Paloemeu or Palumeu is an Amerindian village in the interior of

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 ...

, situated at the site where the

Paloemeu River Paloemeu River or Palumeu River is a river in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. It joins the Tapanahony River The Tapanahony River (sometimes called Tapanahoni) is a major river in the south eastern part of Suriname, South America. The river o ...

joins the

Tapanahoni River The Tapanahony River (sometimes called Tapanahoni) is a major river in the south eastern part of Suriname, South America. The river originates in the Southern part of the Eilerts de Haan Mountains, near the border with Brazil. It joins the Marowijn ...

. Most inhabitants of the village are native Tiriyó Amerindians. The remainder belongs to the

Wayana The Wayana (alternate names: Ajana, Uaiana, Alucuyana, Guaque, Ojana, Oyana, Orcocoyana, Pirixi, Urukuena, Waiano etc.) are a Carib-speaking people located in the southeastern part of the Guiana highlands, a region divided between Brazil, Surin ...

, and Aparai tribes. The Bosatlas in 1968 identified the village as ''Pepejoe'' which was incorrect according to the New West Indian Guide.

Overview

The village was visited three times by '' basiya'' Lodewijk Schmidt, a

Saramaka The Saramaka, Saamaka or Saramacca are one of six Maroon (people), Maroon peoples (formerly called "Bush Negroes") in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. In 2007, the Saramaka won a ruling by the Inter-Ameri ...

Maroon from Gansee, who had been hired by the Surinamese government to contact and map the Amerindians living in the interior of Suriname. On 18 January 1942, during his third expedition, Schmidt van Gansee installed Joeloe as the first Captain of the Tiriyó on

. The village chief in 2022 was Essikeo Japawai. Paloemeu is home to a primary school, and a

Medische Zending Medische Zending Primary Health Care Suriname, commonly known as Medische Zending (Dutch language, Dutch for "medical mission") or MZ is a Surinamese charitable organization offering primary healthcare to remote villages in the interior of Suriname ...

healthcare centre. Paloemeu can be reached by the river or via the Vincent Fayks Airport. The 718 metre high Kasikasima mountain is located about from the village. The journey will take 3 to 7 hours by boat. There is a jungle

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

resort on the

Tapanahony River The Tapanahony River (sometimes called Tapanahoni) is a major river in the south eastern part of Suriname, South America. The river originates in the Southern part of the Eilerts de Haan Mountains, near the border with Brazil. It joins the Marowijn ...

for tourists.

Energy

Since the early 2000s there have been efforts to construct a

micro hydro Micro hydro is a type of hydroelectric power that typically produces from 5 kW to 100 kW of electricity using the natural flow of water. Installations below 5 kW are called pico hydro. These installations can provide power to an ...

electric power plant in the Panato creek to provide Paloemeu with electricity. These efforts were initiated by the Dutch entrepreneur Arnout van de Werken. Several difficulties, including the flooding of the small reservoir in 2005, have hampered the project. As of 2014, Palumeu still does not have full day electricity, and continues to rely on the few hours of diesel-generated electricity provided by the government.

Notes

References

* {{Surinamese District Sipaliwini Indigenous villages in Suriname Populated places in Sipaliwini District