Cassipora is an indigenous village of

Lokono The Lokono or Arawak are an Arawak people native to northern coastal areas of South America. Today, approximately 10,000 Lokono live primarily along the coasts and rivers of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Barbados and French Guiana. They speak t ...

Amerindians in the resort of Carolina in the

Para District Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a population of 24,700 and an area of 5,393 km2. The district is the mining and forestry centre of Sur ...

in Suriname. The village is located near the Blaka Watra recreation area. It is also near a 17th-century Jewish village, however only the cemetery remains.

History

Cassipora is located near a former Jewish settlement which was established in 1665, and abandoned twenty years later in favour of neighbouring

Jodensavanne ''Jodensavanne'' (Dutch, "Jewish Savanna") was a Jewish plantation community in Suriname, South America, and was for a time the centre of Jewish life in the colony. It was established in the 1600s by Sephardi Jews and became more developed and wea ...

. During the 19th century, the wood plantation Salem was located at the site. The village contains small clusters of houses occupied by one family which are spaced far apart. Cassipora is connected to the water supply, and since 2016, to the electricity grid. The village has mobile phone access. For schooling and health care, it is depended on neighbouring

Redi Doti Redi Doti (also ''Redidoti'') is an indigenous village of Lokono and Kalina people, Kalina Amerindians in the resorts of Suriname, resort of Carolina, Suriname, Carolina in the Para District in Suriname. The village is located near the site of Jode ...

, which can be reached by an unpaved road. There is a conflict with logging companies who also use the road. The village chief since 2011, is Muriël Fernandes who was first elected at the age of 29. The economy is based on

subsistence farming Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...

, hunting and tourism. Since 2002, the village is owner of the Blaka Watra resort.

Blaka Watra

Blaka Watra is a creek with very dark, near black water. Former Prime minister

Johan Adolf Pengel Johan Adolf "Jopie" Pengel (20 January 1916 – 5 June 1970) was a Surinamese politician, and prime minister of Suriname from 30 June 1963 to 5 March 1969 for the National Party of Suriname (NPS). Biography Pengel was born in Paramaribo on 20 Ja ...

built his country residence near the creek. Artificial rapids were constructed in the creek to give the impression of a

bubble bath A bubble bath is a filled bathtub with a layer of surfactant foam on the surface of the water and consequently also the surfactant product used to produce the foam or soap. Less commonly, aerated or carbonated baths are called ''bubble baths''. ...

. In 1970, after his death, it was turned into a public recreation area. During the Surinamese Interior War it was the scene of heavy fighting. It has been restored, and regained its status as a recreation area.

Cassipora Cemetery

Grafzerken op begraafplaats - 20650747 - RCE

In 1671, a synagogue was built in Cassipora, however all traces of the building have disappeared, and only the graves remain. Together with Jodensavanne, the cemetery is on the tentative list for the

Unesco The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

since 1998. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the

Jodensavanne internment camp Jodensavanne ( nl, Kamp Jodensavanne) was a Dutch internment camp for political prisoners from the Dutch East Indies operated in Surinam (Dutch colony), Surinam during World War II (from 1942 to 1946). The camp was named after a nearby, long-abando ...

was established to intern political prisoners from the Dutch East Indies. One of the tasks of the prisoners was clearing the forest, and repairing the graves at Cassipora. The cemetery contains several hundred graves, and the oldest dates from 1667.

References

{{Surinamese District Para Historic Jewish communities in South America Indigenous villages in Suriname Jewish Surinamese history Populated places in Para District Tourist attractions in Suriname