Kurupukari Explained

Official Name:Kurupukari
Pushpin Map:Guyana
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Guyana
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Guyana
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Upper Demerara-Berbice
Population As Of:2012
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:244
Coordinates:4.6719°N -58.6703°W
Elevation M:81

Fairview (Kurupukari) is an indigenous[2] settlement on the Essequibo River, in the Upper Demerara-Berbice region of Guyana. It is the entry point to the Iwokrama Forest. Former president David A. Granger once referred to Iwokrama as the "green heart of Guyana."

The demographics of the village include mostly Arawak, Macushi, Wapishana and more recently, Patamona people.[3]

The Linden-Lethem Road crosses the river here by a ferry.[4] Fairview on the west side of the Essequibo River, has an unpaved airstrip,[5] [6] as well as a public health post, a primary and nursery school.

Ecological Community

Fairview village has a conservation area for Blue-and-yellow macaws.[7] The village also manages a Sustainable Use Area of the Iwokrama Forest.[8] A 1990-1997 baseline inventory of fauna in the Kurupukari area included specimens of amphibians and reptiles such as Smooth-sided toad, Map tree frog, White-lined leaf frog, Anolis fuscoauratus, and Erythrolamprus aesculapii.[9]

History

Amerindian settlement of the area goes back thousands of years, with evidence of pottery found in archeological digs.[10] [11]

Kurupukari was an outpost point on the Rupununi Cattle Trail which operated between 1920 and 1953, the first overland link between the coastal region and the Rupununi. The contemporary founding of the settlement was in 1925, by three siblings and their extended family; Miriam, Eunice, and Arthur Andries. The main economic activity of the forest was bleeding the latex (or balata) from Manilkara bidentata trees, but when the value plummeted, workers from the Apoteri balata factory relocated to Fairview. In 1992, Fairview was connected to the Linden-Lethem Road. In 2006, Fairview received the title for approximately 21,950.82 hectares of village lands.

See also

References

Kurupukari Mapcarta (for coordinates and elevation)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2012 Population by Village. Statistics Guyana. 16 August 2020.
  2. Web site: Indigenous Villages Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. 2020-12-24. en-US.
  3. Web site: Fairview North Rupununi District Development Board. 2020-12-25. nrddb.org.
  4. Web site: INEWS. 2018-05-02. UK funded bridging of Kurupukari crossing to commence soon- Patterson. 2020-12-24. INews Guyana. en-US.
  5. Web site: 2009-07-03. Roraima plane runs off Fair View airstrip. 2020-12-24. Stabroek News. en-US.
  6. Web site: 2016-06-28. Lengthier Fairview airstrip can boost Iwokrama tourism – President. 2020-12-24. Stabroek News. en-US.
  7. Web site: 2012-11-11. Blue and yellow Macaw. 2020-12-24. Stabroek News. en-US.
  8. Web site: 2007-10-16. Iwokrama needs to become example of sustainability -Commonwealth Deputy Secretary General. 2020-12-24. Stabroek News. en-US.
  9. Macculloch. Ross. Reynolds. Robert. 2013. Baseline inventory of Amphibians and reptiles in the vicinity of Kurupukari, Guyana. Check List. Pensoft Publishers. 9. 1378.
  10. Web site: 2013-09-30. Recent investigations into Amerindian prehistory. 2020-12-25. Stabroek News. en-US.
  11. Web site: 2010-08-15. Groundbreaking archaeological discoveries being made in Guyana. 2020-12-25. Stabroek News. en-US.