Fairview

Significant changes are now evident in the attitudes of the staff and the people in the nearby Amerindian settlement of Fairview just a stone’s throw from the field station. It is the only community within the boundaries of the Iwokrama reserve.

During a visit to Fairview six year ago, representatives of the media, and natural and social scientists had been cautioned about taking photographs at the Amerindian settlement and doing anything that might have offended residents there. Apart from just disembarking at the landing and stepping across some makeshift bridges to view petroglyphs found on boulders in the Fairview rapids, no one ventured into the community. The petroglyphs were dated 7,000 years.

On a recent visit, Stabroek News, a two-member camera crew from the GTV and visiting management editor of The Economist magazine, Frances Cairncross, paid a visit to the village and found a receptive and welcoming people.

Attitudinal change

On noting this, Stabroek News asked why the change in attitude. Resident/boat captain Roger Jonas said that the community now has a new captain who was more receptive to Iwokrama’s objectives. The previous captain, an elderly person, “used to say if we show visitors this and show them that, they (Iwokrama) would be using us. We used to keep by ourselves but we learn that if we keep to ourselves we will not learn.”

Today for every visitor to the community sent by Iwokrama, a fee is paid to the community.

Just a few years ago, he said, when visitors came to Fairview, the people would hide. Today they would greet them and talk about community life. At the school, depending on the time, they sing songs and sometimes perform skits to welcome them. Today Iwokrama is becoming a way of life.

Fairview has since learnt many things Jonas said. For example, he noted that in the past they used the poisonous vine, the `haiari’ and the poisonous tree `kunan’, found in the forest to poison the fishing grounds to catch fish. In doing this they killed not only fish of all sizes but other aquatic animals which they did not eat. They were taught by Iwokrama that if they continued the practice, there would not be any more fertile fishing grounds left. Many people “kicked against it” saying that their forefathers did the same thing.

Considering that their forefathers followed fishing and hunting grounds when the stocks got low and they were now living in a settled community, they realised the wisdom in discontinuing the practice, he said. They now use bows and arrows and hooks instead.

While the practice of hunting wild animals for food continues, he said that residents are being encouraged to rear poultry but the change has been slow. He does not eat “wild meat” anymore.

In terms of income generation, he said people were being encouraged to return to making handicraft from the resources found in the area and to use sustainably the products or by-products of trees such as the Crabwood from which crab oil is obtained. The crab oil is known for inducing smooth skin and treating an ailment called `thrush’ in babies.

Native skills

Fairview residents are skilled at making bows and arrows and dugouts. At present just a few people know to make other craft but they do not know how to sell them. In this regard, he said, people there were looking to Iwokrama for direction.

During the visit to Fairview, teacher-in-charge of the Fairview Primary School Alain Demetrio, originally from Nappi in the Rupununi, who is also versatile in the art of balata craft, said he learnt his balata craft from well-known Macushi balata craftsman George Tancredo whose work is found in the National Art Gallery at Castellani House. Demetrio sells his craft of miniature animals, birds and things found in the area, to visitors. He markets his craft in Boa Vista, in neighbouring Brazil, too. The numerous macaws, parrots and other varieties of birds in the community are not an indication of a sanctuary. The fruits of the acquero and awara palm trees attract the birds. Right now the community is trying to conserve the palms. At one time, Jonas said, there were many palms but people had cut them down because they felt they were serving no purpose. They now see the birds as an added attraction.

Honey production

In relation to plans for the community, it was noted that already an agricultural extension worker residing in Fairview has set up two beehives to gather honey. It is expected that they would be able to sell honey in the community and to the field station. The settlement has its own nature trail where young people acting as guides would take visitors.

Other plans for the community, Jonas said, include hikes to the Makari Mountain peak. Once a trail and camp are established visitors will have the opportunity to camp overnight as the distance to the mountain foot and to the peak is greater than that of Turtle Mountain.

Turtle Mountain

The 720-ft Turtle Mountain is so named because of the Turtle Lake found at the mountain foot. The lake got its name from the many Giant River turtles which were once found there. The Turtle Lake is also home to the Giant Otter and it is said to be a good fishing ground.

The field station offers one and a half-hour to two-hour treks to Turtle Mountain peak. The journey to Turtle Mountain begins by boat and depending on the time of day the traveller may be fortunate to see the belted kingfishers flying just above the water hunting fish. There might be the odd pair of red-billed toucan and a carrion crow or turtle vulture sitting side by side on a dry tree branch jutting into the skyline, as Stabroek News observed. Found at the foot of Turtle Mountain is a seasonally-flooded forest rich with species of the hardwood mora, the poisonous `haiari’ and a tangle of vines. The trail was cut by Surama resident, Daniel Allicock and team.

Aphrodisiacs and contraceptives

The tour guide, Julian Fraser pointed to a mora tree, believed to be about 300 to 400 years based on its circumference. Without cutting down the tree, he noted that the bark is used for tanning leather and its trunk and branches are home to a variety of wildlife. On the trail, too, are other hardwoods such as the greenheart, the purpleheart, crabwood and the balata, also known as the `corkwood tree’. Among the vines found on the trail and known for their aphrodisiac qualities are the capadulla, coofa, monkey ladder, granny-backbone and ow-me-daddy.

Fraser also explained that there were seeds or leaves of trees that could be used as contraceptives such as the seeds of the greenheart. The greenheart seeds, too, he said could be used for treating malaria and the leaves of the `trisles’ for conjunctivitis.

Scents and sounds

The forest also had its distinct scents and sounds. Where one may have expected complete silence, on the contrary it was noisy. The territorial bird, the `screaming piha’, rarely seen by strangers, was visible that day. So, too, were some wood-creepers (relatives of the woodpecker) who were banging away on nearby trees. The cicadas, also known as `six o’clock bees’, were not to be outdone as they chirped adding to the commingling of noises. Two vine snakes (looking like horse-whip snakes) also made their appearance.

Noting the varying strong scents along the trail, Fraser at one time identified one as the faeces of the howler monkey and another scent as that left by a group of peccaries, also known as `bush hogs’ which were in the area.

Conservation awareness

Are the people more aware of conservation? Fraser told this newspaper that at one time Iwokrama and the surrounding communities abounded with the endangered giant river turtles. These turtles were caught and sold across the border to Brazil. To save the turtles, Fraser said, rangers like himself went from community to community teaching residents to understand the concept of saving the turtles for future generations. They cited the example of one turtle being used as an eco-tourism product and being paid for over 100 times by visitors just to see it as against killing it and being paid only once for it. He feels that this programme has met with some measure of success.

However, Basil Williams, another Iwokrama staffer sees the need for persons travelling the route, especially the “truckers”, to stop shooting or hunting the wild animals as they go about their business. “You know how long we telling them in the bush trucks not to trouble the animals. They see powis, they see deer, labba, bush hogs and they shoot them. They just shooting for fun.”