Karasabai is an indigenous village of

Macushi The Macushi ( pt, Macuxi) are an indigenous people living in the borderlands of southern Guyana, northern Brazil in the state of Roraima, and in an eastern part of Venezuela. Identification The Macushi are also known as the Macusi, Macussi, ...

Amerindians The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the Ame ...

in the

Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo (Region 9) is a Regions of Guyana, region of Guyana. Venezuela claims the territory as part of Bolívar (state) in Guayana Esequiba, Esequiban Guyana. It borders the region of Potaro-Siparuni to the north, the region ...

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 ...

. It is located in the South

Pakaraima Mountains The Pacaraima or Pakaraima Mountains ( pt, Serra de Pacaraima, es, Sierra de Pacaraima) are a mountain range primarily in southwestern Guyana, and into northern Brazil and eastern Venezuela. Geography The range extends from west to east for over ...

, and near the

Ireng River The Ireng River (or Maú River, generally used in Portuguese) forms part of Guyana's western border with Brazil. It flows through the valleys of the Pakaraima Mountains for most of its length. It is the only major river in Guyana which flows from ...

which flows south to the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

Legend

According to the legends of the Macushi people, Makonaima descended to

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

and the indigenous peoples are his offspring. On his travels, Makonaima passed a creek where a treasure was located. He decided to turn the treasure to stone. The village of Karasabai is located at the bay of that creek.

Overview

Karasabai has a school, and a health care clinic. The nearest big town is

Normandia ''Normandia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It was described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1872. The genus contains only one species, Normandia neocaledonica, which is endemic to New Caledonia. The genus is rel ...

in Brazil. The primary language of its inhabitants is

with

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as the secondary language. The major religion is

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. In December 2020, an

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

, which was customised for rough terrain, was delivered to the community. In March 2021, 112 tractors were delivered to Amerindian villages, Karasabai included to, 'to boost agriculture to ensure that food security across the hinterland is sustained and secured so our people will not go hungry in times of disaster, and that agriculture will be taken to a different level.' according to the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhi. As of 2019, the village is negotiating indigenous land rights with the government of Guyana. Karasabai is connected to Lethem by road. In 2016, a road was constructed to Monkey Mountain. The

Karasabai Airport Karasabai Airport is an airport serving the Macushi community of Karasabai in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana. See also * * * List of airports in Guyana * Transport in Guyana The transport sector comprises the physical infrast ...

is located near the village. There are no radio or television signals. Telephone services and internet access are very limited. The G$ 5M Karasabai’s Community Development Project was launched on 20 January 2018 as part of the Amerindian Development Fund in order to set up a tourism industry.

Economy

The economy of the village 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 ...

, and cattle rearing. Launched in January 2018, the Kezeé Eco Lodge is a tourist resort located in the village. Karasabai is one of the few places where the

sun parakeet The sun parakeet (''Aratinga solstitialis''), also known in aviculture as the sun conure, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with black beaks, pre ...

(''ratinga solstitialis'') can be observed in the wild.

References

{{Settlements in Guyana Populated places in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Indigenous villages in Guyana