PARA - “Villagers from Pikin Saron, Bigi Poika and Tibiti recently received a special training to turn them into researchers who will record stories and knowledge that were passed on from generation to generation,” said the Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs in Suriname (VIDS).
This information will be used to determine the borders on the maps that will be used by the Indigenous communities as evidence in the fight for land rights. The training is part of a bigger project that supports more than 18 amerindian villages in Suriname. The villagers from Bigi Poika, Pikin Saron and Tibiti are eager to start doing their research in their areas. Their main task is to collect stories, knowledge and facts regarding locations where their ancestors used to live and where cemeteries are located. “This training was necessary because there are elders who still have the knowledge and the stories about our area and that information must be preserved. It is needed as evidence for our map,” said Clarise Moera-Awalie, village chief of Pikin Saron. The village chief wants the research to start as soon as possible.
“I heard that our people also used to live in the Maripaston region but people are searching for gold there now, so I fear that all of the evidence has been destroyed,” said Chief Clarise.
