Awarewaunau (also: ''Awaruwaunawa'') is a village in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

. Awarewaunau is inhabited by

Wapishana The Wapishana or Wapichan (or Wapisiana, Wapitxana, Vapidiana, Wapixana) are an indigenous group found in the Roraima area of northern Brazil and southern Guyana. Location Currently the Wapishana are located in the State of Roraima, Brazil, nort ...

Amerindians.

Overview

In 1909 missionaries arrived in the area. Awarewaunau was founded in the 1920s. The name is

and means Windy Creek Hill. The main religion of the villagers is Christian. The economy of Awarewaunau is based on subsistence farming and

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

. The village has a primary school and a health centre. Secondary education is offered in

Aishalton Aishalton is an Amerindian village that is situated in the Rupununi savannah of southern Guyana, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region (Region 9) of the country. It is the administrative centre for the southern sub-district of Region 9. In ...

. As of 2019, the village is connected to the internet. In 2018, water wells were constructed in the village as part of a joint exercise of the Brazilian Army and the Guyana Defence Force.

Transport

Awarewaunau is served by the

Awaruwaunau Airport Awaruwaunau Airport is an airport serving the village of Awarewaunau, an Amerindian village in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana. See also * * * List of airports in Guyana * Transport in Guyana The transport sector comprises th ...

. In 2018, a contract was awarded to construct a road from Lethem to Shea via Awarewaunau.

Nature

Awarewaunau is on the edge of a large pristine rainforest which is home to

cock-of-the-rock The cocks-of-the-rock, which compose the genus ''Rupicola'', are large cotingid birds native to South America. The first alleged examples of this species were documented during a research expedition led by the explorer and biologist Sir Joshua W ...

harpy eagle The harpy eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') is a neotropical species of eagle. It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. It is the ...

s, and

bush dog The bush dog (''Speothos venaticus'') is a canine found in Central and South America. In spite of its extensive range, it is very rare in most areas except in Suriname, Guyana and Peru; it was first identified by Peter Wilhelm Lund from fossils ...

s. The forest is part of the Wapichan Conserved Forest, a planned

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 vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

References

Indigenous villages in Guyana Populated places in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo {{Guyana-geo-stub