Orealla
Encyclopedia
Orealla is an American Indian
community in the East Berbice-Corentyne
Region of Guyana
, on the Courantyne River
, approximately 33 miles (53.1 km) south of Crabwood Creek
and 11 miles (17.7 km) north of Epira, located at 5°17′50"N 57°20′50"W, altitude 11 metres. 15 miles (24.1 km) south-east on the other side of the Courantyne River lies the Suriname
se village of Apoera
.
Orealla is the only American Indian community that has had the boundaries of its reservation demarcated, with a total area of 266 mi2.
The recent involvement of Orealla with the Barama company, the product of which has been a local ecological and economic disaster, demonstrates a major weakness of the reservation system, which while providing a large degree of autonomy to Amerindian communities may also cut them off somewhat from central sources of advice and assistance, exposing them to such predatory incursions from outside parties.
Small ocean-going vessels are able to navigate the Courantyne River for about 70 km, to the first rapids at Orealla.
Novelist Roy Heath
has written about Orealla.
Indigenous peoples in South America
American indigenous peoples in South America include:*Indigenous peoples in Argentina*Indigenous peoples in Bolivia*Indigenous peoples in Brazil*Indigenous peoples in Chile*Indigenous peoples in Colombia*Indigenous peoples in Ecuador...
community in the East Berbice-Corentyne
East Berbice-Corentyne
East Berbice-Corentyne is one of ten regions in Guyana covering the whole of the east of the country. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Suriname to the east, Brazil to the south and the regions of Mahaica-Berbice, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Potaro-Siparuni and Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo...
Region of Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, on the Courantyne River
Courantyne River
The Corentyne / Courantyne / Corantijn River is a river in northern South America in the country of Suriname, it is the longest river in the state. The river originates in the Acarai Mountains and flows northward for approximately between Guyana and Suriname, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near...
, approximately 33 miles (53.1 km) south of Crabwood Creek
Crabwood Creek
Crabwood Creek is a small community on the Corentyne River in the East Berbice–Corentyne region of Guyana. The population of about 10,000 people is primarily descendants of indentured labourerss who were brought to Guyana from India in the mid-1830s....
and 11 miles (17.7 km) north of Epira, located at 5°17′50"N 57°20′50"W, altitude 11 metres. 15 miles (24.1 km) south-east on the other side of the Courantyne River lies the Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
se village of Apoera
Apoera
Apoera, also Apura, is a town in western Suriname. It is the final destination of the Southern East-West Link. north-west on the other side of the Courantyne River lies the Guyanese village of Orealla...
.
Orealla is the only American Indian community that has had the boundaries of its reservation demarcated, with a total area of 266 mi2.
The recent involvement of Orealla with the Barama company, the product of which has been a local ecological and economic disaster, demonstrates a major weakness of the reservation system, which while providing a large degree of autonomy to Amerindian communities may also cut them off somewhat from central sources of advice and assistance, exposing them to such predatory incursions from outside parties.
Small ocean-going vessels are able to navigate the Courantyne River for about 70 km, to the first rapids at Orealla.
Novelist Roy Heath
Roy Heath
Roy A K Heath was a Guyanese writer, most noted for his "Georgetown Trilogy" of novels , consisting of From the Heat of the Day , One Generation , and Genetha...
has written about Orealla.