Shulinab is a sun-kissed village in South Rupununi, Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) surrounded by the picturesque Kanuku Mountain and this year it has been selected as the Heritage Village as Guyana celebrates its first peoples during Indigenous Heritage Month.
Indigenous Heritage Month 2018 is being observed under the theme “Proud of our Indigenous identity, celebrating in Unity.”
Shulinab is the only Macushi speaking indigenous community in South Rupununi and serves as the hub for access to the South. The village has 775 residents from the Macushi and Wapishana tribes. Toshao, Nicholas Fredericks, said that the residents are excited to have their village selected as Heritage Village and promises a spectacle.
Over the years, the village has been primarily responsible for coordinating activities for the entire South and the celebration would see cultural groups from across the region displaying their talents. The Village is one of the largest livestock producers in Guyana and that will be on full display come September 15.
The formal Heritage Day celebration is expected to be on September 15 and is expected to see the attendance of President David Granger, Indigenous Peoples Affairs Ministers Sydney Allicock and Valarie Gorr
ido-Lowe as well as other government officials. However, the Village would kick off its Heritage celebrations on September 13.
“The event is starting on the 13 (September) where the Culture Groups and the 14 (September) will start the cultural activities and then the big day. We will have a huge dance ceremony to enter in the benab compound. We expecting the President and Ministers to join us in the dance parade. We will have a set of youths, elders, women, we will have traditional horsemen with arrows and bows so the entrance ceremony will be very huge,” Fredericks said.
Heritage Day will display how the communities can be developed using natural resources as the traditional knowledge of the
people. The villagers are excited to display their local craft as well as high-quality leather products. Additionally, the Women’s Group will be out in their full numbers to showcase their natural talents as well as their authentic indigenous meals.
“We will have a lot of cultural extravaganzas and we will be doing a lot of horse riding and people can come out there and enjoy the scenery of the Kanuku Mountains. We have a lot of horses and persons can go riding or they can do biking through the village or take a dip in the Saurab River.”
The Indigenous Affairs Ministry has been working closely with the village in the coordination of the activities. Fredericks said that he wants to let the persons attending leave with a different sense of feeling and understanding of what life in the Rupununi is all about.
“So while we’ll have the games, we’ll have a lot of indigenous food on display, we will have craft along with members of different groups from different villages to participate. So we want people to be able to better embrace life in the Rupununi so to speak,” he noted.
Indigenous Heritage Month will see a number of activities throughout Guyana to celebrate our first peoples and their culture. (Times Sunday Magazine)
