The

Arawak The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Greate ...

village of Wakapau (or Wakapoa) is located in the

Pomeroon-Supenaam Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region 2) is a Regions of Guyana, region of Guyana. Venezuela claims the territory as part of Guayana Esequiba. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara to the east, the region ...

Region of

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 ...

, on the

Wakapau River The Wakapau River is a tributary of the west bank of the Pomeroon River in Guyana. The village of Wakapau is found on the Wakapau River, 3 km from its mouth. River boats are common mode of transportation throughout the area. The Wakapau h ...

, a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

on the west bank of the

Pomeroon River The Pomeroon River (also ''Río Pomerón'' ''or Pomaron'') is located in Guyana, South America, situated between the Orinoco and the Essequibo rivers. The area has long been inhabited by Lokono people. The Pomeroon River is also one of the deep ...

, from its mouth. The name originates from the Lokono word ‘Wakokwãn’, which means pigeon. The village is composed of twenty inhabited islands. Some of the islands only contain a single family. Wakapau was one of the ten original "Indian reservations" of British Guiana. The village is an example of 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 ...

community that has not only preserved the traditional Arawak culture, but also retained its tribal language. The community consists of island settlements in the swamps surrounded by forests. The economy is based on logging, subsistence farming and boat services. It has three primary and one secondary school.

References

Populated places in Pomeroon-Supenaam Indigenous villages in Guyana {{Guyana-geo-stub