, is high among mining workers whose workplaces are in the
interior. Many Amerindians gravitate towards these locations, where there is the
possibility of steady or casual employment in mining camps and in surrounding
rum shops, discotheques, etc. Given the lack of effective public education on
the life-threatening nature of the HIV infection, STDs have the potential for
spreading rapidly among indigenous peoples. Indeed, it has been recently
reported that the incidence of HIV infection among Amerindians in locations
adjacent to mining activities is increasing. An aggressive AIDS public education
campaign must therefore target the interior as well as coastal populations.
24.II.1.27 Most of the Amerindian communities depend on nearby
creeks and rivers or on shallow ponds, dug close to their homes, for their water
supply. Those communities located close to mining areas (including those
downriver of the Aroaima bauxite operation on the Berbice River) increasingly
lack a safe source of potable water. An increasing incidence of water-borne
diseases and skin rashes has been reported in all interior areas, a development
which may or may not be blamed on resource extractive industries. In addition,
most of the dwellings in the interior have palm-thatched roofs that cannot be
adapted effectively for the collection of sterile rainwater.
24.II.1.28 The use of pit latrines is far from universal in
Amerindian areas. The number of cases of diarrhoea increases with the rainy
season, when the runoff from the ground transfers fecal matter into the river
water that they rarely boil. Many adults do not know that there is a connection
between diarrhoea and drinking water that is not boiled.
24.II.2 Constraints
Land
24.II.2.1 The ambiguity and vagueness
in the laws regarding the issues of occupancy, ownership and control of land
need to be resolved. There are also fundamental differences between
Amerindians= notions of ownership and those precepts that are to be found
in the laws.
24.II.2.2 Interdepartmental conflicts among different
Government ministries and agencies have exacerbated the Amerindian land
situation. As agencies responsible for indigenous affairs attempt to regularise
land use, they have to contend with other ministries and agencies whose purposes
are to regulate and exploit natural resources.
24.II.2.3 The unfamiliarity of Amerindian peoples with their
legal rights and correct administrative procedures is part of the overall
societal neglect of Amerindian concerns and the weakness of the education system
in interior communities. Some Amerindian villages did not apply for land titles
to which they were entitled according to the Amerindian Lands Commission Report,
simply because they did not know it was an option available to them.
24.II.2.4 The dearth of resources to take on as a matter of
urgency, the physical demarcation of Amerindian lands is a serious constraint.
If this activity is undertaken, fears among Amerindians about their land rights
will to a large extent be ameliorated.
Poverty
24.II.2.5 The absence of a centralised entity with the
resources to coordinate all governmental, non-governmental and international
agency activities in Amerindian and hinterland development hinders the
alleviation of poverty in the interior. Because the Ministry of Amerindian
Affairs is ill-equipped to perform this task, many initiatives which it might
have taken are not seized, or are put in place by other agencies in a haphazard
manner.
24.II.2.6 The chronic shortage or nonexistence of appropriately
trained personnel with the expertise in matters such as agricultural extension,
forestry and natural resource management is part of a larger problem. Other
chapters in the National Development Strategy present proposals for addressing
this problem. The success of these policies will have a positive impact on
Amerindians.
24.II.2.7 The inadequacy of physical infrastructure such as
schools and health clinics to deliver basic social services to Amerindians and
their frequent remoteness from communities make the general poverty situation
worse.
24.II.2.8 The extreme isolation of most Amerindian communities
demands that basic physical infrastructure be put in place, e.g., roads,
airstrips, river transportation and telecommunications. The absence of these
facilities adds considerably to the cost of projects in the interior.
24.II.2.9 There is a historic lack of Amerindian participation
in the design and implementation of projects in the interior. This is linked to
a poorly staffed Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and an insufficient number of
qualified Amerindians. Moreover, even when such knowledge and expertise exist,
they are often ignored. This is turn has often led to the design of projects
that do not meet the needs of interior communities. By increasing the
participation of Amerindians in project design, many pitfalls associated with
projects in the interior will be avoided.
24.II.2.10 Access to capital, finance and credit is a major
obstacle to Amerindian development. It is difficult for individual Amerindians
living in reservations to get access to commercial banks is proof of individual
land ownership, which the vast majority of Amerindians do not possess. In other
countries, this kind of problem has been circumvented by using other types of
collateral, including community-based networks of co-signers and co-guarantors.
The Grameen Bank principle is directly in line with Amerindian cultural
tradition.
24.II.2.11 Another major difficulty is posed by the absence of
banking facilities in most Amerindian areas of Guyana. As a result, indigenous
people have no secure and easy way of saving money, and thus are more apt to
spend it all on consumables sold in interior shops. Moreover, the current
situation facilitates the entry of non-Amerindian intermediaries, who advance
credit to cash-strapped communities in exchange for natural resources.
