Apatou (c. 1833 – 1 December 1908) was a guide, and Captain (village chief) of 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, Boni (guerrilla leader), Bokilifu Boni. History The ...

Maroons in

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. Apatou founded the village of

Moutendé Apatou () is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Apatou is home to Maroons of the Aluku, Paramacca, Ndyuka, and Saramaka tribes. History The town of Apatou was founded in 1882 as Moute ...

which has been renamed Apatou. He mediated between France and

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

with regards to the border, and allied the Aluku with France.

Biography

Apatou was born in about 1833 in L'Enfant Perdu on the Lawa River. He was of a

se origins of

people. In 1877, the French explorer Jules Crevaux embarked on an expedition of the Maroni River. During his journey, he met Apatou who joined him as one of his guides. Apatou accompanied Crevaux to the end of the river until they arrived at a village of Roucouyennes at the foot of the Tumuk Humak Mountains. Crevaux returned to French Guiana in 1878 for a second expedition during which he wanted to explore the Oyapock River, Apatou agreed to join him on the condition that Crevaux would take him to France after the journey. Apatou, Crevaux, and a former pirate named Santa-Cruz, descended the Oyapock, crossed the Tumuk Humak Mountains and followed the Amazon River to the territory of the Ouitotos in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. After the expedition, Apatou traveled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. While in Paris, he was awarded a gold medal by the Société de Géographie. He returned to his village as a celebrity for not only having explored the Amazon, but also having visited France. He became the main negotiator with the French. In 1881, he arranged that five children could go to school in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. His close contacts with the colonial government, were a source of jealousy and rivalry within the tribe, therefore Apatou founded the village Moutendé on the Maroni River in 1882 which quickly prospered. In 1883, Apatou accompanied Henri Coudreau on his exploration of French Guiana. On 7 September 1885, Jules Brunetti opened a Catholic mission in the village. In 1887, Apatou was officially appointed Captain (village chief) under Granman Anato. He was recognized and received a salary from the French colonial government.

The border between France and

at the time was unclear. Both nations promised to respect the rights of the tribes living on the river, therefore the tribes had to choose their nationality. In 1891, Apatou mediated with regards to the border, and allied the Aluku with France. He also united all the different tribes on the French side. The same year, he was knighted in the Royal Order of Cambodia for his work with Casey who was station chief for the Lawa River. Apatou died on 1 December 1908 in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni at the age of 75. The village of Moutendé was later renamed Apatou in his honour. On 12 November 1976, Apatou became an independent commune. In 1998, a statue of Apatou was erected opposite the town hall.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Apatou 1830s births Year of birth uncertain 1908 deaths Aluku 19th-century French explorers People from Apatou People from Papaichton