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81-456: Delta Amacuro State covers a total surface area of 40,200 km (15,500 sq mi) and, in 2011, had a census population of 171,413. Based on theories, anthropological evidence and oral tradition, the antecedents of human activity within this territory date from the time of the first displacements through America; Groups from the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes were introduced into

162-503: A book entitled The Discovery of Guiana , but this mainly relates to the Guayana region of Venezuela. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle there, starting in the early 17th century. They founded the colonies of Essequibo and Berbice , adding Demerara in the mid-18th century. In 1796, Great Britain took over these three colonies during hostilities with the French, who had occupied

243-402: A brewery, a soap factory, a biscuit factory and an oxygen-acetylene plant, among others). The London-based Booker Group of companies (Booker Brothers, McConnell & Co., Ltd) dominated the economy of British Guiana. The Bookers had owned sugar plantations in the colony since the early 19th century; by the end of the century they owned a majority of them. By 1950 they owned all but three. With

324-664: A diplomatic protest, claiming that the New River , and not the Kutari, was to be regarded as the source of the Courantyne and the boundary. The British government in 1900 replied that the issue was already settled by the longstanding acceptance of the Kutari as the boundary. In 1962, the Kingdom of the Netherlands , on behalf of its then- constituent country of Suriname , finally made formal claim to

405-499: A minority presence in the Surinamese villages of Cupido and Post Utrecht . British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies . It was located on the northern coast of South America . Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana . The first known Europeans to encounter Guiana were Sir Walter Raleigh , an English explorer, and his crew. Raleigh published

486-552: A new proportional representation system. Britain expected that this system would reduce the number of seats won by the PPP and prevent it from obtaining a majority. The December 1964 elections for the new legislature gave the PPP 45.8% (24 seats), the People's National Congress (PNC) 40.5% (22 seats) and the United Force (UF) 12.4% (7 seats). The UF agreed to form a coalition government with

567-454: A new border according to the award, and the parties accepted the boundary in 1905. There the matter rested until 1962, when Venezuela renewed its 19th-century claim, alleging that the arbitral award was invalid. After his death, Severo Mallet-Prevost, legal counsel for Venezuela and a named partner in the New York law firm Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle published a letter alleging that

648-447: A nominated Senate (13 seats). In the ensuing election of 21 August 1961, the PPP won 20 seats in the House of Assembly, entitling it as the majority party to appoint eight senators. Upon the 1961 election, British Guiana also became self-governing , except as to defence and external matters. The leader of the majority party became prime minister, who then named a Council of Ministers, replacing

729-621: A significant part of the economy (in 1959 sugar still accounted for nearly 50% of exports). Under the Dutch, settlement and economic activity was concentrated around sugarcane plantations lying inland from the coast. Under the British, cane planting expanded to richer coastal lands, with greater coastline protection. Until the abolition of slavery in the British Empire , sugar planters depended almost exclusively on slave labour to produce sugar. Georgetown

810-428: A system of proportional representation of the population of the state and its municipalities, the state has 7 deputies; all 7 belong to the ruling party. Delta Amacuro State like the other 23 federal entities of Venezuela has its own police force called Delta Amacuro State Police ( Polícia del Estado Delta Amacuro ), whose general headquarters are in the city of Tucupita. The police force is supported and complemented by

891-585: A tribe. As of 2021, an estimated 2,500 refugees have settled in Guyana in Warao communities near Mabaruma and Port Kaituma . Whitewater near Maburuma has limited infrastructure, however it does have a recognised local government. About 250 have settled in Anabisi near Port Kaituma which is remote, lacks infrastructure, and has no access to clean water. Anabisi is part of the hunting and fishing grounds of Citrus Grove which

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972-415: Is affected by the proximity to the coast and the rivers that cross it being mostly tropical rainy in the continental or internal zone but of Savannah when approaching the coast. The whole region has heavy rainfall most of the year, but it decreases in the western part of the state. The population of the region went from only 5,766 inhabitants in 1873 to 33,648 in 1950 when it was still a federal territory. At

1053-420: Is done with instructions from the elder female of the household, handed down by her daughters to their husbands. The other type of canoe is small, seating only three people, and is used for daily travel to and from food sources. The Warao diet is varied with an emphasis on the products of the delta, mostly fish. By 1500 they had acquired basic horticulture ; many of their daily fruits and vegetables come from