24.II.2.12 There is also a notable absence of micro and small
enterprise development agencies in the interior. The primary reason for this is
the high overhead costs associated with interior enterprises and the amount of
business that each agency can attract.
Education
24.II.2.13 No mechanisms to ensure a coordinated approach to
Amerindian education are in place. While education policies are designed in the
Ministry of Education, little interaction takes place with the Ministry of
Amerindian Affairs; and with Amerindian organisations and communities.
24.II.2.14 The absence of an appropriate curriculum for the
training of teachers to be based in Amerindian communities severely affects the
quality of education provided to interior locations. Very often teachers who
leave the coast to teach in the interior take with them a coastland perception
of the interior and irrelevant teaching techniques.
24.II.2.15 It is difficult for Amerindians who wish to be
trained as teachers, but do not possess the necessary qualifications, to access
training at the Cyril Potter College of Education and the University of Guyana.
This severely limits the number of potential teachers in the interior.
24.II.2.16 The curricula designed for students in the interior
are often inappropriate for the needs of Amerindians. Curricula for all levels
of education are generally designed with coastland concerns and needs in
mind.
24.II.3 Administration
24.II.3.1 The constraints of the present village administration
system include the inability to monitor and control the activities of
non-Amerindians in or close to Amerindian communities, especially with regard to
the operations and activities of itinerant miners and forest operators.
24.III SECTORAL OBJECTIVES
- To improve the socio-economic conditions of the Amerindians of Guyana.
- Empower Amerindians to formulate and implement policies, plans and
strategies for the development of their own communities.
- To enable Amerindians to participate in all the mainstream activities of
Guyanese society, without adversely affecting the enhancement of their
communities and the preservation of their culture.
- To provide equal opportunities in all aspects of life to the Amerindian
citizens of Guyana.
- To ensure that the rights of Amerindians, particularly those relating to
land ownership, and land and natural resources development, are recognised
and honoured.
24.IV THE STRATEGY
24.IV.1 General
24.IV.1.1 Government will institute and develop a national
dispute resolution mechanism to deal specifically with the settlement of land
and resource utilization and management concerns.
24.IV.1.2 The institutional capacity of the Ministry
responsible for Amerindian Affairs will be strengthened through the provision of
appropriately trained technical and administrative personnel.
24.IV.1.3 A centralised unit directly responsible to the
Minister responsible for Amerindian Affairs will be established within the
Ministry to coordinate the activities of all governmental agencies involved in
Amerindian/hinterland development. All decisions by other ministries and
public agencies that impinge upon Amerindians or Amerindian lands must be
referred to the Ministry for agreement. If there is no agreement the dispute
will be settled in Cabinet.
24.IV.1.4 All lands legitimately occupied by Amerindian
communities will be surveyed, boundaries clearly demarcated, and maps produced
in a process that would be a collaborative effort among the relevant government
agencies and members of the communities, who will be provided with the requisite
training for this exercise.
24.IV.1.5 Environmental impact assessment studies will be
conducted before agreements for development projects and programmes in or
adjacent to Amerindian lands are finalised.
24.IV.1.6 Administrators in forestry, mining, and other natural
resource sectors will be appointed in those hinterland areas where these
activities are taking place to ensure that they are properly monitored.
Continuous dialogue between Amerindian leaders and government officials in these
sectors will be institutionalised.
24.IV.I.7 Systems will be put in place to ensure that
Amerindians have access to credit. In addition, postal agencies equipped to deal
with savings accounts will be expanded, in order to allow Amerindian populations
to secure their savings.
24.IV.1.8 Government will provide technical assistance to
Amerindian communities in the formulation of development projects, and in
negotiating the financing of such projects with private commercial
banks.
24.IV.1.9 Special consideration (salaries, incentive
packages, other benefits) would be given to local and coastland government
personnel working in the Public Service in Amerindian communities.
24.IV.1.10 The Amerindian Act will be reviewed by a Committee
on which Amerindians will have equal representation.
24.IV.1.11 Legislation will be enacted and enforced to protect
cultural and intellectual property rights.
24.IV.1.12 A communications network integrating telephone/
telecommunication systems, roads, airstrips, improved river and sea
communication and mass communication systems, will be developed in order to
ensure that Amerindian/hinterland communities are in contact both with each
other and with the coastland areas.
