Trois Sauts (English: three waterfalls) or Ɨtu wasu is a cluster of four

Amerindian 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 ...

Wayampi Wayampi or Wayãpi are an Indigenous people located in the south-eastern border area of French Guiana at the confluence of the rivers Camopi and Oyapock, and the basins of the Amapari and Carapanatuba Rivers in the central part of the states ...

and Teko villages on the

Oyapock The Oyapock or Oiapoque ( ; ; ) is a long river in South America that forms most of the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana and the Brazilian state of Amapá. Course The Oyapock runs through the Guianan moist for ...

River in

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

near the border with

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Trois Sauts contains the villages of ''Roger'', ''Zidock'' (also ''Zidok''), ''Yawapa'', and ''Pina''.

History

Trois Sauts has been established in the 1950s, and named after a waterfall near the source of river. The name was a mistranslation, because the waterfall has four levels making it impossible to pass by boat, and thus isolating the upstream area in Brazil from the downstream in French Guiana. The people living in Trois Sauts came from the upstream areas. It was not until 1969, that the villages of Roger and Zidock were established. As of 2012, the villages are in a sustainable local development area of the

Guiana Amazonian Park Guiana Amazonian Park () is the largest national park of France, aiming at protecting part of the Amazonian forest located in French Guiana which covers 41% of the region. It is the largest park in France as well as the largest park in the Eu ...

and has a park office. Even though Trois Sault is an isolated community and far from the gold fields of

Camopi Camopi (; ) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Camopi is mainly inhabited by Amerindians of the Wayampi and Teko tribes. History In 1738, a Jesuit mission opened on the ri ...

, the population of the villages had the highest contamination with mercury, because they live on cassave, hunting and fishing without access to supermarkets.

Overview

Trois Sauts has a school, a clinic, and since 2013, an annex of the commune. In 2020, a

hydroelectric power plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

in the

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

was completed in order to provide electricity for the villages.

Transport

The villages can only be reached via the river. It is located two days by boat from Saint-Georges or one day from

. The villages may only be accessed with a special permit from the

Prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

References

Bibliography

* {{authority control Camopi Indigenous villages in French Guiana Villages in French Guiana