1134-540: Is felt to be severely threatened. In the summer of 2008, indigenous leaders and researchers from the University of California, Berkeley issued a report detailing the deaths of 38 Warao in the Delta Amacuro state from a mysterious illness. The disease, which causes "partial paralysis , convulsions and an extreme fear of water" is believed to be a form of rabies transmitted by bats . Upon reaching Caracas to inform

1215-406: Is no longer usable, a consensus is reached by the leaders of each household on which tree is best. At the start of the dry season, they find the tree and kill it. At the end of the dry season, they return to cut it down. It is then hollowed out and flattened with fire and stone tools traded from the mountains (or local shell tools). Traditionally, the work of making the larger canoes by the young men

1296-544: The Berbice Association . The Dutch West India Company founded a third colony, Demerara , in the mid-18th century. During the French Revolutionary Wars of the late 18th century, when the Netherlands were occupied by the French, and Great Britain and France were at war, Britain took over the colony in 1796. A British expeditionary force was dispatched from its colony of Barbados to seize the colonies from

1377-623: The British Government abolished the Dutch-influenced constitution and replaced it with a Crown colony constitution. A Legislative Council with an appointed majority was established, and the administrative powers of the Governor were strengthened. These constitutional changes were not popular among the Guyanese, who viewed them as a step backward. The franchise was extended to women . In 1938

1458-646: The Netherlands . Britain returned control of the territory to the Batavian Republic in 1802, but captured the colonies a year later during the Napoleonic Wars . The Netherlands officially ceded the colonies to the United Kingdom in 1815. The British consolidated the territories into a single colony in 1831. The colony's capital was at Georgetown (known as Stabroek prior to 1812). Since the late 19th century,

1539-696: The United States Navy established NAF British Guiana and NAF Paramaribo in British Guiana. The economy was based on cultivation and processing of sugarcane as a commodity crop, dependent on extensive labor by enslaved workers of mostly sub-Saharan African descent. Although the UK and the United States abolished the Atlantic slave trade in 1807, the domestic slave trade flourished until Britain emancipated all

1620-682: The West India Royal Commission ("The Moyne Commission") was appointed to investigate the economic and social condition of all the British colonies in the Caribbean region after a number of civil and labour disturbances . Among other changes, the Commission recommended some constitutional reforms. As a result, in 1943 a majority of the Legislative Council seats became elective, the property qualifications for voters and for candidates for

1701-609: The " New River Triangle ", the triangular-shaped region between the New and Kutari rivers that was in dispute. The then Surinamese colonial government and, after 1975, the independent Surinamese government, maintained the Dutch position, while the British Guiana Government, and later the independent Guyanese government, maintained the British position. British Guiana is famous among philatelists for its early postage stamps, which were first issued in 1850. These stamps include some of

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1782-468: The 4 current municipalities; it also annexes to the state the hamlets Nuevo Mundo, Platanal, El Triunfo and El Triunfito, previously under the jurisdiction of the State of Bolivar. In the last decade, Delta Amacuro has seen an important migration of criollo Venezuelans looking for jobs in the oil sector. The state of Delta Amacuro has an extension of 40,200 kilometers, which represents a little more than 4.6% of

1863-1099: The Atlantic Ocean. The state has its highest point in the so-called Monte Indira with 687 meters above sea level which contrasts with its lowest point in the sector of Casacoima with -48 meters above sea level. The Orinoco Delta region is crossed by a multitude of rivers and streams with numerous islands including Barril Island, Borojo Island, Bongo Island, Burojoida Island, Baroco Sanuca Island, Corosimo Island, Capure Island, Caneima Island, Coboima Island, Cocuina Island, Curiapo Island, Guasi Borujo Island, Janejo Island, Jebu Cebenoco Island, Mánamo Island, Mono Island, Burojo, Cotorra, Isla de Plata, Tortola Island, Tucupita Island, Macareo, Manamito, Guara, El Cidral or Cangrejo Island, El Barco Island, Morocoto Island, Isla del Medio, Guaranoco Island, Las Islitas Island, Mysterious Island, Noina Island, Guasina Island, Sacupana Island, Tobejuba (Tobajuba) Island, Tobeima Island, Corocoro Island, Cocuina Island, Pedernales Island, Pagayos Island, Caneima Island, Remolinos Island and Remediadora Island. Its climate