24.IV.1.13 A body of national guidelines and bylaws will be
promulgated to assist in the governance of Amerindian villages. These will be
based on the principles of regular democratically held elections, grass roots
consultation, and constant dialogue with the Regional Democratic Council, while
recognising the right of the Council to exercise legitimate executive authority
in day-to-day matters.
24.IV.1.14 An Amerindian Development Fund will be
established to support efforts that are required to develop and enhance the
quality of life in Amerindian communities. A special tax will be levied for this
purpose. Monies obtained from this tax will be paid in to the Development Fund.
Guidelines for the utilization of the resources of this Fund will be
formulated.
24.IV.2 Specific
Education
24.IV.2.1 Teachers based in Amerindian communities will
pursue special training courses conducted by the Ministry of Education. Such
orientation courses will be structured in order to expose candidate teachers to
the social and economic environment in which they would be required to operate.
The curricula for such courses will be prepared by experts in Amerindian culture
and other relevant disciplines. Teachers will not be certified to teach in
the interior unless they are successful in these courses. The course will be
geographically sensitive, e.g. a teacher to be moved from the Rupununi to the
North West will be required to take a short course on the culture of the native
community in that area. Although such courses will undoubtedly lengthen the
period of training required to equip a teacher to work in Amerindian areas, they
are considered necessary because of the importance attached to imparting
environmental relevance to Amerindian education. In any event, teachers who
successfully undertake the course will be compensated by additional emoluments
and perquisites.
24.IV.2.2 Preparatory training courses including distance
education will be offered for Amerindians who do not have the entrance
requirements to enter higher institutions of education. These courses will be as
wide in scope as necessary to prepare students to enter any stream of their
choice. IDCE, UG, distance education courses will be offered in villages.
24.IV.2.3 As a longer term solution to the problem of
inadequate preparation of Amerindian students, more secondary schools (Form 1 –
5) will be built and staffed in the interior.
24.IV.2.4 The Amerindian Research Unit, in collaboration with
the Ministries of Amerindian Affairs and Education (Institute of Adult and
Continuing Education) and other institutions will initiate and continue a series
of distance education programmes for the adult community. These programmes will
be designed to bring adults up to a basic literacy and numeracy level and
develop skills which will enable them to interact more effectively
with the wider society.
24.IV.2.5 Amerindians will participate in the formulation of
curricula which will not only be appropriate to the unique requirements of their
communities, but will also equip them with skills that are relevant to
hinterland development. In addition, the curricula will prepare them for further
education and training outside their communities, and facilitate their
involvement and integration into the society at large. Curricula for Amerindian
students will be specialized and geographically and culturally sensitive,
and will require special coordination between the Ministry of Education and the
communities. Language will be seen as an integral part of the education of
Amerindian children and corresponding curricula will be developed by the
Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, and the Amerindian
Research Unit in full participation with Amerindian communities.
24.IV.2.6 Integrated training complexes (along the lines of the
Zariwa Education Complex) will be established in strategically located
hinterland areas to provide training and education in cultural, academic,
technical, vocational and adult continuing education programmes.
Mining
24.1V.2.7 Amerindian communities will participate in all
negotiations for mining concessions in areas contiguous to their lands, and in
the formulation of any agreements arising from such negotiations. Amerindians
will also assist in the monitoring of the implementation of these agreements. No
mining concessions will be granted unless social and environmental impact
studies are undertaken and steps agreed upon to minimise negative
impacts.
Forestry
24.IV.2.8 Land claims for Amerindians, in areas where
Amerindians are located, will be settled before forest concessions are
awarded.
24.IV.2.9 Amerindian communities will be consulted when
timber agreements are being drawn up for lands contiguous to theirs. They will
also participate in the decision-making processes leading to such
agreements
24.IV.2.10 Amerindians will be an integral part of any teams
engaged in the monitoring and enforcement of timber concession operations near
their communities.
24.IV.2.11 Feasibility studies and social and environmental
impact assessments will be undertaken before concession agreements are reached.
Their findings would be made available to NGOs and Amerindian
communities, especially those that stand to be affected by the concessions.
Tourism
24.IV.2.12 Tourism policies will respect and be sensitive to
the cultures and lifestyles of indigenous and interior communities.
24.IV.2.13 The natural, economic, social and cultural diversity
of Guyana will be maintained and encouraged in all tourism ventures in
Guyana.
24.IV.2.14 Social, environmental and economic impact
assessments will be carried out as a prerequisite to developing any tourism
activity.
24.IV.2.15 Continuous monitoring of the impacts of tourism
programmes and projects will take place, and that will be open and transparent
disclosure of information.
24.IV.2.16 Local communities will be involved in the
planning and decision-making process of any tourism activity by which they might
be affected.
