Cassipora is an indigenous village of

Lokono The Lokono or Arawak are an Arawak people native to northern coastal areas of South America. Today, approximately 10,000 Lokono live primarily along the coasts and rivers of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Barbados and French Guiana. They speak th ...

Amerindians in the resort of

Carolina Carolina may refer to: Geography * The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina ** North Carolina, a U.S. state ** South Carolina, a U.S. state * Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712 * Carolina, Alabama, a town in ...

in the

Para District Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a population of 24,700 and an area of 5,393 km2. The district is the mining and forestry centre of Sur ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. The village is located near the Blaka Watra recreation area. It is also near a 17th-century Jewish village, however only the cemetery remains.

History

Cassipora is located near a former Jewish settlement which was established in 1665, and abandoned twenty years later in favour of neighbouring Jodensavanne. During the 19th century, the wood plantation Salem was located at the site. The village contains small clusters of houses occupied by one family which are spaced far apart. Cassipora is connected to the water supply, and since 2016, to the electricity grid. The village has mobile phone access. For schooling and health care, it is depended on neighbouring Redi Doti, which can be reached by an unpaved road. There is a conflict with logging companies who also use the road. The village chief since 2011, is Muriël Fernandes who was first elected at the age of 29. The economy is based on

subsistence farming Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no ...

, hunting and tourism. Since 2002, the village is owner of the Blaka Watra resort.

Blaka Watra

Blaka Watra is a creek with very dark, near black water. Former Prime minister

Johan Adolf Pengel Johan Adolf "Jopie" Pengel (20 January 1916 – 5 June 1970) was a Surinamese politician, and prime minister of Suriname from 30 June 1963 to 5 March 1969 for the National Party of Suriname (NPS). Biography Pengel was born in Paramaribo on 20 J ...

built his country residence near the creek. Artificial rapids were constructed in the creek to give the impression of a bubble bath. In 1970, after his death, it was turned into a public recreation area. During the

Surinamese Interior War The Surinamese Interior War ( nl, Binnenlandse Oorlog) was a civil war waged in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname between 1986 and 1992. It was fought by the Tucayana Amazonas led by Thomas Sabajo and the Jungle Commando led by Ronnie Brunswij ...

it was the scene of heavy fighting. It has been restored, and regained its status as a recreation area.

Cassipora Cemetery

Grafzerken op begraafplaats - 20650747 - RCE

In 1671, a synagogue was built in Cassipora, however all traces of the building have disappeared, and only the graves remain. Together with Jodensavanne, the cemetery is on the tentative list for the

Unesco The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

since 1998. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Jodensavanne internment camp was established to intern political prisoners from the Dutch East Indies. One of the tasks of the prisoners was clearing the forest, and repairing the graves at Cassipora. The cemetery contains several hundred graves, and the oldest dates from 1667.

References

{{Surinamese District Para Historic Jewish communities in South America Indigenous villages in Suriname Jewish Surinamese history Populated places in Para District Tourist attractions in Suriname