1944-590: The Constitution of the State Delta Amacuro, dictated by the Legislative Council. It is composed of State Governor Delta Amacuro and a group of State Secretaries who are appointed by him and serve as his assistants in the management of the Government. The Governor is elected by the people by direct and secret ballot for a four-year term with the possibility of re-election. The Governor is the chief administrator of

2025-545: The Council were lowered, and the bar on women and clergy serving on the Council was abolished. The Governor retained control of the Executive Council, which had the power to veto or pass laws against the wishes of the Legislative Council. The next round of constitutional reforms came in 1953. A bicameral legislature , consisting of a lower House of Assembly and an upper State Council, was established. The voting membership of

2106-835: The Delta connects to the Orinoco, it became the point of entry from the Ocean to Guayana. His first recognition was by Alonso de Ojeda, in 1499 he documented the mouth of the Orinoco River. Vicente Yañez Pinzón in 1500 discovered the Delta and Diego de Ordaz, commander of the Order of Santiago, captain of Hernán Cortés, in 1532 climbed the Orinoco to the confluence with the Meta River. The first documented naval expedition from this region occurred in June 1531 (38 years after

2187-476: The Discovery of America) by Diego de Ordaz, who decided to explore the Orinoco with several ships.3 Antonio Berrío entered the region in the 1580s. Beginning in 1598, Fernando de Berrío, Antonio Berrío's son, explored the region in his search for El Dorado. Later, Walter Raleigh explored the area in 1594, 1595 and finally on his last expedition in 1616. The Delta as a region was part of Nueva Andalucía from 1568. It

2268-564: The Europeans arrived in America. Thanks to the remoteness of the Delta, the Warao managed to keep a certain independence from the European and later criollo colonizers. Christopher Columbus arrived at the coast off the Delta on 1 August 1498 during his third voyage to America. He wrote about the macareo , the noise that occurs when a large river flow (the Orinoco river) meets the ocean currents. As

2349-596: The French-dominated Batavian Republic . The colonies surrendered without a struggle. Initially very little changed, as the British agreed to allow the long-established laws of the colonies to remain in force. In 1802 Britain returned the colonies to the Batavian Republic under the terms of the Treaty of Amiens . But, after resuming hostilities with France in the Napoleonic Wars in 1803, Britain seized

2430-628: The Guaiqueris considered their language to be related to Warao. The territory became part of the Guayana Province when Venezuela became independent. The settlement of non-indigenous people began in 1848 when Julián Flores, Juan Millán, Tomás Rodríguez, Regino Suiva and others founded the Forty-Eight Settlement, which is the predecessor of the present Tucupita. Later, farmers and merchants continued to settle, mostly from Margarita Island and

2511-471: The House of Assembly was entirely elective. The membership of the State Council was appointed by the Governor and the House of Assembly and possessed limited revisionary powers. A Court of Policy became the executive body, consisting of the Governor and other colonial officials. Universal adult suffrage was instituted, and the property qualifications for office abolished. The election of 27 April 1953 under

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2592-607: The Lower Orinoco, they are called Kotoch or Chavinses; They developed knowledge of pottery (of which formal and technical reminiscences in ceramics are kept), and horticulture. With time other groups established themselves in its surface, the oral Tradition stands out among them the Barrancas, who through the cultivation of the bitter yucca reached a remarkable economic development and social structure, even with agricultural surpluses that could have stimulated some type of commerce through

2673-585: The National Police and the Venezuelan National Guard. Delta Amacuro State comprises four municipalities and 20 parishes. Delta Amacuro is one of the poorest regions of Venezuela. The main economic activities are: There is also some limited tourism in the area. The State of Delta Amacuro stands out for its natural landscapes, rivers, islands and streams, its tropical forest and variety of animals that can be observed in their natural habitat. In

2754-854: The Organic Law of the Federal Territory Delta Amacuro was promulgated, which divided it into the departments of Tucupita, Pedernales and Antonio Díaz. According to the Extraordinary Official Gazette No. 4,295 of August 3, 1991, the Special Law was promulgated, giving the Territory the status of State, with the same political-territorial division as before. On January 25, 1995, the State Legislative Assembly issued its second Law of Political Territorial Division, with

