Gazon Matodya (c. 1920 – 1 December 2011)"Paramount chief of Ndyuka nation passes at 91"
''Abeng Central'', Accessed 22 November 2012. was gaanman of the Okanisi or Ndyuka people of

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 ...

, South America, one of six Maroon peoples in the area. He lived in Diitabiki (Drietabbetje), a village located on the

Tapanahony Tapanahoni is a resort in Suriname, located in the Sipaliwini District. Its population at the 2012 census was 13,808. Tapanahoni is a part of Sipaliwini which has no capital, but is directly governed from Paramaribo. Tapanahony is an enormous r ...

River. Gaanman Gazon belonged to the ''Otoo Lo''

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

, from which most of the Aukan chiefs have come. He was one of the longest-living chiefs to date. In a statement made in 1992 while in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Gazon said he was not happy with the changes that have occurred in his tribal area during the modern era of the late 20th century. This includes how disputes are settled. In 2007 the six Maroon tribes won a major land rights case initiated in the early 1990s, by which they gained collective control of territories (including mineral resources), which they have occupied since the late 18th century.

Legacy and honors

*In 2000, Gazon was awarded the Grand Cordon in 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 ...

, a Surinamese presidential award. *He was given a Chubb Fellowship by

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. *In 1996, the Netherlands-based Maroon Institute ''Sabanapeti'' established an award named in honor of Gazon. It is intended to acknowledge exceptional people and organizations.

Notes

References

* * 1920 births 2011 deaths Year of birth uncertain Granman Grand Cordons of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star Ndyuka people Surinamese Maroons Tribal chiefs People from Sipaliwini District {{Suriname-bio-stub