Tapanahoni is a resort in Suriname, located in the

Sipaliwini District Sipaliwini is the largest district of Suriname, located in the south. Sipaliwini is the only district that does not have a regional capital, as it is directly administered by the national government in Paramaribo. History Sipaliwini was created ...

. Its population at the 2012 census was 13,808. Tapanahoni is a part of Sipaliwini which has no capital, but is directly governed from

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname' ...

. Tapanahony is an enormous resort which encompasses a quarter of the country of Suriname. The most important town is

Diitabiki Diitabiki (Sranan Tongo: ''Dritabiki'', Dutch: ''Drietabbetje'') is a Ndyuka village in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. Diitabiki is the residence of the gaanman of the Ndyuka people, since 1950, and the location of the oracle. Name Both ...

(old name: Drietabbetje) which is the residence of the

granman Granman (Ndyuka language: ''gaanman'') is the title of the paramount chief of a Maroon nation in Suriname and French Guiana. The Ndyuka, Saramaka, Matawai, Aluku, Paramaka and Kwinti nations all have a granman. The paramount chiefs of Amerin ...

of the

Ndyuka people The Ndyuka people (also spelled 'Djuka') or Aukan people (''Okanisi''), are one of six Maroon peoples (formerly called "Bush Negroes", which also has pejorative tinges) in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Gui ...

since 1950, and the location of the oracle. The disputed area of south-east Suriname between the Marowini (the eastern tributary river) and the Litani rivers belongs to the Tapanahoni resort.

History

The Ndyuka people are of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n descent, and were shipped as slaves to Suriname in the 17-18th century to work on

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

-owned colonial plantations. The escaped slaves moved into the rainforest, and banded together. There were frequent clashes between the colonists and the Ndyuka, however in 1760, a peace treaty was signed granting the Ndyuka autonomy. From 1761, the Ndyuka gradually moved southwards in order to protected themselves from the colonists, and started to build camps on the

Tapanahoni River The Tapanahony River (sometimes called Tapanahoni) is a major river in the south eastern part of Suriname, South America. The river originates in the Southern part of the Eilerts de Haan Mountains, near the border with Brazil. It joins the Marowijn ...

dispelling the indigenous Tiriyó. Slaves who had recently fled from Armina and Boven Commewijne were stationed at Poeloegoedoe near the confluence of the Tapanahoni and Lawa River to guard against attacks by the

Aluku The Aluku are a Bushinengue ethnic group living mainly on the riverbank in Maripasoula in southwest French Guiana. The group are sometimes called Boni, referring to the 18th-century leader, Bokilifu Boni. History The Aluku are an ethnic gro ...

. In December 1791, Philip Stoelman founded a

military outpost A military outpost is detachment of troops stationed at a distance from the main force or formation, usually at a station in a remote or sparsely populated location, positioned to stand guard against unauthorized intrusions and surprise attac ...

on Stoelmanseiland, thus establishing a militarised border between the Ndyuka held territory and the Colony of Suriname. In 1857, the granman of the Ndyuka was given a yearly allowance of ƒ1,000 (2018: €10,233) by the Government of Suriname. The area was an unknown area for the white settlers, and was not explored until the beginning of the 20th century. Still the

explorers Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

first had to request an audience with the granman. Gerard Versteeg, leader of a 1904 expedition, expressed his frustration in his dairy about having to wait four days before being granted permission to continue his journey. In 1983, the

was created. On 11 September 2019, a new resort was created out of Tapanahony, and is called

Pamacca Paramacca (also Pamacca) is a resort in Suriname, located in the Sipaliwini District. The population is estimated between 1,500 and 2,000 people. In 1983, the Sipaliwini District was created, and the eastern part became the resort of Tapanahony. T ...

. The Pamacca resort is the northern part of Tapanahony, and mainly inhabited by the

Paramaccan people The Paramaccan or Paramaka ( French: Pamak) are a Maroon tribe living in the forested interior of Suriname, mainly in the Paramacca resort, and the western border area of French Guiana. The Paramaccan signed a peace treaty in 1872 granting the ...

Villages

The resort of Tapanahony consists of about 49 Ndyuka villages and 14

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

villages. Source
Planning Office Suriname - Districts 2009-2013 - Table 3.1

Notes

References

Resorts of Suriname Populated places in Sipaliwini District {{DEFAULTSORT:Tapanahoni