2835-641: The PNC, and accordingly, the PNC leader became the new prime minister. In November 1965 an independence conference in London quickly reached agreement on an independent constitution; it set the date for independence as 26 May 1966. On that date, at 12 midnight, British Guiana became the new nation of Guyana . In 1840, the British Government assigned the German-born explorer Robert Hermann Schomburgk to survey and mark out

2916-481: The United States' Monroe Doctrine to win support for its position. US President Grover Cleveland used diplomatic pressure to get the British to agree to arbitration of the issue, ultimately agreeing terms for the arbitration that suited Britain. An arbitration tribunal convened in Paris in 1898, and issued its award in 1899. The tribunal awarded about 94% of the disputed territory to British Guiana. A commission surveyed

2997-596: The Warao's lifelong and intimate connection to the water. Most Warao inhabit Venezuela's Orinoco Delta region, with smaller numbers in neighbouring Guyana , Trinidad and Tobago , and Suriname . With a population of 49,271 people in Venezuela during the 2011 census, they were the second largest indigenous group after the Wayuu people . They speak an agglutinative language, Warao . Warao use canoes as their main form of transportation. Other modes, such as walking, are hampered by

3078-490: The beginning of 1990, when it was preparing to become a state of Venezuela, it had 84,564 inhabitants, with the population estimated at 197,200 by 2017. The state is home to most of the Warao ethnic group. According to the INE census of indigenous communities, there were some 26,080 indigenous people, mainly Waraos, in the state by 2001. The Warao maintain their language, although bilingualism is becoming more widespread. The population in

3159-508: The colonies again less than a year later. The Netherlands officially ceded the three colonies to the United Kingdom in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 . The UK continued separate administration of the individual colonies until 1822, when the administration of Essequibo and Demerara was combined. In 1831, the administration Essequibo-Demerara and Berbice was combined, and the united colony became known as British Guiana. During World War II

3240-497: The colonies involved three phases: desertion from the plantations; movement settlements and later to urban areas; and intra-regional migration from one Caribbean island to another. The traditional rigid Indian caste system largely collapsed in the colonies. Guianese served in all British forces during the Second World War, and enjoyed veterans' benefits afterwards. The colony made a small but important financial contribution to

3321-657: The constitution, declared a state of emergency , and militarily occupied British Guiana on 9 October 1953. Under the direction of the British Colonial Office , the Governor assumed direct rule of the colony under an Interim Government, which continued until 1957. On 12 August 1957, elections were held and the PPP won nine of fourteen elective seats in a new legislature. A constitutional convention convened in London in March 1960 reached agreement on another new legislature, to consist of an elected House of Assembly (35 seats) and

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3402-409: The difficulty of choosing to stay with the Warao traditions and life or to leave to gain an education among the "Creoles". The film includes a detailed look at Warao culture and life along the river. Tourism has come to the Warao which brings relative wealth for some. Several individuals have set up rough and ready tourist accommodation in their own homes. They offer canoe trips (hand and power) to see

3483-660: The dispute remains unresolved. Robert Schomburgk's 1840 commission also included a survey of the colony's eastern boundary with the Dutch colony of Surinam , now the independent nation of Suriname . The 1899 arbitration award settling the British Guiana–Venezuela border made reference to the border with Suriname as continuing to the source of the Courantyne River , which it named as the Kutari River . The Netherlands raised

3564-516: The domesticated and cultivated Palm orchards of the delta. In July and August, Warao feast on crabs when they come to the delta from the beach. Hunting is generally avoided due to cultural taboos. They occasionally also eat grubs found in the moriche palm tree. Pith of the palm was also eaten, but contemporary consumption is more likely to have it added as an additional ingredient for cassava bread. The Warao are, according to their own reports, descended from an adventurous heavenly figure —

3645-517: The economy has become more diversified but has still relied on resource exploitation . Guyana became independent of the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966. The English made at least two unsuccessful attempts in the 17th century to colonise the lands that would later be known as British Guiana. By that time, the Dutch had established two colonies in the area: Essequibo , administered by the Dutch West India Company , and Berbice , administered by

3726-577: The elective membership of the Courts. Membership of the Court of Policy became half elected and half appointed, and all of the Financial Representatives became elective positions. The executive functions of the Court of Policy were transferred to a new Executive Council under the control of the Governor. Property qualifications were significantly relaxed for voters and for candidates to the Courts. In 1928

