The Amerindians

Prepared by Hazel Woolford for the Guyana Institute of Historical Research.

The Instructional DVD/Video series, Lessons in History is a cooperative project of the Guyana Institute of Historical Research and, the Guyana Learning Channel.

© 2012 By Guyana Institute of Historical Research 106 Atlantic Gardens Montrose East Coast Demerara Guyana South America

1. Use A Brief Outline of the Progress of Integration in Guyana Georgetown: Ministry of

Information and Culture, 1970 2. Use Dale Bisnauth History of Religions in the Caribbean Trans Africa World Press, 1996 3. Use Rev. W.H. Brett The Indian Tribes of Guiana, their conditions and habits London: Bell and

Baldy, 1868 4. Use the volumes of Caribbean Story 1981 5. Use Vere T. Daly The Making of Guyana London: Macmillan, 1975 6. Use Guy De Weever The Children’s Story of Guiana Georgetown: Argosy, 1932 7. Use J. Parry and P. Sherlock Short History of the West Indies Mcmillan,1971 8. Use Walter F. Edwards, Focus on Amerindians Georgetown: University of Guyana, 1980 9. Use Edward A. Goodall, Sketches of Amerindian tribes, 1841- 1843 London: British Museum

Publications Limited for the National Commission for Research Materials on Guyana, 1977 10. Use Robert J. Fernandes Georgetown: Visions of the Interior Ministry of Education, 1977 11. Use Nicholas Guppy, WAI- WAI, Through the Forests north of the Amazon London: John Murray, 1958 12. Use William Haslyn Parris Bunaro: From darkness to light Georgetown: SOLVIT Ltd., 1993 13. Use Sister Rose Magdalene Amerindian stories for young Guyanese Georgetown: Ministry of

Education, Social Development and Culture 14. Use Land of Waters Ro McConnell Sussex: The Book Guild, 2000

15. Use Mary Noel Menezes (Editor) The Amerindians in Colonial History London: Frank Casas &

Company, 1979 16. Use Sister M. Noel Menezes, Robert Fernandez Amerindian Life in Guyana Georgetown:

Ministry of Education, Social Development and Culture, 1982 17. Use Mary N. Menezes, R.S.M British Policy towards the Amerindians in British Guiana, 1803- 1873 Leeds: The Caribbean Press, 2011 18. Use Denis Williams Pages in Guyanese History Georgetown: Walter Roth Museum of

Anthropology, 1995 19. Use Mary Noel Menezes, RSM The Amerindians and the Europeans Georgetown: Red Thread

Women’s Press, 1993 20. Use Hazel Woolford KIDS History Illustrated Montrose: Guyana Institute of Historical Research, 2012 21. Use Amerindians in Colonial History (Editorial) Stabroek News 2 September 2001

1. Use Odeem Ishmael The Guyana Story: From Earliest times to Independence (Revised in May 2011) http://www.guyana.org 2. Use Walter Raleigh The Discovery of Guiana, 1595 Published online by Internet Modern History

Sourcebook. http://www.guyana.org/govt/robertson_report.html

This instructional video is an adapted version of the radio programme, Living History and the newspaper columns, History Today, and History This Week. The objective of this instructional DVD is to support the teacher in the class room and in the preparation of notes of lessons, but it will also meet the needs of all students engaged in the study of the Amerindians. Included is the print material which is the History of the Amerindians and, a list of valuable reading materials. At the end of each lesson are questions and assignments for the next lesson. In this series, are included online materials. E- learning is global and is certainly a part of the delivery of education in Guyana. Craig Weiss, e- learning industry analyst and E- Learning 27/7 blogger stated 5. Video Management Systems/ Video E-Learning Platform- Both terms are utilizing the same tactic- you can create/ upload a video into their systems and offer your learners a multitude of features and capabilities. For the most part they offer the same capabilities (yes, they all offer a different feature or two), but only one vendor includes SCORM as part of their product. To me, that vendor is the leader in the space and one I would want to use.

This package contains the second in the series of instructional videos on Guyana. This series deal with the history of the Amerindians. About 7000 years ago they arrived in Guyana. Although Christopher Columbus came very close to the coast of Guiana, he never disembarked. The English did not settle because they were in search of mineral wealth. Hence, the Dutch were the first to colonize Guiana and, establish a working relationship with the Amerindians.You will find the instructional DVD as well as the companion products very interactive.

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Instructional DVD on the History of the Amerindians in Guyana. A hand book on the History of Amerindians in Guyana. Print material is also on CD. 3. A brochure on the Guyana Institute of Historical Research.

Professor Emeritus Dr. Mary Noel Menezes is the authority on the history of the Amerindians of Guyana. She earned her Ph.D in History from the University of London. Professor Menezes taught for over three decades at the University of Guyana. In 1973, she began the Masters degree in History. Mr. Edward Jarvis earned the B.Ed from the University of Guyana. He was the Best graduating student in Education. Mr. Jarvis is the Coordinator of the Fast Track Initiative education programme. He participated in the fifth GIHR Research Conference. Mr. Autry Haynes earned his degree from the University of Guyana. He is a Sociologist. Mr. Haynes is the Chief Executive Officer of the Indigenous People Commission. He participated in the fifth GIHR Research Conference. Ms. Laureen Pierre is married. She earned the B.A. and M.A. in History from the University of Guyana and earned her Ph.D in Education, at the University of Masssachusetts, Amherst in 2013. Ms. Pierre’s M.A. thesis is on Stephen Campbell. She worked for several years in the Amerindian Research Unit of the University of Guyana.

