Georgetown, GINA, August 12, 2015

The Umana Yana will rise once again like a phoenix at the site where it was destroyed by fire in 201 4. Addressing a simple sod turning ceremony today, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples affairs Valerie Garrido – Lowe described the occasion as a fitting end to Heritage celebrations. The Minister said that it the day it was formally constructed and handed over in 1972 was a historic one and added that its destruction by fire in 2014 was a “sad day” for all.

The Minister opined that the rebuilding of the edifice will serve to, “remind all that the nine indigenous peoples of Guyana are highly skilled and capable”. She further expressed her gratitude to the Minster of Public Infrastructure David Patterson for including the reconstruction costs in his ministry’s 2015 budget and to Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine for the architectural design to be utilized.

For the Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, it was a “tremendous honor” to be able to assist with the reconstruction process. He revealed that of the total cost of 66.7 million dollars, 6 million will be used for a fire suppression system to avoid a repeat of the 2014 fire, and 16 million will be spent on a solar power system, as an alternate energy source. The foundation will also be raised some 12 inches to alleviate possible flooding. It is expected that the new benab, which will be built using traditional methods by Wai Wai tribe members led by master builder and former Toshao Colin Andrews, will be completed within the next six months. Materials, which are already being gathered, will be supplied by the villages of St. Cuthbert's Mission and Moraikobai.

Wait, Wait:

 

 

"He revealed that of the total cost of 66.7 million dollars,"

 

Who thiefing now ?

 

 

Hey you, I won't let you get away with rascality. You deliberately left out this explanatory clause of the sentence:

6 million will be used for a fire suppression system to avoid a repeat of the 2014 fire, and 16 million will be spent on a solar power system, as an alternate energy source. The foundation will also be raised some 12 inches to alleviate possible flooding.

What an asinine question. But then you are a jackass.

I always love the Umana Yana. Nice site to promote Amerindians in Guyana.

Performers at the sod-turning ceremony today:

 

Jagdeo  and his band of thieves are pissed, because money going fa real projects and they cant grab any.  

Very nice!

Why is it every time we see our Amerindian brothers and sisters at a government ceremony they are always dancing and jumping up
Why can't they just be there just like us instead of a human display for our entertainment.

Wanting others to be 'just like us', is what has screwed up the whole world.

Your mind might be too small to realize the world is diverse and Guyana is no different.

Politics in Guyana for the past 49 years has got the entire country in trouble, because everyone want others to be 'just like us'.

 

The Amerindians in Guyana are displaying their rich diverse culture and when we fail to do so, we lose an important part of our traditional life.

 

You might be part of this example. Our ancestors were taken to British Guiana  and were not allowed to practice their language and religion, because the British wanted them to be  'just like us'.

Many of us are from African and Indian heritage, but how many of us practice  the rituals of our ancestors, that was taken away by others, who wanted us to be  'just like us'.

 

An experience I had with much anger for the British. One evening I was walking among the street people  of Kolkata and I was very upset that I looked like them, came from that country, yet I could not speak their language, because someone wanted me to be 'just like us'.

 

The Canadian Indian Residential School System was instrumental in wanting to make Canada First Nations People 'just like us'. They failed miserable and left generations as a broken people. With numerous challenges to cope with daily life.   

 

Have a diverse mind and embrace others as they are, because even if we try to change them, they will never become 'just like us'.   

WHy would Amerindians want to be like you?

Maybe he is better looking, with some ego.

Maybe he want Amerindians to do the Coolie Bai Dance

Many times, the so called Amerindians I see in the photo ops are mixed ppl. Seldom is there Amerindians visible-like the ones I see in the documentaries.

 

 

Doan kill me now for my commentary.

 

Which language you would have preferred-hindi, bengali, bhojpuri, urdu, persian.

 

Many Indians are happy with the British Raj, they brought order to the country. Unified in transportation, education, etc, etc 

This was a project that was suppose to start since 2014 but with the political ranglings no concrete agreement was reached, now with a majority coalition any and every thing can pass in parliament . Remember, every project proposed by the PPP was voted down. The Umana Yana was a lovely venue for meetings, for which I attended several, like someone stated before, this place should be a cultural market for the Amerindians and as a display for tourists.

KP show where and when this project was proposed by the PPP/C friends and family Inc.

Notice how Roopnarine standing far.  He think dem digging his grave.  But seriously - sod turning ceremony???

Sod turning ceremonies happen all over the world...which century yuh from?

Its a pity that some people don't have positive things to say.

They must live miserable lives and hate the world. 

We have no barriers to race mixing. Indians do. Blacks to some extent do also and both groups see us as undesirable for mates.

 

Most Mexicans are Amerindians and they do not look like the isolated groups national geographic cares about.

You sound miserable. Is it red flag day?

But seriously, is it not what Guyanese politicos do for their photo op?

As an East Indian man who was beaten up by thugs in Georgetown two blocks away from Freedom house because they believe I was an Amerindian I take offence to some of these comments.

Please be specific as to the "they". Cain has his Portuguese mafia thuggies  there so we do not want to miss them. Remember the General and his gang with a preference for rape and sodomizing his victims? Are you sure it was not him or his crew...were you a victim of this master architect of sexual molestation?

This is deep-deep stuff, Tola bai. Highly appreciated.

Fair comment, but cohabitation is high in the hinterland. Unlike some awee coolies, Amerindians have no problem loving other races in the truest sense, hence the large segment of mixed blood. There's an Amerindian leader named Peter Persaud, founder of The Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana [TAAMOG]. He is mixed.

Iman.... Highly.... appreciate it too.

 

Banna, the whites thought they were doing other people favours but instead did the opposite. They may have done some good but they also did lots of bad.

If I were to talk a trip to Portugal I would be lost in every way. Dunno the language, the foods, nothing.

 

No regrets, I am content with my life no matter how difficult it was/is/still might be. Iman happy that I could sit here, rip a fart,scratch my baltz and make weird posts like this.

You know Gil, sometime me write stuff here and na  know where it comes from. Maybe me spiritual side.

I don't remember much of grammar in primary school, like how to use 'have' and 'has' in a sentence.

But like you, travel does open our minds, when we don't stay in five star hotels.

Thanks for the compliment, sometimes I don't think it really me.  

My words are being manipulated against me. These people are not our Roman conquered subjects brought before us to entertain us. If we want to see their culture then go to their villages and see it in a natural setting.

D2 gonna set you straight. He's gonna tell you the same thing I would but I'll let him have his say.

Bring it. Cowboys and Indians days only exist in Hollywood now.

suh why ayuh coolie like put on show all ova the place?

Peter is a Peter and a PPP pocket amerindian. Anytime the need amerindian validation the pull a peter from their pocket.

I never heard you complain about those diwali fairs and those dancing girls with their "cultural" kama sutra moves in front of thousands of leering drunks. And that is indeed a place where you should complain about dancing girls because to us diwali solemn welcoming celebration of Sita and Lakshamana's return from captivity.

 

This occasion was a ceremony to re establish an Amerind historic building which has become a symbol of our relevance and presence in the state Those are wapishanas who are celebrating the occasion of the beginning of the build. They will be the ones fabricating that benab in the manner and style used to build their homes and by hand. It is a happy day for them.

Cowboys and Indians do not even exist in Hollywood these days because reality smacked them in the face. Indians were never as portrayed in those pilgrim movies.

Life should be more than playing to the stereotype of other peoples for a cheap dollar.

hope you remember that the next time you think about using the metaphor above.

The way some of these knuckleheads are behaving here, one would think that it is a crime to be an Indian. Maybe Caribj is cracking the whip on them good and prappa.