3807-513: The enslaved in its colonies in the 1830s. The wealth they generated had largely flowed to a group of absentee slave owners living in Britain, especially in Glasgow and Liverpool . The economy of British Guiana was completely based on sugarcane production until the 1880s, when falling cane sugar prices stimulated a shift toward rice farming, mining and forestry. But the production of sugarcane remained

3888-405: The federal map, after being annexed to the state of Bolivar during international tensions with the United Kingdom over the area of the Delta claimed by British Guiana . On October 3, 1899, through the Arbitration Award of Paris and the representation of the United States based on the Monroe Doctrine , the government of Ignacio Andrade lost to the United Kingdom 23,467 km of this region, which

3969-421: The first inhabitants of Guyana, predating the arrival of Arawak and Caribs. The Warao of eastern Venezuela's Orinoco first had contact with Europeans when, soon after Christopher Columbus reached the Orinoco river delta, Alonso de Ojeda decided to navigate the river upstream. There, in the delta, Ojeda saw the distinctively stilted Warao huts, balanced over the water. Similar architecture in Sinamaica far to

4050-489: The former Executive Council. From 1962 to 1964, riots, strikes and other disturbances stemming from racial, social and economic conflicts delayed full independence for British Guiana. The leaders of the political parties reported to the British Colonial Secretary that they were unable to reach agreement on the remaining details of forming an independent government. The British Colonial Office intervened by imposing its own independence plan, in part requiring another election under

4131-454: The fundamental use of the Warao language. According to article 14 of the same legal text, education in the state will be given in Spanish, but in the indigenous communities it will be accompanied by the respective local language, taking into account the indigenous educators to guarantee a bilingual education. It is an autonomous state and politically equal to the rest of the Federation, it organizes its administration and its public powers through

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4212-402: The government of the outbreak and request assistance, the leaders and researchers were "met with disrespect on every level, as if the deaths of indigenous people are not even worth anything." The Crisis in Venezuela in the early 21st century has resulted into a migration of Warao into neighbouring countries. The refugees in Boa Vista , Brazil are not recognised by the Brazilian government as

4293-493: The hole in the floor made by the bird and looked through. He saw lush and fertile land (Earth) and resolved to descend to it to partake of its pleasures: beauty, abundant game, fruit, et cetera. The hunter took a long rope of heavenly cotton, tied it to a tree, and threw it through the hole and lowered himself through the clouds to what is now Earth, forsaking his sky world. The Warao have shamans, who perform music such as rain dances and songs. The Warao have been considered to be

4374-436: The hundreds of streams, rivulets, marshes, and high waters by the Orinoco River. Warao babies, toddlers, and small children are famed for their ability to hold tight to their mothers' necks, as well as to paddle. They often learn to swim before they learn to walk. The Warao use two types of canoes. Bongos , which carry up to 5 people, are built in an arduous process that starts with the search for large trees. When an old bongo

4455-556: The increasing success and wealth of the Booker Group, they expanded internationally and diversified by investing in rum, pharmaceuticals, publishing, advertising, retail stores, timber, and petroleum, among other industries. The Booker Group became the largest employer in the colony, leading some to refer to it as "Booker's Guiana". Indentured workers were recruited from India from 1850 to 1920, and were largely locked in place. A minority achieved mobility. Some secretly fled; others waited until their contracts expired. Indian migration within

4536-421: The inland mines still operate narrow-gauge lines. The British long continued the forms of Dutch colonial government in British Guiana. A Court of Policy exercised both legislative and executive functions under the direction of the colonial Governor (which existed from 1831 to 1966). A group known as the Financial Representatives sat with the Court of Policy in a Combined Court to set tax policies. A majority of

4617-409: The judges on the tribunal acted improperly as a result of a back-room deal between Russia and Great Britain. The British Government rejected this claim, asserting the validity of the 1899 award. The British Guiana Government, then under the leadership of the PPP, also strongly rejected this claim. Efforts by all parties to resolve the matter on the eve of Guyana's independence in 1966 failed; as of today,

4698-431: The main cities is composed mostly of other Venezuelans. According to the 2011 Census, the racial composition of the population was: According to article 13 of the constitution of the State of Delta Amacuro of 2015 the official language of the State is Spanish but in recognition of the multiethnic and pluricultural condition of the region, the indigenous languages of the State are also official, highlighting in this article

