The Patamona are an

Amerindian The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...

people native to the

Pakaraima Mountains The Pacaraima or Pakaraima Mountains ( pt, Serra de Pacaraima, es, Sierra de Pacaraima) are a mountain range primarily in southwestern Guyana, and into northern Brazil and eastern Venezuela. Geography The range extends from west to east for over ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

and northern Brazil.Patamona.
Caribbean Indigenous and Endangered Languages Project. University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica. They speak a

Cariban language The Cariban languages are a family of languages indigenous to northeastern South America. They are widespread across northernmost South America, from the mouth of the Amazon River to the Colombian Andes, and they are also spoken in small pockets ...

, Kapóng, and have often been referred to interchangeably as Akawaio or Ingariko. Patamona are considered a sub-group of Kapon people. There are about 5,000 living members of this and closely related ethnic groups in Guyana. A 1990 population estimate for Guyana was 5500. According to FUNASA, Brazil had 120 Patamona in 2010. They were recognized as a distinct ethnic group in Brazil since 2005.

History

They are known archaeologically from

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

collections in the Yawong Valley and the upper

Siparuni River The Siparuni River is a river in the Potaro-Siparuni Region of Guyana. It is a tributary of the Essequibo River. Tributaries of the Siparuni River include the Takutu River, Burro-Burro River, Tipuru River and Levai Creek. Archaic petroglyphs ...

. These collections suggest an affiliation with Akawaio groups in the 19th century. The burial urn guarded by a serpent is a characteristic artifact of Patamona pottery. Pottery was traded for cassava graters made by other Carib groups up until the 20th century. The region was exploited until recently for suitable farm lands, hunting and fishing. The Patamona were not contacted until the early 19th century. To this day, the Patamona people call themselves the People of the Heavens, whose remnants of their culture survive in

Paramakatoi Paramakatoi is an Amerindian community in the Potaro-Siparuni Region of Guyana, located in the Pacaraima Mountains. With an altitude of , it is east of Kurukabaru. History Paramakatoi is part of the traditional lands of the indigenous Patamona ...

, as well as nearby Kaieteur Falls.

Villages

In Guyana, residents of

and some other villages are literate in English and

Patamona The Patamona are an Amerindian people native to the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana and northern Brazil.Patamon ...

. Other villages with Patamona populations include Campbelltown,

Micobie Micobie (also: Maicobi and ''Cassava Hill'') is a village in Potaro-Siparuni, Guyana, on the right bank of the Potaro River near Tumatumari. History The village was established in the 19th century. During the construction of the Denham Suspensio ...

, Monkey Mountain, Princeville, and Kato.

Orinduik Orinduik is a diamond-mining community in the Potaro-Siparuni region of Guyana near the border with Brazil. The diamond production has seen a steep decrease in the 21st century. Orinduik has a population of 3 people as of 2012. Orinduik Falls ...

is a Patamona village along the Maú River. In Brazil, the Patamona have a minority presence in

Raposa Serra do Sol Terra indígena Raposa/Serra do Sol (Portuguese for ''Fox/Sun Hills Indigenous Land'') is an indigenous territory in Brazil, intended to be home to the Macuxi people. It is located in the northern half of the Brazilian state of Roraima and is ...

Culture

Kaieteur Falls is an important cultural site for the Patamona people. Kaieteur Falls has been named after Old Kaie, a member of the Patamona tribe. In their

animist Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things— animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems ...

religion the Patamona believe in ''Knaima'', a spirit that possesses people and turns them into evil beings. Common agricultural products include bitter cassava, yam, sweet potato, sugarcane, chili pepper, squash. Bitter cassava is used to make kasiri and ''pajuaru''. Kasiri is a lightly fermented cassava drink consumed at breakfast, while pajuaru has a longer fermentation and is a festive drink. Fish are often eaten, and can be dry smoked. Culinary practices are similar to other indigenous people of the region, including preparation of the

Guyanese pepperpot Pepperpot is an Amerindian-derived dish popular in Guyana. It is traditionally served at Christmas and other special events. Along with chicken curry, and cook-up rice, pepperpot is one of Guyana's national dishes. Pepperpot is a stewed meat dis ...

, called ''tuma'' in Patamona. Food is also steamed by packaging them in leaves and setting them beside a fire. They also gather wild mushrooms for consumption, including ''

amanita The genus ''Amanita'' contains about 600 species of agarics, including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide, as well as some well-regarded edible species. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resul ...

perphaea'' (or ''pulutukwe),

Cookeina ''Cookeina'' is a genus of cup fungi in the family Sarcoscyphaceae, members of which may be found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Species may be found on fallen branches of angiosperms, trunks, and sometimes on fruits.Weinstein ...

(agubana),

Lentinula ''Lentinula'' is a small genus of wood-inhabiting agarics. The neotropical species ''Lentinula boryana'' (= ''L. cubensis'') is the type species. However, the best-known species is ''L. edodes'', the shiitake. The genus, erected by Fra ...

boryana (kapiokwok)'' and certain ''

clavulina ''Clavulina'' is a genus of fungus in the family Clavulinaceae, in the Cantharelloid clade (order Cantharellales). Species are characterized by having extensively branched fruit bodies, white spore prints, and bisterigmate basidia (often with s ...

'' also known as ''kunmudlutse'' and ''tepurumeng''.

References

{{authority control Indigenous peoples in Guyana