Surama village is a small Amerindian community of the Makushi people living in the north Rupununi, Region Nine.
The word Surama, originally “Shuramata”, means the place of spoiled Bar-B-Que (or where Bar-B-Que spoiled). The name was derived during a tribal conflict between the Makushi and Carib many years ago.
The village is situated in five square miles of savannah land, surrounded by forest, hills and mountains of the Pakariama mountain range. The life of the people is in the art and understanding of how to live with nature. It is a simple and basic way of life, living according to the laws of nature. Residents live off the knowledge of the land.
It was only in 1974 when R.F. Allicock and T.V. Allicock invited a group of friends from Kwatamang and Wowetta to join four families in Surama to organize a proper village system that would allow better management for the natural resources including the people.
The village started with 86 persons. This was the beginning of the present-day Surama.
For more information on Surama, visit www.suramaecolodge.com