4779-432: The members of the Courts was appointed by the Governor; the rest were selected by a College of Kiezers (Electors). The Kiezers were elected, with the restrictive franchise based on property holdings and limited to the larger landowners of the colony. The Courts were dominated in the early centuries by the sugar planters and their representatives. In 1891 the College of Kiezers was abolished in favour of direct election of

4860-488: The monopoly of its production. The expansion of this and other tribes could date back to the beginning of the first millennium, reaching the northeast coast, a large part of the central coast and the Lesser Antilles by the end of this one. The most recent archaeological evidence of pre-Columbian human activity is attributed to the Warao Ethnic Group, according to verbally documented stories; its members joined as deserters from other hostile tribes, probably being displaced from

4941-443: The national territory of Venezuela. It is strategically important because it is one of the few territories with direct access to the Atlantic Ocean (most of the Venezuelan coast is made up of waters in the Caribbean Sea or Sea of the Antilles). The region is located in the extreme east of Venezuela and its main geographical feature is the Orinoco River Delta (the most important and longest in Venezuela) with 18,810 square kilometers and

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5022-408: The new system provoked a serious constitutional crisis. The People's Progressive Party (PPP) won 18 of the 24 seats in the House of Assembly. This result alarmed the British Government, which was surprised by the strong showing of the PPP. It considered the PPP as too friendly with communist organisations. As a result of its fears of communist influence in the colony, the British Government suspended

5103-424: The north of Brazil or the Eastern Savannah; currently some inhabitants of the state continue to identify themselves as part of this tribe and are a legally recognized group within its demography. They were originally fishermen, hunters and gatherers, but later became farmers with the introduction of the Chinese Ocumo from the island of Trinidad and Guyana. The Warao people have lived in this region since well before

5184-430: The primordial hunter. This man originally dwelt in a sky world which had men, but was completely devoid of all animals except birds. Hunting these heavenly birds, the founding man used his bow and arrow to strike a bird in mid-air. The bird fell from the sky and eventually hit the heavenly floor. The birds burst through the floor and proceeded through the clouds and towards terrestrial land ( Earth ) below. The hunter went to

5265-550: The region. In 1925 a new Catholic religious order, called Capuchinos del Caroní, -whose mission at that time included the Delta Amacuro Territory- founded the first of the current missions, The Catholic missionary Barral settled in the area in the 1930s and established a mission in Guayo. In the following decades he collected information on the Warao language and published a Spanish-Warao dictionary. From 1932 onwards, other missionaries founded new missions in San José de Tucupita, San Francisco de Guayo, Nabasanuka and Ajotejana. In 1940

5346-406: The so-called Serrania del Imataca which has 21390 square kilometers and extends even to the neighboring states of Bolivar and Monagas. Four types of plant formations can be recognized: Forest mainly of mangrove and with more importance in the forest reserve of the Imataca, Forest mainly in the center of the state, Savannah mainly in the west of the Region and estuary in the eastern part that gives to

5427-559: The state various sports are practiced, among the facilities that are under the administration of the Regional Sports Institute of Delta Amacuro State we can mention: 10°3′N 60°48′W  /  10.050°N 60.800°W  / 10.050; -60.800 Warao people The Warao are an Indigenous Amerindian people inhabiting northeastern Venezuela , Trinidad and Tobago , Guyana , and Suriname . Alternate common spellings of Warao are Waroa, Guarauno, Guarao, and Warrau. The term Warao translates as "the boat people", after

5508-503: The state. Since its creation as a federal state by special law in 1992, Delta Amacuro State has elected its governors in direct elections. The current governor is Lizeta Hernández Abchi, a member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), who has been in office since 2008. The state legislature is the unicameral Legislative Council of Delta Amacuro State, elected by the people through direct and secret vote every four years, being able to be reelected for two consecutive periods. Under

5589-422: The states of Sucre and Monagas. Before 1884, this region was part of the Department of Zea, within the State of Guayana, which was divided in 1884. On February 27, 1884, the delimitation of the Delta Federal Territory was constitutionally established with an area of 63,667 km, formed by the districts of Manoa and Guzmán Blanco, with Pedernales as its capital. On October 21, 1893, the entity disappeared from

