The Indigenous World 2025: Guyana

Written on 25 April 2025. Posted in Guyana

Indigenous Peoples – or Amerindians as they are identified both collectively and in legislation – number some 78,500 in the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, or approximately 10.5% of the total population of 746,955 (2012 census).^[1] They are the fourth largest ethnic group, East Indians being the largest (40%), followed by African Guyanese (29%) and self-identified “Mixed” (20%). The Chinese, Portuguese and Whites constitute tiny minorities. Amerindians refer to these non-Indigenous people as “coastlanders” since most of them are settled on the coast.

The Amerindians belong to nine Indigenous Nations, based on language. The Warao, Lokono Arawak and Carib (Karinya) live on or near the coast. The Akawaio, Arekuna, Patamona, Makushi, Wapichan and Wai Wai live in Villages^[2] scattered throughout the interior. Amerindians form the majority of the population of the interior, in some regions constituting as much as 86% of the population. The forest resources/timber on government-titled Indigenous lands (Amerindian Village Lands) are fully under the managerial authority of the Amerindian title holders according to law, while minerals in the same lands ultimately remain under national government authority. In practice, the political administrations and technical agencies are negligent when enforcing the law. Two Amerindian Village Councils – Isseneru^[3] and Chinese Landing^[4] – have successfully appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for precautionary measures against diminished human rights through continued illegal gold mining and environmental damage, albeit still with no effective government response. The poorly regulated and government-subsidised exploitation of these resources by multinationals, illegal miners and loggers is one of the challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples. Their primary concern is therefore to achieve full recognition and implementation of Indigenous land rights so that they can defend their ancestral territories from this unwanted exploitation.^{[5], [6]}

The Independence Agreement from the United Kingdom (1965) included a land titling process. Recommendations regarding this process from the Amerindian Lands Commission (1967-1969) have never been fully taken up by successive governments. Requests made for collective district titles have been dismissed, resulting in the fragmentation of traditional territories into small areas under individual Village titles. The Preamble to the Constitution of Guyana recognises “the special place in our nation of the indigenous peoples” and recognises “their right as citizens to land and security and to their promulgation of policies for their communities”.^[7] Guyana endorsed the UNDRIP in 2007 and, through its membership of the Organisation of American States (OAS), also the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2016.

This article is part of the 39^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. The photo above is of an Indigenous activist Funa-ay Claver, a Bontok Igorot, standing alongside Indigenous youth activists and others. They are protesting against the repressive laws and human rights violations suffered through the actions and projects of the Government of the Philippines and other actors against Indigenous Peoples at President Marcos Jr’s national address on 22 July 2024 in Quezon City, Philippines. The photo was taken by Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas and is the cover of The Indigenous World 2025 where this article is featured. Find The Indigenous World 2025 in full here

The crushing effect of party-political ‘democratic centralism’

2024 was marked by the government’s ruthless use of the “money tap” to coerce all sectors of society to vote for the incumbent People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in 2025. Tactics include the outright bribery of communities of the Indigenous Amerindian Peoples through ‘gifts’ from various government funds. Villages that express open support for the government receive most of the broadcast amount; Villages that are not so enthusiastic receive much less or long-delayed “gifts”. The public relations company that prepares the daily government propaganda in Guyana seems to have calculated that the continued high rate of emigration of the East Indians who traditionally support the PPP means that other voters need to be secured. The 40,000 East Indian voters who have emigrated will need to be replaced by the entire voting population of Amerindians, also about 40,000, if everyone eligible can be persuaded to vote.^[8]

Another side to this story is the open antagonism of the PPP leaders and their factually incorrect accusations against the only voluntary NGO supporting the Indigenous Peoples, the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA). What really annoys the government is that the APA is supported financially by international NGOs in Norway and the USA. Hence the PPP’s desire to have all foreign-funded NGOs government-registered and -monitored. It is not that the APA is at all political. On the contrary, the APA is extremely careful and consistent to be apolitical. It is a reliable supporter of embattled Amerindian communities. Its financial independence from the reach of the governing party is what really infuriates the PPP, especially in this election year when the Amerindian vote could be decisive.

“…without you asking, we are going to install a cassava mill and we will start it within 14 days right here to service these communities around here.” This statement by President Mohamed Irfaan Ali to the large Amerindian Village of Nappi exemplifies the domineering philosophy of the incumbent PPP government, in power since August 2020.^[9] In 2024, the PPP confirmed its continued adherence to the principle of democratic centralism.

Without consultation, the government decided to allocate 26.5 % of the 2024 income from the sale of jurisdictional forest-carbon credits (equivalent to EUR 21.4 million) to 241 Amerindian Village and hinterland communities, almost the same amount as in 2023.^[10] These credits, some of the 37.5 million purchased by oil company Hess Corporation from the government, include those attributable to and appropriated illegally by government from the titled lands of Amerindian Villages, some 2.3 million hectares of standing natural tropical rainforest.^{[11], [12]}

Actual amounts disbursed in 2024 were around 90% of the 26.5%, suggesting that the government retained around 10% of the Amerindian share as an undeclared administrative charge, apparently not noticed by the National Toshaos Council, the aggregation of elected Village leaders.

Villages with <500 people received up to EUR 71,000; 500 - <1000 people, EUR 114,000; and >1000 people, EUR 166,000. Villages can spend the money only as proposed in the government-specified Village Sustainability Plans, and these are strongly focused on infrastructure and agriculture.

The influx of unprecedented money into Amerindian communities in 2023 and 2024

Together with other government-controlled funds (such as shares in the EUR 1.7 million in Presidential Grants), most Amerindian communities have received more money than ever before. In the almost complete absence of forward planning, the government insistence on being the decision-maker has resulted in enormously expensive building of rural roads and airstrips of dubious quality and the supply of unsuitable agricultural equipment, in some cases.^[13] In other cases, Villages have been able to acquire eco-tourist hostels and centres, obtain bees and beehives, and build shade houses for farms, for which there had not been capital available in past years.

There are numerous complaints about the quality of building work by inexperienced, unqualified and under-equipped but politically well-connected non-Amerindian coastlander contractors. There are even more complaints about the gigantic costs and long delays of even simple construction works. There is no national development strategy or master plan to rationalise this huge spending on infrastructural development. Amerindian protests about poor quality need constantly repeating to counter politically-connected contractors; some protests, like that of the Paruima villagers, succeeded.^[14]

In spite of the extra money, as in every year for at least the last decade, the Auditor-General and/or Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly pointed out the avoidable mismanagement of funds by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, including the failure to account for half the money in the Amerindian Purposes Fund.^{[15], [16]}

Building the human capacity of Amerindian youth

There are several funds for human capacity building. Twenty percent of the scholarships for the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) programme are allocated to Amerindians.^[17] The GOAL programme should help to overcome the perennial problem of schoolteacher shortage in Amerindian areas, caused partly by the belief that teachers in Amerindian areas will be overlooked for promotion and partly by the shortage of suitable housing for teachers.

One-hundred and forty-one (141) Villages and communities have received close to EUR 2.85 million to construct information and communications technology (ICT) hubs to enable online courses to be received, with up to EUR 38,000 per hub for construction of a standardised building to accommodate 20 laptop computers loaded with Microsoft Office software. One-hundred and forty-six (146) hubs were completed in 2024.^[18] The internet connections have not been matched by improving or securing regular electric power in the remoter Villages. The government says it lacks money for solar power^[19] in spite of long-running projects funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.^[20]

In 2024, under the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP), 124 youths were trained to sew school uniforms, 120 in repairing small farm engines, 110 in driving and maintaining the farm tractors supplied by government, 44 in management of small enterprises, 40 in rural crafts, and 44 in shade house construction and management – 482 in total.^{[21], [22]}

However, during the several ministerial addresses to the National Toshaos Council Conference (NTC) in August, much larger numbers were claimed. The Senior Minister for Finance claimed 380 youths had been trained under the Basic Needs Trust Fund, and 2,000 by the Board of Industrial Training, in total more than 5,000 Amerindian youths in diverse training programmes.^[23]

Amerindian land tenure

Arguments over Amerindian land tenure continue. The clear and simple land titling process prescribed in the Amerindian Act 2006 has been gradually complicated by the government to match the quite different conditions of the flat coastland. Accredited surveyors only come from the coastland, are unfamiliar with surveying in hilly and forested country and have difficulty when the names of locations and rivers actually used by Amerindians do not match the national Gazetteer of Guyana.

The ALT project manual (2017)^[24] codified the procedure now required by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission and Land Registry. It is not clear if the Amerindian communities understand the procedure or if the surveyors actually use the procedure. The poor state of record-keeping in some Villages contributes to the confusion. In spite of Guyana’s ratification of the Escazú regional agreement on access to information transparency,^[25] it was difficult for some Villages to obtain copies of relevant documents from government agencies in 2024.

One bright spot is the accessible national online map of all categories of government-issued mining concessions.^{[26], [27]} The APA map shows how many titled Amerindian Villages are surrounded by cheaply-acquired, externally-owned “evergreen” mining concessions, making almost impossible the extension of Village Lands to accommodate demographic increases in population.

Self-governing Amerindian Districts would allow mutual adjustment of Village boundaries according to evolving farming needs without the intervention of the coastlander government, which has difficulty understanding the ecological rationale and spatial needs of traditional Amerindian rotational agriculture.

Gold mining

Towards the end of the year, the long-running conflict flared up between Wapichan communities in southern Guyana and Brazilian gold miners once more.

An armed group of Brazilians kidnapped and robbed local miners, government staff and Wapichan workers at the GGMC sub-station (Bush Mouth) near Mazoa Mountain. Although Guyanese security forces recovered the individuals without harm, the kidnappers escaped to Brazil along a well-known track.^{[28], [29]} Wapichan communities are especially concerned about the pollution of water flowing off the mountain by sedimentation and, possibly, by contamination with methyl mercury from the amalgamation of the gold fragments.

At the other end of the country, in NW Guyana, the titled Carib Amerindian Village of Chinese Landing continued its battle with a non-Indigenous goldminer.^[30]

With support from APA and with legal advice from the US-based lawyers of NGO Forest Peoples Programme, Chinese Landing requested precautionary measures against loss of and damage to the human rights of the villagers from the continued mining on titled Village Lands without Village agreement. The request was made to the OAS’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and was approved. In response, however, the government did not take the measures requested by the IACHR but instead issued an illegal Stop Mining order over the entire titled area.^[31] In May 2024, we found that this Stop Mining order had cut Village livelihoods in half and forced most of the Village’s own miners to look for work in other parts of Guyana, thus causing family and social disruption. The Toshao (elected chief) of Chinese Landing mentioned the community’s hardship and appealed for a lifting of the Stop Mining order at the NTC Conference,^[32] with no positive government response.

Aftermath of the Mahdia dormitory fire

The terrible death of teenage girls in a dormitory fire at a secondary school for Amerindian children was covered in last year’s report.^[33] Like most Presidential Commissions of Inquiry in Guyana, the Mahdia investigation exonerated the authorities responsible and blamed the fire on alleged Amerindian behaviour patterns, without any witness evidence. Late in 2024, the local press reported that the devastated families had received only the most superficial grief counselling and no continued support. Instead, the government had followed a local custom of paying off the affected families with a token cash payment (EUR 23,750 per dead child) and, in effect, walking away from the tragedy.^{[34], [35]} There were several reports during 2024 of secondary schools being rehabilitated or newly built but there was no mention of lessons learned from Mahdia about the need for fire-resistant materials, fire warning systems, or security measures other than locking the children into dormitories with no escape each night.

Janette Bulkan is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Canada. She was previously Coordinator of the Amerindian Research Unit, University of Guyana (1985 to 2000) and Senior Social Scientist at the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, Guyana (2000 to 2003). Janette carries out long-term collaborative research with Indigenous Peoples and local communities in Guyana. Her research interests are forest governance, Indigenous natural resource management systems, forest concession systems and third-party forest certification systems.

John Palmer is a senior associate in tropical and international forestry with the Forest Management Trust, an ENGO based in Montana, USA. His experience of Guyana dates back to 1974, including UK-funded consultancies on forest finance and Iwokrama in the 1990s, and studies from 2006 onwards on the history and many illegalities in the forest and mining sectors. Guyana also figures in his current work on certification standards for quality of forest management.

This article is part of the 39^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. The photo above is of an Indigenous activist Funa-ay Claver, a Bontok Igorot, standing alongside Indigenous youth activists and others. They are protesting against the repressive laws and human rights violations suffered through the actions and projects of the Government of the Philippines and other actors against Indigenous Peoples at President Marcos Jr’s national address on 22 July 2024 in Quezon City, Philippines. The photo was taken by Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas and is the cover of The Indigenous World 2025 where this article is featured. Find The Indigenous World 2025 in full here

Notes and references 

^[1] Bureau of Statistics, Guyana. 2012 Census, Compendium 2 Population Composition. July 2016, https://statisticsguyana.gov.gy/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Final_2012_Census_Compendium2.pdf

^[2] Villages with a capital “V” denote Indigenous communities with statutory land tenure over at least part of their traditional territory, as opposed to lower-case 316villages and communities which do not have such legal status.

^[3] Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Report No. 8/24 Case 13.083. Report on admissibility and merits (publication). Akawaio Indigenous community of Isseneru and its members. Guyana [Internet]. April 2024. Available from: www.cidh.org

^[4] Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Precautionary Measures No. 196-23. Indigenous Carib Community of Chinese Landing regarding Guyana. Resolution 41/2023. 2023.

^[5] Stabroek News. Chinese Landing overjoyed at IACHR protective measures. Stabroek News [Internet]. 26 July 2023; Available from: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2023/07/26/news/guyana/chinese-landing-overjoyed-at-iachr-protective-measures/

^[6] Stabroek News. State has violated rights of Isseneru villagers – IACHR. Stabroek News [Internet]. 4 June 2024 [cited 3 June 2024]; Available from: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2024/06/04/news/guyana/state-has-violated-rights-of-isseneru-villagers-iachr/

^[7] Ministry of Legal Affairs, Guyana. The Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, chapter 001:01, Preamble, p.26, https://mola.gov.gy/information/laws-of-guyana/410-chapter-101-the-constitution-of-the-co-operative-republic-of-guyana

^[8] Village Voice News, 14 October 2024 “Census results hidden because it reveals decline in Guyana’s population amid allegations of government manipulation”. https://villagevoicenews.com/2024/10/14/breaking-news-2022-census-results-hidden-because-it-reveals-decline-in-guyanas-population-amid-allegations-of-government-manipulation/#google_vignette

^[9] Department of Public Information. President Ali announces over $1B in investments for Rupununi. Department of Public Information [Internet]. 30 March 2024 [cited 12 Jan 2025]; Available from: https://dpi.gov.gy/president-ali-announces-over-1b-in-investments-for-rupununi/

^[10] Guyana Chronicle. Toshaos back carbon-credits initiative. Guyana Chronicle [Internet]. 24 Aug 2024 [cited 12 Jan 2025]; Available from: https://guyanachronicle.com/2024/08/24/toshaos-back-carbon-credits-initiative/

^[11] Bulkan J. Gov’t and its partner Winrock have illegally arrogated to themselves the rights vested solely in Amerindian land title holders. Stabroek News [Internet]. 13 Dec 2022; Available from: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2022/12/13/opinion/letters/govt-and-its-partner-winrock-have-illegally-arrogated-to-themselves-the-rights-vested-solely-in-amerindian-land-title-holders/

^[12] Bulkan J, Palmer J, Khusial D, Bhulai A, Ramdas G, Brandli A, et al. Response to the List of Issues concerning Guyana by Oil and Gas Governance Network [Internet]. Geneva; 2024. Available from: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=INT%2FCCPR%2FCSS%2FGUY%2F57380&Lang=en

^[13] Levy C. A new mall for the village: How carbon credits impact Indigenous People in Guyana. NACLA [Internet]. 8 Jan 2025 [cited 11 Jan 2025]; Available from: https://nacla.org/new-mall-village-how-carbon-credit-dollars-affect-indigenous-people-guyana?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=f5dcbd81-3d19-479a-881e-911212112bb7

^[14] Department of Public Information. Press Release on Hinterland coastal airstrip, Paruima Airstrip, Region 7. Department of Public Information [Internet]. 19 July 2024 [cited 12 Jan 2025]; Available from: https://dpi.gov.gy/press-release-on-hinterland-coastal-airstrip-paruima-airstrip-region-7/

^[15] Stabroek News. Fernandes decries mismanagement of Amerindian Development Fund. Stabroek News [Internet]. 15 Jan 2024 [cited 12 Jan 2025]; Available from: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2024/01/15/news/guyana/fernandes-decries-mismanagement-of-amerindian-development-fund/

^[16] Stabroek News. Auditor General’s Office upbraids ministry over handling of Amerindian Purpose Fund. Stabroek News [Internet]. 29 Oct 2024 [cited 12 Jan 2025]; Available from: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2024/10/29/news/guyana/auditor-generals-office-upbraids-ministry-over-handling-of-amerindian-purpose-fund/

^[17] Department of Public Information. “Your future is secured with the PPP/C govt” – Pres. Ali tells indigenous community. Department of Public Information [Internet]. 2 Sept 2024 [cited 12 Jan 2025]; Available from: https://dpi.gov.gy/your-future-is-secured-with-the-ppp-c-govt-pres-ali-tells-indigenous-community/

^[18] Department of Public Information. Bridging the digital divide: 146 ICT Hubs completed in the Hinterland. Department of Public Information [Internet]. 7 Jan 2025 [cited 12 Jan 2025]; Available from: https://dpi.gov.gy/bridging-the-digital-divide-146-ict-hubs-completed-in-the-hinterland/

^[19] Kaieteur News. Govt blames lack of $$$ for slow move to renewable energy. Kaieteur News [Internet]. 9 Jan 2025 [cited 12 Jan 2025]; Available from: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2025/01/09/govt-blames-lack-of-for-slow-move-to-renewable-energy/

^[20] IDB. Guyana to promote the use of renewable energy sources with IDB and Norway support. IDB [Internet]. 2022 Jun 17 [cited 2025 Jan 12]; Available from: https://www.iadb.org/en/news/guyana-promote-use-renewable-energy-sources-idb-and-norway-support

^[21] Department of Public Information. CSOs programme continues to reap high reward. Department of Public Information [Internet]. 2025 Jan 8 [cited 2025 Jan 12]; Available from: https://dpi.gov.gy/csos-programme-continues-to-reap-high-reward/

^[22] Kaieteur News. Gov’t invested $1.3B in CSO programme last year. Kaieteur News [Internet]. 2025 Jan 9 [cited 2025 Jan 12]; Available from: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2025/01/09/govt-invested-1-3b-in-cso-programme-last-year/

^[23] Department of Public Information. Over 5,000 Indigenous youths receive extensive training, scholarships. Department of Public Information [Internet]. 2024 Aug 22 [cited 2025 Jan 12]; Available from: https://dpi.gov.gy/over-5000-indigenous-youths-receive-extensive-training-scholarships/

^[24] Government of Guyana, UNDP. A guideline for Amerindian land titling in Guyana. GRIF/ALT [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2025 Jan 13]. Available from: https://www.un-redd.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/FINAL%20Guideline%20for%20ALT%20Guyana_Adopted%2028042017.pdf

^[25] United Nations. Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America [Internet]. 2018. Available from: www.issuu.com/publicacionescepal/stacks

^[26] Gilhuys T. The GGMC Mineral Tenure: A brief explanation of the makeup of the mineral tenure situation in Guyana [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2024 Jun 15]. Available from: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/790ce0003be5464a815be1862ff594d9

^[27] Amerindian Peoples Association. Amerindian Peoples Association Geographic Database [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jan 13]. Available from: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/1f3739681fe64adfabd543ae9b5cfbc9/page/page_9/

^[28] South Rupununi District Council. SRDC demands government prioritize community safety over mining profits. 2024 Nov 8 [cited 2025 Jan 13]; Available from: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php/?story_fbid=871359921824096&id=100068502873005

^[29] Stabroek News. Wapichan women’s group calls for end to Marudi mining. Stabroek News [Internet]. 2024 Nov 17 [cited 2025 Jan 13]; Available from: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2024/11/17/news/guyana/wapichan-womens-group-calls-for-end-to-marudi-mining/

^[30] Bulkan J, Palmer J. Guyana. In: The Indigenous World 2024. International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs; 2024. p. 382–92.

^[31] Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance. Government issuing temporary halt to mining in Chinese Landing – Plans for interventions continue directly with the Village Council. Department of Public Information [Internet]. 2023 Aug 2 [cited 2024 Jun 7]; Available from: https://dpi.gov.gy/government-issuing-temporary-halt-to-mining-in-chinese-landing-plans-for-interventions-continue-directly-with-the-village-council/

^[32] Kaieteur News. Deep suffering at Chinese Landing as Govt ban on mining bites – Village Toshao tells NTC conference. Kaieteur News [Internet]. 2024 Aug 22 [cited 2025 Jan 13]; Available from: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2024/08/22/deep-suffering-at-chinese-landing-as-govt-ban-on-mining-bites-village-toshao-tells-ntc-conference/

^[33] Bulkan J, Palmer J. Guyana. In: The Indigenous World 2024. International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs; 2024. p. 382–92.

^[34] Stabroek News. Grief counselling and the Mahdia dorm fire. Stabroek News [Internet]. 2024 Dec 28 [cited 2025 Jan 13]; Available from: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2024/12/28/opinion/editorial/grief-counselling-and-the-mahdia-dorm-fire/

^[35] Amerindian Peoples Association, Upper Mazaruni District Council, Forest Peoples Programme. Submission on Guyana to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. [Internet]. Geneva; 2024. Available from: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=2703&Lang=en

Tags: Land rights, Youth, Business and Human Rights