Monkey Mountain (also Wandike) is an indigenous village in the

Potaro-Siparuni Potaro-Siparuni (Region 8) is a region of Guyana. Venezuela claims the majority of the Region located west of the Essequibo River as part of Guayana Esequiba. It borders the region of Cuyuni-Mazaruni to the north, the regions of Upper Demerara-B ...

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 ...

. The village is inhabited by the

Patamona The Patamona are an Amerindian people native to the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana and northern Brazil.Patamon ...

and

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, ...

tribes. Monkey Mountain is located near the Brazilian border. The village shares its name with the nearby mountain with a height of . The name is derived from the seasonal migration of monkeys.

Overview

Monkey Mountain is located in the North

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 lies at an altitude of . The village has a school, a health centre, and a police station. The people in Monkey Mountain are multilingual, speaking

Patamona The Patamona are an Amerindian people native to the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana and northern Brazil.Patamon ...

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and

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 ...

. The village received internet connection in 2019. The toshao (village chief) as of 2019 is Lincoln Singh. A major attraction is the North Pakaraima Exposition, a two day event with exhibits and sport competitions for the indigenous communities.

Economy

The economy used to be 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 gathering. An important economic activity for the village is quarrying precious stones like crystals,

amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that t ...

jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

and

agate Agate () is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, with a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of agate was common in Ancie ...

. In 2018, a

lapidary Lapidary (from the Latin ) is the practice of shaping stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (including cameos), and faceted designs. A person who practices lapidary is known as a lapidarist. A la ...

was built with government assistance and in cooperation with the villages of Kato, Kurukabaru, Maikwak, and Tuseneng. The lapidary will allow the villagers to process the stones themselves, and export jewellery.

Transport

There is an unpaved road connection between

Karasabai Karasabai is an indigenous village of Macushi Amerindians in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana. It is located in the South Pakaraima Mountains, and near the Ireng River which flows south to the Amazon River. Legend According ...

and Monkey Mountain. The main access is by air via the

Monkey Mountain Airport Monkey Mountain Airport is an airport serving the village of Monkey Mountain, in the Potaro-Siparuni Region of Guyana. See also * * * List of airports in Guyana * Transport in Guyana The transport sector comprises the physical infrastructure, d ...

located near the village.

References

{{Settlements in Guyana, state=expanded Indigenous villages in Guyana Mines in Guyana Populated places in Potaro-Siparuni