Amerindian
Heritage month launching Monday
Georgetown, GINA, August 28, 2003
A month of activities to mark the ninth consecutive
year of observance of Amerindian Heritage will officially begin
on Monday, September 1.
The “usual” launching will take place at the Umana
Yana, where several Government Ministers, including Amerindian
Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues, will address the gathering.
In 1995, the late President Dr. Cheddi Jagan designated September
as Amerindian Heritage Month to showcase and promote Amerindian
culture and contributions to Guyanese.
This month of celebrations has moved from simply one of observance
to one that focuses more on the development of the Amerindian
people and the contributions they have made to our diverse society.
Minister Rodrigues told the Government Information Agency (GINA)
this afternoon that among the major highlights of the Amerindian
Heritage Day activities, which are billed for St. Ignatius in
Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo), would be honouring
of several persons in the Region who have made significant contributions
to the Amerindian–dominated Region in the fields of education,
health, community services etc.
September 10 is Amerindian Heritage Day. Most Amerindian Villages
across the country observe cultural and other activities on this
day. However, this year the focus would be on St. Ignatius, which
has been declared “Heritage Village.”
Minister Rodrigues said that one of the reasons why St. Ignatius
was identified as the host village was because of its central
location in the Region. The village is also the location where
the annual regional celebrations are held during Amerindian Heritage
Month.
Their rich culture and strong traditional practices have certainly
impacted positively on the Guyanese culture and national development.
The Golden Arrowhead of Achievement, the national Headdress, the
Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, and the names of
several communities and popular sites around the country have
their origin from the indigenous people of Guyana.
To this end, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Administration
is working with the Amerindian people and their communities, to
fully integrate them into the mainstream Guyanese society so that
they could be given equal recognition as other Guyanese.
While the contributions of Amerindians continue to be recognized
nationally, September is now a special month to focus on the contributions
that the Amerindians have made to the development of their country,
and for them to take stock of where they were previously, where
they are now, and where they are heading.
Amerindians have certainly developed in all areas of the social
sector and with the committed efforts of the Government, more
development is assured for Amerindians and Amerindian communities.
The observance in September has received recognition from various
Amerindian groups because on September 10, 1957, the first Amerindian
Parliamentarian Mr. Stephen Campbell of Santa Rosa, Moruca, was
sworn in as a Member of Parliament (MP).
The month of activities to honor Amerindians was first observed
under the first and former Minister of Amerindian Affairs Mr.
Vibert De Souza, who firmly believed that the contributions of
Mr. Campbell need national recognition.
Cabinet had approved $5M to be used by the various Regions to
celebrate Amerindian Heritage Month.
Among other events are two days of sports when Hinterland football
teams from Region Seven and Nine would compete against teams from
the Coastland and a forum for students of the Hinterland scholarship
programme, where they would air their views on ways of improving
the programme, among other things.
Two years ago, the first Miss Amerindian Heritage Pageant was
held, and according to Minister Rodrigues, this is going to be
one of the highlights of this year’s celebrations.
This event is held biennially, since the Regions have to ‘run-off’
their local pageants before coming to compete at the national
level. So far, the Minister reported, there have been feedback
of participation in the event, from seven Regions. The pageant
will be held on September 27 at the National Cultural Centre.
TOP
Thursday
August 28, 2003