24.IV.2.17 Such activities will be structured so that a share
of their benefits would redound to the local community.
24.IV.2.18 Monitoring mechanisms will be developed jointly by
the Tourism Association of Guyana and Amerindian representatives to ensure that
the tourism policies that are formulated in this document are respected and that
local resources are used sustainably.
24.IV.2.19 Members of indigenous communities, whenever suitably
qualified, should be part of the managerial staff of tourism ventures.
24.IV.2.20 Local and indigenous staff will be trained in all
tourism procedures and activities.
National Security
24.IV.2.21 Community policing groups, which can communicate
directly with regional police or army posts for quick intervention in matters of
security will be established.
Land
24.IV.2.22 Emphasis will be placed on:
- the granting of individual land titles to Amerindians living outside
Amerindian communities, as for all other Guyanese;
- the granting of collective titles to Amerindian communities that can prove
that their occupancy of specific land areas dates back before the colonization
of Guyana;
- the demarcation of Amerindian lands, as mandated by the Amerindian Lands
Commission of (1969);
- obtaining a legal clarification of the entitlement to part of the
royalties from natural resource exploitation that seems to be implied by the
Amerindian land rights;
- developing and implementing mechanisms for including Amerindians in the
process of identifying and demarcating their lands.
Intellectual Property Rights and Cultural Heritage
24.IV.2.23 Measures will be taken to increase the capacity of
indigenous peoples and national academic institutions to supervise research
conducted in their territories, and to develop their own institutions for
medical and ecological research and research on medicinal plants etc.
24.IV.2.24 Toshaos and Council will be subject to
removal from office for misconduct of village Affairs. This will be done after a
majority of resident villagers present a request for such a removal to the
Minister responsible for Amerindian Affairs. The ensuing trial will be by way of
public hearings at which the accused will have a chance to defend
his/herself.
24.IV.2.25 Programmes will be immediately put in place for
training leaders of Amerindian communities in administration, accounting,
project planning and village development planning.
24.IV.2.26 Amerindian communities will, by plebiscite,
determine their own rules of membership.
24.IV.2.27 Government will enter into licensing agreements to
provide for the protection of the ecological, medicinal, and spiritual knowledge
of the Amerindian.
24.IV.2.28 Government and the RDCs will help in the promotion
and development of Amerindian culture through supporting: the inclusion of such
topics as Amerindian history, languages, crafts etc., in the curriculum of
hinterland schools; the formation of cultural groups in Amerindian communities;
an allocation from the Amerindian Development Fund for the promotion and
preservation of Amerindian culture, and the establishment of Amerindian cultural
centres in hinterland communities.
24.IV.2.29 Amerindians will have the right to own, control and
manage their sacred and cultural sites.
Health
24.IV.2.30 Government will institute a coherent system of
vector control taking into account locations such as mining and forestry camps,
border crossing points, and the Amerindian communities themselves.
24.IV.2.31 Government will implement a comprehensive
programme to eliminate malnutrition in Amerindian villages.
24.IV.2.32 Government will begin a health education programme
which emphasizes preventive measures and traditional Amerindian medicine, and
recognises the position of traditional Amerindian healers.
24.IV.2.33 The training of all health workers in Amerindian
communities will be periodically upgraded, and a living wage paid to all of
them.
24.IV.2.34 Physical plant and equipment in the cottage and
regional hospitals in the interior will be modernised and maintained, and
adequate and reliable supplies of medication assured.
Village/Community Administration
24.IV.2.35 A general set of community regulations will be
established by the Ministry responsible for Amerindian Affairs in consultation
with representatives of Amerindian communities throughout Guyana.
Individual communities and their leaders will be encouraged to formulate a more
applicable set of local subsidiary rules. These rules will apply to all resident
and visiting Amerindians and non-Amerindians alike.
24.IV.2.36 Toshaos will be sworn in as Justices of the
Peace and will have the authority to issue birth and death certificates and
other official documents to be agreed upon.
24.IV.2.37 Toshaos and Council will be given the power
to adjudicate petty civil and criminal cases pertaining to matters which occur
at the community level, and to administer relevant penalties for such actions.
These penalties will be decided by the community, captain and councillors.
24.IV.2.38 Toshaos and Council will have the authority to grant
or revoke permissions to non-Amerindians to enter their communities.
24.IV.2.39 Toshaos and Council will be empowered to
discipline and/or expel non-Amerindians from their communities for breach of
community regulations.
24.IV.2.40 Rules governing the conduct of captains and
councillors, including penalties for misconduct, will be established by the
Ministry responsible for Amerindian Affairs after consultation with
representatives of the Amerindian communities.
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