Diitabiki ( Sranan Tongo: ''Dritabiki'', Dutch: ''Drietabbetje'') is a Ndyuka village in the

Sipaliwini District Sipaliwini is the largest district of Suriname, located in the south. Sipaliwini is the only district that does not have a regional capital, as it is directly administered by the national government in Paramaribo. History Sipaliwini was created i ...

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 ...

. Diitabiki is the residence of the gaanman of the

Ndyuka people The Ndyuka people (also spelled 'Djuka') or Aukan people (''Okanisi''), are one of six Maroon peoples (formerly called "Bush Negroes", which also has pejorative tinges) in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guia ...

, since 1950, and the location of the

oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

Name

Both the Ndyuka and Sranan Tongo name for the village translates to "three islands," with the word ''tabiki'' meaning "island" in both languages. While ''drie'' indeed also translates as "three" in the

Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-Europea ...

, the word ''tabbetje'' is a

homophonic translation Homophonic translation renders a text in one language into a near-homophonic text in another language, usually with no attempt to preserve the original meaning of the text. In one homophonic translation, for example, the English "sat on a wall" i ...

of the Ndyuka word.

History

The Ndyuka people are of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n descent, and were shipped as slaves to Suriname in the 17-18th century to work on Dutch-owned colonial plantations. The escaped slaves moved into the

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

, and banded together. There were frequent clashes between the colonists and the Ndyuka, however in 1760, a peace treaty was signed granting the Ndyuka autonomy. From 1761 onwards, the Ndyuka gradually moved southwards in order to protected themselves from the

colonists A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

, and started to build villages on the

Tapanahoni 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 ...

dispelling the indigenous Tiriyó. Diitabiki is one of the villages. Slaves who had recently fled from Armina and Boven Commewijne were stationed near the confluence of the Tapanahoni and Lawa River to guard against attacks by 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 ...

Education

Since the 1960s, Diitabiki is home to the Granman Akontoe Velantie

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

, which as of 2015 has 333 pupils. In 2015, volunteers from Diitabiki and its surroundings extended the school with an extra classroom.

Healthcare

Diitabiki is home to a

Medische Zending Medische Zending Primary Health Care Suriname, commonly known as Medische Zending (Dutch for "medical mission") or MZ is a Surinamese charitable organization offering primary healthcare to remote villages in the interior of Suriname. History The ...

healthcare centre.

Energy

Between 1985 and 1987, electricity was provided by an overhead power line connected to the

Puketi hydroelectric power plant The Puketi hydroelectric power plant was a micro hydropower plant constructed near the village of Puketi in Suriname, with a capacity of . The plant provided electricity between 1981 and 1987 before it went into disrepair. According to hydrologist ...

. After this power plant stopped working during the

Surinamese Interior War The Surinamese Interior War ( nl, Binnenlandse Oorlog) was a civil war waged in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname between 1986 and 1992. It was fought by the Tucayana Amazonas led by Thomas Sabajo and the Jungle Commando led by Ronnie Brunswij ...

there have been attempts to rehabilitate the facility, but after a university delegation in 2003 and 2004 investigated the possibilities for hydroelectric power in the region, the Ministry for Regional Development decided to instead fund the construction of a larger hydroelectric power plant at the Gran Olo rapids nearby. Although it will initially only power

Puketi Poeketi or Puketi is a Ndyuka village in Suriname. It lies in Sipaliwini District. On May 15, 2010, a plane crashed near Poeketi. Energy Between 1981 and 1987, electricity was provided by the Puketi hydroelectric power plant. After this pow ...

and Futupasi, the plan is to eventually connect Diitabiki to the grid as well. As of 2016, the Gran Olo power plant is still under construction.

Transportation

By air

Diitabiki is served by Drietabbetje Airstrip, offering

Blue Wings Blue Wings AG was a charter airline based in Germany, focusing on serving Turkey, the Middle East and Russia from its base at Düsseldorf Airport. The headquarters were located on the airport property. History Early years and growth Blue Wing ...

and

Gum Air Gum Air is a Surinamese airline based at Zorg en Hoop Airport in Paramaribo, Suriname. Gum Air cooperates with Trans Guyana Airways to provide daily flights between Zorg en Hoop Airport, Zorg en Hoop Airport (ORG) in Paramaribo, Suriname and Ogl ...

scheduled services from

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

By boat and rail

Diitabaki is close to the villages of Mainsi, and

Moitaki Moitaki is a Ndyuka village in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. The village is inhabited by the Misidyan clan or ''lo''. The late gaanman Gazon Matodya was born in Moitaki. Moitaki is situated near the Gran Olo rapids between the village of ...

. The Granholo waterfalls cannot be crossed by boat. A railway line has been built at Futupasi to cross the waterfalls, and since February 2008, a ferry service has been opened to

and

Godo Holo Godo Holo (also Godo Olo) is a group of villages in the Tapanahony resort of the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. The villages are inhabited by Maroons of the Ndyuka people. Godo Olo is the name for a group of three neighbouring villages: ''San ...

Tourism

Several holiday resorts have opened in or near Diitabiki, and

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

is actively being promoted. The village is promoting itself as a tourist destination, and tour operators are offering tours to Diitabiki, and the surrounding nature.

Notes

References

External links

{{Surinamese District Sipaliwini Islands of Suriname Ndyuka settlements Populated places in Sipaliwini District