>From Larry and Roxie Burton,
"We participated on a Natural History expedition led by Terry Henkel from
February 10-25, 1995. On this trip, we canoed the Ireng River on the
border between Brazil and Guyana into the tepui country of the Pakaraima
Mountains. The dugout canoes on this trip were guided and powered by
Patamona Indian guides in whose country we were guests. One of Terry's
purposes in organizing this trip (he has had great experience in this
area) was to help the Patamona Indians of Guyana develop a source of
income that would free them from the necessity of occasionally working
(illegally) in Brazilian or Venezuelan gold mining operations.
"The land on both the Brazil and Guyana sides of the Ireng River are
designated by both governments as Amerindian lands and are supposedly
protected from encroachment and development by non-Indians. When we
began our trip on February 13 there were no signs of any outside
encroachment in the area other than the airstrip on which we landed. As
we canoed the Ireng River, there was also no sign of encroachment just
Patamona homes often owned by our guides and their families.
"When we returned on February 24, however, gold and/or diamond miners
from Brazil had illegally cut a road through the Brazilian Indian lands
to the Ireng River. They had then crossed the River into Guyana and were
driving 4-wheel drive trucks through Guyana Amerindian lands looking for
possible sites to setup a placer-mining operation which will force the
displacement of the Patamona Indians whose land is being seized, cause
great environmental damage to the Ireng River basin, and provide
breeding pools for malarial-infested mosquitos. This road took place
near Orinduik, Guyana. Furthermore, the only Guyanian soldier, indeed,
the only official Guyanian presence within 200 miles, was seen riding in
the truck with the gold-miners fully armed. It was not known whether he
had been bribed or not.
"V.I.Chung, one of the leading Patamona Indians in the area, intended to
notify previously supportive Guyana governmental officials in Georgetown
in order to protest this invasion. Additionally, Manuel Baggit, set off
to notify the Guyanian Amerindian Council, of which he was the Patamona
Indian's representative, to discuss possible actions."
If there are any on this list who might have addresses for the
appropriate officials whether in Guyana or Brazil, or of any of the
concerned Amerindian Councils, please post them to the list so that I
can transmit them to Larry and Roxie. They have promised to make that
information available for protests from environmenal organizations in
which they are members. Thank you
David Rayson
rays0001@gold.tc.umn.edu