Apatou (1833 – 1 December 1908) was a guide, and Captain (village chief) of the

Aluku The Aluku are a Bushinengue ethnic group living mainly on the riverbank in Maripasoula in southwest French Guiana. The group are sometimes called Boni, referring to the 18th-century leader, Bokilifu Boni. History The Aluku are an ethnic gro ...

Maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas who escaped from slavery and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into separate creole cultures such as the Garifuna and the Mascogos. ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...

. Apatou founded the village of Moutendé which has been renamed Apatou. He mediated between France and Suriname with regards to the border, and allied the Aluku with France.

Biography

Apatou was born in 1833 in L'Enfant Perdu on the Lawa River. In 1877, the French explorer Jules Crevaux embarked on an expedition of the

Maroni River The Maroni or Marowijne (french: link=no, Maroni, nl, Marowijne, Sranan Tongo: ''Marwina-Liba'') is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist fores ...

. During his journey, he met Apatou who joined him as one of his guides. Apatou accompanied Crevaux to the end of the river until they arrived at a village of Roucouyennes at the foot of the

Tumuk Humak Mountains The Tumuk Humak Mountains ( nl, Toemoek-Hoemakgebergte, pt, Serra do Tumucumaque, french: Monts Tumuc Humac) are a mountain range in South America, stretching about east–west in the border area between Brazil in the south and Suriname and ...

. Crevaux returned to French Guiana in 1878 for a second expedition during which he wanted to explore the

Oyapock River The Oyapock or Oiapoque (; ; ) is a long river in South America that forms most of the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana and the Brazilian state of Amapá. Course The Oyapock runs through the Guianan moist fores ...

, Apatou agreed to join him on the condition that Crevaux would take him to France after the journey. Apatou, Crevaux, and a former pirate named Santa-Cruz, descended the Oyapock, crossed the Tumuk Humak Mountains and followed the Amazon River to the territory of the Ouitotos in Colombia. After the expedition, Apatou traveled to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. While in Paris, he was awarded a gold medal by the

Société de Géographie The Société de Géographie (; ), is the world's oldest geographical society. It was founded in 1821 as the first Geographic Society. Since 1878, its headquarters have been at 184 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris. The entrance is marked by two gig ...

. He returned to his village as a celebrity for not only having explored the Amazon, but also having visited France. He became the main negotiator with the French. In 1881, he arranged that five children could go to school in

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (; gcr, Senloran di Maronni) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is one of the three sub-prefectures of French Guiana and the seat ...

. His close contacts with the colonial government, were a source of jealousy and rivalry within the tribe, therefore Apatou founded the village Moutendé on the

in 1882 which quickly prospered. In 1883, Apatou accompanied

Henri Coudreau Henri Anatole Coudreau (6 May 1859 Sonnac – 10 November 1899, State of Pará, Brazil) was a French professor of history and geography, explorer and geographer of French Guiana and the tributaries of the Amazon. Exploration of the Amazon At ...

on his exploration of French Guiana. On 7 September 1885, Jules Brunetti opened a Catholic mission in the village. In 1887, Apatou was officially appointed Captain (village chief) under

Granman Granman (Ndyuka language: ''gaanman'') is the title of the paramount chief of a Maroon nation in Suriname and French Guiana. The Ndyuka, Saramaka, Matawai, Aluku, Paramaka and Kwinti nations all have a granman. The paramount chiefs of Amerin ...

Anato. He was recognized and received a salary from the French colonial government.

The border between France and Suriname at the time was unclear, Both nations promised to respect the rights of the tribes living on the river, therefore the tribes had to choose their nationality. In 1891, Apatou mediated with regards to the border, and allied the Aluku with France. He also united all the different tribes on the French side. The same year, he was knighted in the

Royal Order of Cambodia The Royal Order of Cambodia ( km, គ្រឿងឥស្សរិយយសព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា; french: Ordre royal du Cambodge) was a colonial order of chivalry of French Cambodia, and is still in use ...

for his work with Casey who was

station chief A station chief is a government official who is the head of a team, post or function usually in a foreign country. Historically it commonly referred to the head of a defensible structure such as an ambassador's residence or colonial outpost. In G ...

for the Lawa River. Apatou died on 1 December 1908 in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni at the age of 75. The village of Moutendé was later renamed Apatou in his honour. On 12 November 1976, Apatou became an independent

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

. In 1998, a statue of Apatou was erected opposite the town hall.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Apatou 1833 births 1908 deaths Aluku French explorers People from Apatou People from Papaichton