The Waki (or ''Ouaqui'') is a river in western

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 ...

. It is a right tributary of the Tampok ( Maroni basin). It is long. The river has its source as the confluence of the southern Grande Waki which has its source in the Arawa Mountains, and the northern Petite Waki which has its source in the Sommet Tabulaire. Waki was at the heart of a late 19th century gold rush, and the banks of river contain gold mining settlements like Grigel. In the 1970s, the area was completely abandoned. Yet traces of Amerindian presence and Balatá harvesting by the

Aluku The Aluku are a Bushinengue ethnic group living mainly on the riverbank in Maripasoula in southwest French Guiana. The group are sometimes called Boni, referring to the 18th-century leader, Boni (guerrilla leader), Bokilifu Boni. History The ...

Maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery, through flight or manumission, and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with Indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into ...

is still visible. In the early 21st century, '' garimpeiros'' (illegal gold miners) have been active on the river again.

References

Bibliography

* Rivers of French Guiana Rivers of France {{FrenchGuiana-river-stub