Asongo Alalaparu also Ashongo Alalaparoe (1941-42 – 21 November 2021) was a

Granman Granman (Ndyuka language: ''gaanman'') is the title of the paramount chief of a Maroon (people), Maroon nation in Suriname and French Guiana. The Ndyuka people, Ndyuka, Saramaka, Matawai people, Matawai, Aluku, Paramaccan people, Paramaka and Kwint ...

(paramount leader) of the

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

Tiriyó people in

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. He led the Tiriyó from 1997 to 2021 from his residence in

Kwamalasamutu Kwamalasamutu, also Kwamalasamoetoe, is a Tiriyó Amerindian village in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname, and home to the granman (paramount chief) of the northern Trios. Kwamalasamutu is the biggest village of the Tiriyó tribe. History The ...

. During his rule, the Tiriyó established new small villages in the interior of Suriname.De Ware Tijd
Jimmy Toeroemang (30) nieuwe granman Kwamalasamutu
Audry Wajwakana, 17 September 2021

Biography

Alalaparu was born in 1941 or 42 as a member of the Tiriyó tribe. This tribe lived in the border area of Suriname and Brazil, and had been contacted in the early 20th century. In 1959, airfields were built in the interior of Suriname as part of

Operation Grasshopper Operation Grasshopper was a project to look for natural resources in Suriname from the air. For this project, seven airstrips were constructed in the interior of Suriname from 1959 onward. The project was the brainchild of the Minister of Develo ...

. In that same year, the Door-to-Life Gospel Mission was given permission to work among the Tiriyó. In 1961, American missionaries convinced the Tiriyó tribe to abandon their small villages, and settle in one big modern village. The Tiriyó tribe did not have a clear hierarchy; therefore,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Wijdenbosch appointed Alalaparu as

of the tribe on 15 January 1997, and installed Captains to serve as village chiefs. The main problems facing the tribe are food shortages, the activities of ''

garimpeiros Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface ...

'' (illegal gold miners), and logging companies. In order to prevent

soil depletion Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent Crop yield, yields of high quality.

as well as defend tribal land against gold miners and tourist lodges, Granman Alalaparu encouraged the founding of new villages in the interior. Villages which were established during this period include Alalapadu,

Sipaliwini Savanna The Sipaliwini Savanna is a protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which var ...

Vier Gebroeders Vier Gebroeders (English: ''Four Brothers'') or Mamija is a Tiriyó village in the Coeroeni resort of the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. Vier Gebroeders is close to the Brazilian border. The village is not named after four brothers, but after t ...

Kuruni Kuruni (also: Curuni and Coeroeni) is a village in the Coeroeni resort in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. The village is inhabited by indigenous people of the Tiriyó tribe. The inhabitants are of the subgroup Aramayana or the Bee people. O ...

, Amotopo and

Wanapan Wanapan or Arapahtë pata is a Tiriyó village in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. It was established at the bottom of the Wonotobo Falls in 1998 by captain Arapahtë. Name Wanapan is the Tiriyó-language name for ''Clusia'' plants, which ...

. At a 2005 meeting with the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...

, Alalaparu expressed his desire to connect the villages with footpaths and link up to the Guyanese border. He also emphasized the potential danger of

and

Pelelu Tepu Pelelu Tepu is an Amerindian village in the hinterland of Suriname. Also known as "Pe'reru Tepu", the village is typically referred to simply as "Tepu," which mean "high" in the Indian Tiriyó language. The village is located on Tepu hill, on t ...

, the two major villages on the Surinamese side, becoming divided by land not under tribal ownership. In 2012, Alalaparu protested against plans to build

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

dams on the

Tapanahony River The Tapanahony River (sometimes called Tapanahoni) is a major river in the south eastern part of Suriname, South America. The river originates in the Southern part of the Eilerts de Haan Mountains, near the border with Brazil. It joins the Marowijn ...

near tribal villages. In 2015, President Bouterse awarded Alalaparu the Grand Cordon of the

Honorary Order of the Yellow Star The Honorary Order of the Yellow Star (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Ere-Orde van de Gele Ster'') is the highest state decoration of the Republic of Suriname. The Order was instituted in 1975 at the Suriname#Independence, independence of Suriname and r ...

. After Alalaparu's repeated requests to the government, Kwamalasamutu received a

tap water Tap water (also known as faucet water, running water, or municipal water) is water supplied through a tap, a water dispenser valve. In many countries, tap water usually has the quality of drinking water. Tap water is commonly used for drinking, ...

system ahead of the 2020 elections. He also promoted the planting of highland rice to increase food self-sufficiency. On 15 June 2017, Alalaparu named his grandson Jimmy Toeroemang as successor, due to Alalaparu's health. On 18 September 2021, Alalaparu formally handed over his granmanship to Toeroemang. As family members are not usually considered successors in Tiriyó tradition, Alalaparu obtained the assent from a large part of the community beforehand. Alalaparu died on 21 November 2021, in Regional Hospital Wanica from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

-related complications.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alalaparu, Asongo 1940s births 2021 deaths Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Suriname Year of birth missing Place of birth missing Granman Grand Cordons of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star Tiriyó people