Monkey Mountain, Guyana Explained

Official Name:Monkey Mountain
Native Name:Wandike
Settlement Type:Village
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Pushpin Map:Guyana
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Guyana
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Guyana
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Potaro-Siparuni
Leader Title:Toshao
Leader Name:Lincoln Singh[1]
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2012
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:711
Population Blank1 Title:Ethnicities
Population Blank2 Title:Religions
Coordinates:4.4522°N -59.6028°W
Elevation Ft:1,700

Monkey Mountain (also Wandike) is an indigenous village in the Potaro-Siparuni Region of Guyana. The village is inhabited by the Patamona and Macushi tribes. Monkey Mountain is located near the Brazilian border.[3] The village shares its name with the nearby mountain with a height of 591m (1,939feet).[4] The name is derived from the seasonal migration of monkeys.[5]

Overview

Monkey Mountain is located in the North Pakaraima Mountains, and lies at an altitude of 1700feet.[6] The village has a school, a health centre,[7] and a police station.[3] The people in Monkey Mountain are multilingual, speaking Patamona, Macushi, Portuguese and English.[5] The village received internet connection in 2019.[6] The toshao (village chief) as of 2019 is Lincoln Singh.[1]

A major attraction is the North Pakaraima Exposition, a two day event with exhibits and sport competitions for the indigenous communities.[3]

Economy

The economy used to be based on subsistence farming, hunting and gathering.[3] An important economic activity for the village is quarrying precious stones like crystals, amethyst, jasper and agate.

In 2018, a lapidary was built with government assistance and in cooperation with the villages of Kato, Kurukabaru, Maikwak, and Tuseneng. The lapidary will allow the villagers to process the stones themselves, and export jewellery.[8]

Transport

There is an unpaved road connection between Karasabai and Monkey Mountain. The main access is by air via the Monkey Mountain Airport located near the village.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The stone specialists . Department of Public Information. 2 November 2019 . 1 March 2021.
  2. Web site: 2012 Population by Village. Statistics Guyana. 1 March 2021.
  3. Web site: Monkey Mountain – An alluring sight to see. Things Guyana. 11 March 2019 . 1 March 2021.
  4. Web site: Monkey Mountain. 1 March 2021. Geonames.
  5. News: Pakaraima bound. Issue 144. 2017. Neil Marks . Caribbean Beat. 1 March 2021.
  6. News: Future looks good for residents of Monkey Mountain. Kaieteur News Online. 1 March 2021.
  7. News: Monkey Mountain. Guyana Chronicle. 1 March 2021.
  8. Web site: $10M lapidary for Monkey Mountain on stream. Department of Public Information. 8 November 2018 . 1 March 2021.