Sawariwau (

Wapishana The Wapishana or Wapichan (or Wapisiana, Wapitxana, Vapidiana, Wapixana) are an indigenous group found in the Roraima area of northern Brazil and southern Guyana. Location Currently the Wapishana are located in the State of Roraima, Brazil, nort ...

: Sawari Wa'o) is a village in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo 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 ...

. Sawariwau is inhabited by

Amerindians. It is located about south of Lethem in the

Rupununi savannah The Rupununi savannah is a savanna plain in Guyana, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region. It is part of the Guianan savanna ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome. Description The Rupununi Savan ...

. The main language spoken in the village is

History

The name of the village translates to grandfather spirit of fishes. Sawariwau was founded by chief Suubau, and is one of the oldest Wapishana villages. Father Cuthbert Cary-Elwes, SJ was the first missionary to arrive in the village, and a church was constructed in 1919.

Katoonarib Katoonarib (short for Katoonaru Iribi) is a village in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana. Katoonarib is inhabited by Wapishana, Macushi and other Amerindians. It is located near the Rupununi River. The main language spoken in th ...

used to be a satellite of Sawariwau, but has become independent. Sawariwau was in a

Neighbourhood Democratic Council The regions of Guyana are divided into three types of councils: municipal or town councils, neighbourhood democratic councils and Amerindian villages. The ten towns of Guyana are: * Anna Regina * Bartica * Corriverton * Georgetown * Lethe ...

(municipality) with Ireng and Lethem, however the municipality was dissolved in 2012. The village is again governed by a ''Toshao'' (village chief) with 11 councillors. In 2013, the land was demarcated, however as of 2017, the demarcation is still in dispute.

Overview

The economy is based on subsistence farming and cattle ranching. The village has a primary school, a secondary school, a health centre, and a community centre. Internet connection is provided via free

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...

Digicel Digicel is a Jamaican and Caribbean mobile phone network and home entertainment provider operating in 33 markets worldwide. Digicel has operated in several countries, including Guyana, Fiji, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Suriname, and Ja ...

has installed a communication mast in the village. The village depends on rain water for drinking. There is no electricity other than private diesel generators and solar panels.

References

{{Settlements in Guyana Indigenous villages in Guyana Populated places in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo