| By Jarryl BryanGuyana is a bedrock of culture and home to several distinct ethnicities, spread out along the length andRuel Johnsonbreadth of the country.The ancestors of modern Guyanese people have all come and left their mark on the landscape. However, it has been shown that they also left behind artifacts – things they may have used in everyday life which are of priceless historical value now.It is the historical value of both tangible and intangible legacies that Cultural Policy Advisor Ruel Johnson will be spearheading efforts to protect. Johnson, a longtime cultural policy advocate, noted that for too long an ad hoc system of regulations has existed for a country as rich in culture and history as Guyana.According to Johnson, much of what a country distinguishes itself with, has to do with culture. In light of this, he made it clear, during a recent interview, that preserving cultural heritage will be a critical component of the range of policies being formulated by his office,Wholesale China Jerseys, the Department of Culture.“We have had a lot of ad hoc action,” Johnson reflected. “What we haven’t had, since the 1970s, is a policy framework and adherent heritage plan. So I’m currently working on a plan for heritage.”Two key components of this plan will be developing mechanisms for Guyana to recognize, map and maintain its existing cultural heritage,Cheap Jerseys Outlet, and to counter the illicit trade in heritage artifacts.Trafficking in cultural property is an epidemic, as widespread as human trafficking. There have been agreements and legislation by bodies such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to curb the trade. However, the issue has in some cases not received the appropriate recognition.“This is something that we (population at large) are unaware of. Indigenous artifacts and other tangible cultural heritage have extremely high value on the world market,” Johnson pointed out.“An authentic indigenous arrow head, thousands of years old, in itself has value that we don’t even know about. Indigenous knowledge has (also) always had tremendous value.”Another example he gave, which might be under recognised by most, is the value of indigenous knowledge ranging from medicine to other areas.The lack of knowledge, Johnson said, can be attributed to there being no monitoring mechanism.“Let’s say I’m leaving here, we have no system for Customs officers to tell whether I’m taking out a diya or I’m taking out tremendously valuable ancient earthenware.”He noted that one step which will be taken, will be to go into indigenous communities and to map and identify what is there, in order to formulate mechanisms and strong solutions to preserve existing heritage.However, Johnson acknowledged that while artifacts are being found in indigenous communities,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, the requisite authorities are somewhat hampered at present.“The problem is we don’t have the system and the funding. People seeking to map this (area) are doing it off their own strength. Some is being done through private universities. We have no system of documenting, tracking and facilitating these ventures.”It is not all gloom, however, as Johnson made the point that Guyana is not alone. The advisor noted that this is where technical cooperation with other countries becomes important.He referenced Brazil, noting that Guyana’s Portuguese-speaking neighbour has a central coordinating mechanism with their Ministry of Culture, internal security, tourism and other agencies that enforce regulations against the heritage black market.According to Johnson, the government of Guyana is coming up with a framework that will link the Ministries of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Citizenship, Tourism, Education and Culture, with the National Trust of Guyana. He gave a few examples of how this will change the way Guyana does business.“If it is that someone comes in and hits the border, there is a form which you have to fill out stating what you are here, for example, for cultural research. On the one hand it makes it easier for study like archaeology. On the other hand it allows the state to monitor and track.”Another initiative he spoke about is one for government to work with tourism agencies that can get a sense of what tourists have come for.He noted that as of now there is little mechanism in place to monitor anthropological or archaeological work. He noted one exception, that is, if a tourist wanted access to an archaeological site under the domain of an Amerindian community, an overture would have to be made to the village leaders.It is generally believed and documented that the Amerindians originally entered the territory of what is now known as Guyana about 11,000 years ago. Initially they lived on the low, swampy coastland region.Research done by the local anthropologist,Wholesale China Jerseys, Dennis Williams, has shown that while the earliest Guyanese were hunters, about 7,NFL Jerseys China,000 years ago they adapted to become hunter-gatherers.Archaeological studies indicate that a group of these hunter-gatherers occupied Barabina Hill near to Mabaruma around that period.There, settlements were more permanent in the North-West District and the Pomeroon where they were firmly established as fish, turtle, snail and crab catchers, but in the interior areas they were nomadic at times. Some of these settlements were located in the Mazaruni basin, the Pakaraima highlands, the Rupununi and the Berbice River.Some of the tools of the hunter-gatherers were made from bedrock-grinding surfaces. They used polished stone tools,NFL Jerseys Outlet, bark beaters of chipped stone (used for extracting bark cloth), projectile points, chisels, axes, and adzes.Kaieteur News spoke to Louisa B. Daggers, Anthropologist and Archaeologist Coordinator and Researcher at the Amerindian Research Unit (ARU). She stated that contemporary discovery of artifacts have been made in communities such as Aishalton, Region Nine.According to Daggers, the most common cases are public-spirited persons or miners finding such artifacts during mining operations. She stated that these cases often go unreported, either because the historical value is not recognised or because of fear that the operation may have to be halted for research purposes at the location.The 29-year-old Anthropologist stated that this is why partnerships will often be forged by the ARU with mining companies, so that priceless pieces of heritage can be preserved. However, Daggers emphasised that without set policy the illicit trade of artifacts would continue.UCH REPORT ON GUYANAThe Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) is a treaty that was adopted in November, 2001 by the General Conference of UNESCO and ratified by Guyana in 2014. UCH has been bringing awareness to cultural property left behind by our ancestors (many times found underwater after hundreds of years) and it reports its findings on policies adopted in countries around the world.In a 2015 report compiled by UNESCO on UCH in Latin America and the Caribbean, it was noted that the 2001 convention was a timely initiative taken by the government of Guyana to systematically include in its 2015 agenda.It noted that while there are several parliamentary and draft legislation in Guyana that cater for the protection and management of UCH sites to an extent, most of the existing legislation overlap each other.The report documented that the majority of Guyana’s known qualified UCH sites are those of Prehistoric origin including petroglyphs, grinding groves, habitation sites and shell middens. It stated that others such as wreck sites and structures linked to the colonial past are all submerged and threatened by mining and illicit trade in artifacts.“(It) has compromised the integrity of several UCH sites within Guyana’s internal waters. This coupled with a lack of public awareness, has created a dichotomy resulting either in the destruction of both terrestrial and underwater cultural property or the illicit trade of these very cultural materials by locals as a means of satisfying their financial needs.”The report went on to add that underwater cultural heritage can contribute to Guyana’s historic records and to the scientific community. It can also develop the tourism industry by creating new avenues for underwater archaeology. According to the report, submerged heritage can be considered in the promotion of cultural heritage and dive tourism, and may even attract glass bottom boats. |