5670-416: The sugar industry and others were built to serve the later bauxite and other mines. In 1948, when the railway in Bermuda was closed down, the locomotives, rolling stock, track, sleepers and virtually all the associated paraphernalia of a railway were shipped to British Guiana to renovate the aged system. The lines ceased to operate in 1972. The large Central Station is still standing in Georgetown. Some of

5751-412: The territories of Suriname. Raleigh referred to the Tivativa as the inhabitants of that region.4 He said they were divided into two tribes, the Ciawani and the Waraweete. Raleigh wrote: "they never eat anything that is sown or grown, and since in their homes they do not plant or raise anything, when they go to other places they refuse to eat anything that is not provided by nature without labor. They use

5832-649: The tops of palm trees as bread; and they kill deer, fish and pigs to supplement their diet. They also have many types of fruits that grow in the forests and a large number of birds." Alexander von Humboldt documented in his Journeys to the Equatorial Regions that the Waraos were the only indigenous people still outside the control of the Colony. He mentioned that by 1799 some estimated their population at 6,000-7,000 people, although he believed it should be less. Humboldt said that

5913-707: The war effort. It also served as a refuge for Jews displaced from continental Europe, where the Nazis and Fascists worked to destroy them in the Holocaust. British colonists built the first railway system in British Guiana: 98 km (61 mi) of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge , from Georgetown to Rosignol, and 31 km (19 mi) of 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) line between Vreeden Hoop and Parika; it opened in 1848. Several narrow-gauge lines were built to serve

5994-423: The west had been likened to Venice , with its famous canals below and buildings above; this new encounter propagated the name of Venezuela ("little Venice") for the whole land. The inaccessibility of the Warao's lands makes access to health care difficult. Tuberculosis is common. The Orinoco delta has minimal infrastructure, no sanitation, and limited education resulting in a high degree of illiteracy. HIV

6075-595: The western boundary of British Guiana with newly independent Venezuela . Venezuela did not accept the Schomburgk Line , which placed the entire Cuyuni River basin within the colony. Venezuela claimed all lands west of the Essequibo River as its territory (see map in this section). The dispute continued on and off for half a century, culminating in the Venezuela Crisis of 1895 , in which Venezuela sought to use

6156-555: The wild life of the delta, also a chance to experience their traditional life and culture. These visits can be arranged in the state capital town of Tucupita through one of many travel agents. The majority of Warao live in the Orinoco Delta in Venezuela. There are approximately 364 villages in the delta. The main town is Curiapo . About 5,000 live in the border area of Guyana . The main villages are Assakata , Kamwatta Hill , Koriabo , and Whitewater . The Warao have

6237-427: Was annexed to British Guiana. On April 26, 1901, it was restored under the name of Territorio Federal Delta Amacuro, composed of the districts of Barima and Tucupita. After this year its political division varied from districts and departments to municipalities. Its capital was moved to Tucupita, a city formerly known as Cuarenta y Ocho. During this time, multiple religious orders of Catholic affinity made their way into

6318-474: Was first detected in 2007 in the Warao communities of the lower Orinoco Delta region of Venezuela. In some communities already 35% test positive for the HIV virus . With Venezuela's failing health care system, there is an absence of prevention programs; this, together, with severe language barriers — many Warao are illiterate and do not speak fluent Spanish — have allowed ignorance about the disease to flourish. The culture

6399-449: Was originally home to Warao and Kalina people , however manganese was discovered in the 1950s, and is not an Amerindian village, because of a mixed population. In April 2017, The Museum of Modern Art in New York presented a film by Cuban-Venezuelan director Mario Crespo with a cast of nonprofessional actors. The film, titled Dauna. Lo que lleva el río ( Gone with the River ), presents

6480-479: Was the entry point for ships to the Orinoco. The first religious mission was the Jesuit order which was founded in 1682. From this order, Father Gumilla dedicated himself, among other things, to documenting in detail the Warao culture from 1791 onwards. During this century, several governors, both Spanish and English (from Trinidad) tried to join the Warao and structure them into populations, which caused their desertion to

6561-506: Was the site of a significant slave rebellion in 1823 . In the 1880s gold and diamond deposits were discovered in British Guiana, including what was thought to be the world's largest diamond in 1922. They did not generate significant revenue. Bauxite deposits proved more promising and would remain an important part of the economy. The colony did not develop any significant manufacturing industry, other than sugar factories, rice mills, sawmills , and certain small-scale industries (including

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