The GIHR Research Conference is held annually, on the last Saturday in June.

[First publication of History Today. Reprinted from The Guyana Chronicle September 1992]

For the past few years, the historical air waves have been humming and pulsing with controversy over the forthcoming event of the 500 th anniversary of the so-called discovery of the New World. Organizations, committees, conferences have been discussing widely differing views with regard to the best way to prepare for, and commemorate, those 500 years of acculturation and evangelization.

For the Europeans, 1492 is recalled as the discovery of America and of the bringing of culture to indigenous peoples. But to those whose ancestral homelands were taken from them, it was an invasion.

Samuel Elliott Morrison, the authoritative biographer of Christopher Columbus wrote of October 12, 1492, “Not since the birth of Christ has there been a night so full of meaning for the human race”. For the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, of Central and South America the cry of “Tierra, tierrra” sounded the death knell for their land and for their freedom. Not only did the arrival of the Europeans in the 16 th century and onwards cost the lives of vast numbers of indigenous peoples, but those who survived the many waves and trauma of the conquest and consequent colonization, were deprived of what formed the basis of their existence –their land, their religion and their freedom. In poignant words, they recorded the agony of their people: in Cantares Mexicanos And our tears ran down How can we save our Houses, my people?

Students are requested to prepare answers before this lesson. There have been changes in the hinterland scholarship programme, since it was started in 1962. 1. What do you know about the guardianship programme? 2. Where is the dormitory for the Amerindian students located? What do you know about the history of the dormitory? 3. Identify at least five (5) prominent beneficiaries of the Amerindian scholarship programme, who are now contributing to the development of Guyana, in politics, education, medicine, law,the media, fine arts or, social work and prepare to lead a discussion on one of these personalities. 4. Identify the relationship between the Catholic church and education in the hinterland. 5. What are some challenges that teachers and students face, in ensuring that there is a low percentage of absenteeism in the hinterland areas?

6. What are some difficulties that hinterland students encounter, when they move to the city for advanced education?

7. Why is it important to teach English as a second language in the hinterland?

72 It is not clear how Stephen gained access to correspondence of this nature but it is possible that P. Storer Peberdy, Amerindian Welfare Officer, shared them with Campbell. 73 From 1954 Amerindian Development Committees were established. 74 Diary, 1955. Tis diary contains notes culled from what are obviously official government circulars and papers. Extracts from Seggar’s paper are among these notes. 75 Diary, 3 May 1955. 76 Ibid., 12 May 1955. 77 Vincent Roth, Legislative Council on Tour: A Personal Account of the Legislative Council’s Tour of the North West District and Essequibo, 27-31 March 1952 (Georgetown: the “Daily Chronicle”, Ltd., 1952), p. 38. 78 Spending weekends at Mabaruma allowed the Campbells to attend Sunday mass and to visit their daughter Stephanie who was teaching there. 79 Jagan, p. 174. 80 Great Britain: Report of a Commission of Inquiry into Disturbances in British Guiana in February 1962, (London: HMSO, 1962) Col. No. 354, p.10. 81 Jagan, p.102 82 Carol Vieira to Laureen Pierre, circa April 1991. (Personal

correspondence). 83 Ibid. 84 Letter (Draft). Stephen Campbell … 85 Daily Chronicle, 11 August 1957. 86 Jagan, p.174 87 Lionel Luckhoo to Laureen Pierre, circa April 1991. (Personal Correspondence). 88 Ibid. 89 Lionel Luckhoo to Laureen Pierre … 90 “Two Parish Priests Write of Stephen Campbell”, Letters by J. King, S.J. and L. Buckley, S.J. in Catholic Standard, 20 May 1966. 91 Guiana Graphic, 14 April 1957. 92 Daily Chronicle, 29 July 1957 93 “National Labour Front Presents Strong Front”, in The Crusader, 21 July 1957. 94 “Two Parish Priests Write of Stephen Campbell”, Comment by L. Buckley, S.J. 95 Lionel Luckhoo to Laureen Pierre … 96 Daily Chronicle, 29 July 1957. 97 Lionel Luckhoo to Laureen Pierre … 98 “Another Amerindian to Contest General Elections”, in Daily Argosy 17 April 1957. 99 British Guiana: Report of the General Election, 1957. 100 Lionel Luckhoo to Laureen Pierre … 101 “Mr. Stephen Campbell Predicts New Era for Amerindians”, in Daily Argosy, 23 August 1957. 102 Abdool A. Kayum et al., General Elections 1957 …, p. 47. 103 Ibid.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Proposal by the National Tuberculosis Programme to Global Fund; NTP,

Ministry of Health

What new diseases did the Amerindians contract, when the Amerindians arrived in Guyana? Discuss the foods that the Amerindians, would have contributed to the early European settlers in seventeenth century Guiana. Share with the class the stereo types, you have found in the writings on Amerindians in the nineteenth century. Why was tuberculosis prevalent in the Amerindian communities, up to the twenty century? What attempts, have the public health care system made to educate the Amerindian communities in the hinterland communities on responsible sex?