Who Are the Lokono?
The Lokono (Arawak) are an indigenous people of the coastal Guianas and eastern Venezuela, numbering approximately 15,000-20,000 across Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Venezuela. They speak Lokono (Arawak), an Arawakan language that gave its name to the large Arawakan language family spread across the Caribbean and South America. The Lokono call themselves "Lokono" (meaning "people"); "Arawak" derives from an outsider term. They were among the first indigenous peoples encountered by Columbus in 1492. Unlike the island Arawak (TaĆno), who were nearly destroyed, the mainland Lokono survived colonization and maintain communities today.
The Arawak Name
The Lokono gave their name to one of the Americas' largest language families: Arawakan. Languages related to Lokono spread from Florida to Paraguay, from the Caribbean islands to the western Amazon. The term "Arawak" became used broadly for related peoples, including the TaĆno of the Caribbean who are sometimes distinguished as "Island Arawak." Columbus's first encounters were with Arawakan-speaking peoples, making them among the first Americans documented by Europeans. The Lokono relationship to the broader Arawakan diaspora raises questions about prehistoric migrations and cultural connections across the Caribbean and South America that scholars continue to investigate.
Colonial Survivors
The Lokono survived where Caribbean TaĆno were destroyed because their mainland location offered refuge from the intensive colonial exploitation of the islands. Dutch, English, and French colonizers established plantations in the Guianas, but Lokono communities persisted in less accessible coastal and interior areas. Some Lokono became involved in the colonial economy as laborers or through trade. Missionaries, particularly the Moravians in Suriname, converted many Lokono to Christianity, which transformed cultural practices. The Lokono also experienced mixing with escaped African slaves (Maroons) and other groups, creating complex contemporary identities while maintaining Lokono heritage.
Contemporary Lokono
Modern Lokono navigate different political contexts across the Guianas. In Guyana, the Lokono (called Arawak) are one of the nine recognized indigenous peoples, concentrated in coastal and riverine communities. In Suriname, they face challenges related to land rights and mining. In French Guiana, as French citizens, they navigate between European frameworks and indigenous identity. The Lokono language is endangered; revitalization efforts vary by community. Traditional practices including craft production, fishing, and agriculture continue with modifications. How the Lokono maintain cultural identity as the "true Arawak" while adapting to contemporary life in three different national contexts shapes their future as survivors of the colonial encounter.
References
- Rouse, I. (1992). The Tainos: Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbus
- Whitehead, N. L. (1988). Lords of the Tiger Spirit
- Hill, J. D. & Santos-Granero, F. (2002). Comparative Arawakan Histories