Who Are the Wapishana?
The Wapishana (Wapixana) are an Arawakan-speaking indigenous people of the Rupununi savanna, numbering approximately 13,000-15,000 across Guyana and Brazil. They speak Wapishana, an Arawakan language distinct from their Cariban-speaking Makushi neighbors. The Wapishana inhabit the South Rupununi region of Guyana and adjacent Roraima state of Brazil, occupying savanna, forest, and riverine environments. Their homeland includes the Kanuku Mountains, rich in biodiversity. The Wapishana have a long history in this region, developing specialized knowledge of the savanna-forest mosaic. They share the Rupununi with the Makushi, with whom they have intermarried and collaborated.
Rupununi Ecosystem
The Wapishana homeland in the Rupununi savanna represents a distinctive ecosystem between the Amazon rainforest and the Guiana Highlands. This grassland-forest mosaic, interspersed with gallery forests along rivers, supports diverse wildlife including giant anteaters, jaguars, and many bird species. Wapishana traditional knowledge encompasses this complex environment—seasonal flooding patterns, fire management, and resource locations. The Kanuku Mountains, rising from the savanna, hold spiritual significance and harbor exceptional biodiversity, now partly protected in conservation areas. This environmental knowledge has made Wapishana communities important partners in contemporary conservation efforts.
Cross-Border Community
The Wapishana, like the Makushi, span the Guyana-Brazil border, with populations on both sides maintaining family and cultural ties. The international boundary, determined by colonial-era treaties, divided a people who had occupied the region for centuries. Cross-border movement for family visits, ceremonies, and trade continues, though national immigration regulations complicate such travel. The experiences of Guyanese and Brazilian Wapishana differ due to different national policies, economic conditions, and service provision. The Raposa Serra do Sol land demarcation in Brazil (2009) included Wapishana territory alongside Makushi areas. This transboundary situation shapes contemporary Wapishana identity.
Contemporary Wapishana
Modern Wapishana participate in both traditional and modern economies. Agriculture, including cassava and other crops, remains important. Cattle ranching, introduced in the colonial era, provides income for many families. Some communities have developed ecotourism, particularly in the Kanuku Mountains area. In Guyana, Wapishana leaders have been active in national indigenous politics and land rights advocacy. The language faces pressure from English (in Guyana) and Portuguese (in Brazil). Community-based natural resource management programs have engaged Wapishana traditional knowledge. How the Wapishana maintain cultural and ecological knowledge while pursuing development opportunities shapes their savanna community's future.
References
- Farabee, W. C. (1918). The Central Arawaks
- Henfrey, T. (2002). Ethnoecology, Resource Use, Conservation and Development in a Wapishana Community
- Forte, J. (1996). "The Wapishana"