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

  1. To improve the socio-economic conditions of the Amerindians of Guyana.
  2. Empower Amerindians to formulate and implement policies, plans and strategies for the development of their own communities.
    1. 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.
    2. To provide equal opportunities in all aspects of life to the Amerindian citizens of Guyana.
    3. 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.