Mythologies of Suriname

The Indigenous Peoples of Suriname number approximately 20,344 people, or 3.8% of the total population of 541,638 (census 2012). The four most numerous Indigenous Peoples are the Kaliña (Carib), Lokono (Arawak), Trio (Tirio, Tareno) and Wayana. In addition, there are small settlements of other Amazonian Indigenous Peoples in the south of Suriname,  including the Akoerio, Warao, Apalai, Wai-Wai, Okomoyana, Mawayana, Katuena, Tunayana, Pireuyana, Sikiiyana, Alamayana, Maraso, Awayakule, Sirewu, Upuruy, Sarayana, Kasjoeyana, Murumuruyo, Kukuyana, Piyanakoto and Sakëta. The Kaliña and Lokono live mainly in the northern part of the country and are sometimes referred to as “lowland” Indigenous Peoples, whereas the Trio, Wayana and other Amazonian peoples live in the south and are referred to as “highland” peoples.

The Indigenous peoples of Suriname number approximately 20,344 people, or 3.8% of the total population of 541,6381 (census 2012). The four most numerous Indigenous peoples are the Kali’ña (Caribs), Lokono (Arawaks), Trio (Tirio, Tareno) and Wayana. In addition, there are small settlements of other Amazonian Indigenous peoples in the south of Suriname, including the Akurio, Apalai, Wai-Wai, Katuena/Tunayana, Mawayana, Pireuyana, Sikiiyana, Okomoyana, Alamayana, Maraso, Sirewu and Sakëta. Indigenous people and Maroons, descendants of Africans in the Americas who formed settlements away from slavery, and often mixed with Indigenous populations, comprise the main tribal groups of Suriname. In addition to the enslavement—and deaths—of Indigenous people during the 16th century colonization of Suriname, many Indigenous communities fled deeper into the Surinamese rainforest. In 1686, after years of war with the colonial rulers, Indigenous people and the colonial government signed a peace agreement. Today, there exist five Indigenous groups in Suriname, whose villages are located in the coastal and southeastern areas of the country.

One of the main struggles among Indigenous Peoples, that is, land rights, has seen yet another step back during 2017. The parliament of Suriname approved an amendment to a core “Domain Land” law of 1982, that declared all land over which no title can be proven to be State Domain. The amendment sets to “protect” the traditional lands of Indigenous and tribal peoples by prohibiting the State from giving any concession right or land title in areas that are within a radius of five kilometres of Indigenous and tribal peoples’ villages, without the community’s consent. However, Pre-existing third-party rights are upheld, and the explanatory note to the amendment reiterates that all land remains domain land over which the State has exclusive decisive authority. Indigenous and tribal peoples’ organisations have expressed great concerns regarding the amendment that was approved without their involvement or comments.

Suriname is the only country in South America where Dutch is spoken. Its neighbors are Guyana (formerly known as British Guiana), French Guiana and Brazil. The first European to visit the country at the end of the 15th century was Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda, but it were the English who first settled there. In the 17th century, the Dutch became interested in the possibility of setting up plantations to grow cotton, tobacco and sugar cane. In the Treaty of Breda with England, the former Dutch colony of Nieuw-Nederland (now New York) was exchanged for Suriname. Enslaved Africans and later contract workers from Indonesia, India, and China were brought to the colony to work on the plantations. In 1975, Suriname became independent. The current number of Indigenous people in the country is less than 4% of the total population.

Present day Suriname is an amalgamation of several different ethnic groups and international influences. It is difficult to say who the first inhabitants of the country were as there were many groups in the region around the same time including Arawaks, the Surinen, The Caribs, and the Wayana. During this, the country’s early history, there were several conflicts over territory and much blood was shed in the name of land possession. The British were the first Europeans to try and settle in the territory in 1630. Here they established tobacco plantations and used locals for slave labor, but struggled to make the venture work financially. In 1667, the region was invaded by the Dutch. After much back and forth between the two powers, Suriname was officially declared a Dutch territory under the Treaty of Vienna in 1815.

Only 850 members of the Wayana tribe remain in Amazonian Suriname. The life of the Wayana is still deeply intertwined with nature. Their main source of livelihood comes from a traditional small-scale approach to farming, and for their daily animal protein intake they fish the many rivers that cross these forests. Wayana people are fervent fish eaters and have intimate knowledge of the fish living in the rivers. Their favorite fish is the tambaqui, or black pacu, a vegetarian relative of the piranhas. Due to overfishing numbers of this fish (and others) have dwindled severely. The homeland of the Wayana is widely known for its gold deposits and gold prospectors have been active in the area for over 100 years. The Wayana themselves are not involved in gold mining and most of the miners originate from the capital city of Paramaribo and Brazil.

Like in the other countries of the Americas the Amerindians were already present in Suriname before Columbus discovered America, and they are the indigenous people of the country. The Amerindians in Suriname can be devided into the lowland and upland ones. The lowland Amerindians are the Arowakken and the Caraiben, whilst there are three groups of Amerindians who can be considered as the upland ones namely, the Wajanas, the Trioes and the Akurioes. The upland Amerindians live mainly in the South-Eastern portion of the country. The Akurioes were the last Amerindians in Suriname who had a nomadic life, and nowadays they have settled in one of the Trio’s villages. The Wajanas and Trioes have been influenced by the Christian mission from the US since the sixties in the previous century. The coastal Amerindians were Christainized earlier. Compared with other Christian missions the Roman Catholic Church had more respect for their own Amerindian Culture.

“As people we need earth’s resources to live, the forest provides this,” said Captain Shedde of the Trio village of Alalapadu, “If we think and care about our future generations now is the time to act and work together to preserve our nature.” Suriname is often regarded as the greenest country in the world, illustrated by one of the lowest ecological footprint per capita. The south of Suriname is located in the least disturbed part of the Amazon Biome and Guiana Shield. As such, it is part of the largest tract of continuous, near pristine, tropical forest in the world, critical for maintaining the balance of life on our planet. The indigenous conservation corridor links to one of the largest networks of Protected Areas in the tropics, which includes Parc Amazonien in French Guiana and Tumucumaque in Brazil. “The indigenous people believe they borrow the lands from their grandchildren and we as a country, ought to be doing the same,” said John Goedschalk, Director of CI’s Suriname office. “The country of Suriname has a serious focus on trying to preserve important parts of our forests and protect headwaters. A conservation corridor, guarded by the indigenous people of the forest, is a truly Surinamese solution that is in the interest of all our peoples”. The 72,000 square kilometer indigenous conservation corridor covers some of the most pristine, intact and remote rainforests in the world; it is the first in Suriname declared by indigenous peoples.

Perhaps Surinam’s most iconic garment is the koto, a wide skirt or dress of printed cotton, worn by Creole-Surinamese women with a short jacket and an angisa, or head wrap. There are hundreds of ways to fold an angisa, which are often used to express the wearer’s emotions or opinions. The official history of the koto dates back to 1879, when the Dutch colonial government ruled that women, when outdoors, must wear a dress or paantje (chest covering) and a jacket or gown. Now worn mostly on festive occasions, there are numerous kotos on display, from different time periods. Don’t let its small size fool you — Suriname is a conservation giant. In addition to retaining over 94% of its original rainforest cover (the highest in the world), in 2015 indigenous communities there declared an indigenous Southern Suriname Conservation Corridor (SSCC) covering 7.2 million hectares (17.8 million acres). While current law doesn’t allow for indigenous management, CI is working closely with the government and indigenous communities to allow community-owned conservation areas like the SSCC to be incorporated into the country’s official protected areas.

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