Espérance (

Kalina Kalina may refer to: People * Kalina people The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an Indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in ...

: ''Wilamila'') is a village of

Amerindians In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

in the commune of

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (, ; ) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is one of the three sub-prefectures of French Guiana and the seat of the Arrondissement ...

. The village is located about 12 kilometres south of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni on the road to Saint-Jean-du-Maroni.

Overview

About 200 Kalinas used to live on Île Portal, an island in the

Maroni River The Maroni () or Marowijne (; ) is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist forests ecoregion. It originates in the Tumuk Humak Mountains and forms ...

. The island on which they lived was bought by SCI de Provence. In 1981, they were removed from the island and resettled in Espérance. Espérance has a school. The village can be accessed by an unpaved road. Two companies are located near the village, and their heavy trucks make the road impassable. In 2006, the main road to Saint-Jean-du-Maroni was blocked by the villagers. In 2020, Claire-Suzanne Poulin was elected Yopoto (village chief). Poulin aims to open a heritage school in the village where the Kalina language and traditions are taught.

References

Indigenous villages in French Guiana Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Villages in French Guiana {{FrenchGuiana-geo-stub