Wowetta

Wowetta is surrounded by the Pakaraima Mountains and Makarapan Mountain to the east, range of the Kanuku Mountains that divides the Rupununi savannah in half, creating the North Rupununi Savannah that is predominantly occupied by the Macushi people, and the South Rupununi Savannah that is occupied by the Wapishana people and the Wai-wai people. The village is surrounded by pristine tropical rainforest and is one of the villages that border the Iwokrama International Rainforest Protected area. The people of the North Rupununi have all rights to continue their traditional rights, such as hunting as well as gathering non-timber forest Products in the Protected area. There is a signed Community Management Agreement (CMA) between Iwokrama and a standing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be signed with the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB). Additionally, the village benefits from a 15% paid to the NRDDB as forest users’ fee that is used for the further development of the various villages that surround that area. As such Wowetta is a member of the North Rupununi District Development Board that is bisected by the Georgetown to Lethem highway.

The people speak predominantly Macushi language as their first language, and English as their second language.^[1] Their main staple foods are cassava bread, farine and pepper pot. The men are skilled craftsmen who produce crafts that the women use to process the various by-product of the cassava. The men also practice traditional hunting, using bows and arrows, and traditional traps. The fish using line and hook, traps, and poisoning of small waterways. The homes are made of adobe wall and thatched roofs from the kokarite palm. Women engage in cotton weaving, making slings and hammocks.

The people rely heavily on their agricultural products as well as their handicrafts to earn their income. The average household income that a household earns per month is about $5,000 (25 USD) per month.^[3] The village has a number of projects that contribute to income generation, some of which are ecotourism, farine production, a village shop, vegetable garden, and a youth joinery project. These earn a small percentage of income generated from revenues paid for the use of resources, such as non-timber forest products and timber. These projects employ about 10% of the residents and the remainder go out into the gold mines, and often seasonally migrate to Brazil. Additionally, some of the villagers practice small scale forestry to support their families.

Wowetta is located in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region 9, approximately 450 km South of the capital city, Georgetown. It is a satellite village to Annai, and is governed by a Village Council along with four other villages, Surama, Kwatamang, Rupertee, and Annai. These five villages hold one land title with a population of 1,500 people (2006 census) with a total land area of 188,000 km², and falls under the administration of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Georgetown, and the Regional Democratic Council.

The Village Council of Wowetta ensures that the people are adequately represented based on issues affecting individuals. The village Council is mandated to manage natural resources on communal land and to develop rules and regulations that control the use by outsiders. The village council holds its statutory meetings on a quarterly basis. At these meetings persons are given the opportunity to raise issues, as well as an update of the village operation. The issues of individual are noted and taken on board at various levels. The village council consists of seven Councillors, headed by a Toshao (Chief), and has a three term in office before they are replaced or re-elected.

Additionally, the development of the Linden-Lethem road link will contribute to positive and negative development for the people, hence there is need to resolve the problem in order to prepare the people for the imminent changes that will emerge with the various developments.