The Siparuni River is a river in the

Potaro-Siparuni Potaro-Siparuni (Region 8) is a region of Guyana. It borders the region of Cuyuni-Mazaruni to the north, the regions of Upper Demerara-Berbice and East Berbice-Corentyne to the east, the region of Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo to the south and ...

Region of

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

. It is a tributary of the

Essequibo River The Essequibo River (; originally called by Alonso de Ojeda; ) is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon River, Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil–Guyana border, the Essequibo flows ...

. Tributaries of the Siparuni River include the

Takutu River The Takutu River (Takatu River, Tacutu River) is a river in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana and Roraima in Brazil. It forms part of the boundary between the two countries. The confluence of the Takutu and Uraricoera Rivers forms ...

, Burro-Burro River, Tipuru River and Levai Creek. Archaic

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

s have been recorded in a number of locations on the Siparuni River, including Big "S" Falls, as well as artificial stone depressions and sharpening grooves are located at Electric Eel Rock, and Tapir Rock. These sites are between 3,500 and 7,000 years old, also known as the Archaic Period. Like many of Guyana's waterways, the Siparuni is used for gold mining, and illegal dredging operations are a problem in the protected areas. It is the northern border of the protected Iwokrama forest. It is an important water source for

Macushi The Macushi (''Makuusi'', ) are an Indigenous people living in the borderlands of southern Guyana, northern Brazil in the state of Roraima, and in an eastern part of Venezuela. Identification The Macushi are also known as the Macusi, Macussi, ...

people of the Surama village, who undertake periodic, extended fishing trips at the river. Fish are then smoked or salted for short-term preservation. Mining has been viewed as having a negative impact on this practice, by decreasing the abundance of fish and threatening this food source.

References

Rivers of Guyana Essequibo River {{Guyana-river-stub