The Amerindian Handicraft and Curio Shop is housed at the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, and has been in existence since 1996. It provides a marketing outlet for handmade Amerindian craft products, and is instrumental in providing revenue for remote Amerindian villages.
The craft shop’s attendant Jill Pillay, said it was initially operated by Sister La Rose to help in marketing and providing a source of income from Amerindian craft. However, when she resigned from local government she handed it over to the ministry, and it was housed at the Amerindian hostel for a few years. It was operated by a formal committee.
As persons became more aware of the craft shop they brought their craft work to be sold and it grew. In 2000, Phillip Hamilton, then permanent secretary of the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, stated that all the money garnered must be overseen by the ministry to ensure proper management of revenue and crafts. When the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs was built on Quamina and Thomas Streets in 2005 a section was built for the shop and everything was moved to that location.
Products include fruit bowls, baskets, sculptures, casareep and cassava bread, paintings, cotton hammocks, ornaments and jewellery from St Cuthbert’s Mission, Santa Mission, Pomeroon, Moruca and other villages. Crabwood oil soap comes from the North West district, and crafts from the Monkey Mountain women’s group are sold at the shop.
Placemats for dinner tables
Pillay said crafts are bought mainly by tourists, and those who are desirous of ordering craft in bulk can do so early because the products come from remote locations; so to get the crafts early it must be ordered in advance.
The craft shop opens market opportunities for the Amerindian communities, and creates employment and revenue for the villages especially for the women’s groups in those communities that are involved in craft production.
Money from shop sales is plugged into projects in various Amerindian communities.
They are basically reinvested in projects that are geared for developing the communities and increase production.
Revenue reinvested is instrumental for those remote Amerindian communities because they are able to market their craft products as most of them do not have opportunities to do so. This creates linkages and networks for these villages.
The ministry has plans for expanding the shop to include products from other Amerindian communities.
The ministry is also seeking to provide training so that these craft products are produced with quality.
The handmade products are made from balata, seeds, tibisiri, bamboo, and other resources garnered from the environment. (Taken from Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
Comments are closed.