Rewa is an Amerindian village 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 ...

Overview

Rewa is a satellite village to Massara and received its land title in 2008. It is situated on the left bank of the

Rupununi The Rupununi is a region in the south-west of Guyana, bordering the Brazilian Amazon. The Rupununi river, also known by the local indigenous peoples as ''Raponani'', flows through the Rupununi region. The name Rupununi originates from the word '' ...

River at the confluence of the

Rewa River The Rewa River is the longest and widest river in Fiji. Located on the island of Viti Levu, the Rewa originates in Tomanivi, the highest peak in Fiji, and flows southeast for 145 km to Laucala Bay, near Suva. The Rewa River drains approx ...

. It is also in proximity to Awarmie Mountain and near the western border of Brazil. Languages spoken in the village include

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, Ma ...

and

Wapishana The Wapishana or Wapichan (or Wapisiana, Wapitxana, Vapidiana, Wapixana) are an indigenous group found in the Roraima area of northern Brazil and southern Guyana. Location Currently the Wapishana are located in the State of Roraima, Brazil, nort ...

. Economic activities of the village include subsistence farming, fishing, small grocery shops, and an eco lodge which opened in 2005. Public services include a primary school and health post. In 2014, Rewa applied for an extension to their land grant to prevent damage to the surrounding environment due to commercial logging. Annai Village is the next closest town and the regional center.

History

The name “Rewa” comes from the Wapichan word for a tree called the iliwa tree. Between the 1940s and 50s, the Booker brothers, McConnell and company came to the area and introduced bleeding batata from the bullet wood tree, attracting people to work in the area through the 1970s until the industry dried up. Two men were involved in this operation George William and Nicolas Edwards. Edwards and his family moved to the area in 1975, becoming the first family of the village. As the main village of Massara expanded, many residents moved to Rewa. In the dry season of 2015, assisted efforts of the

Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development The Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development is an autonomous non-profit institution established by Guyana and the Commonwealth. It "exists to promote the conservation and the sustainable and equitable use of tropi ...

to rescue and relocate 27

arapaima The arapaima, pirarucu, or paiche is any large species of bonytongue in the genus ''Arapaima'' native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins of South America. ''Arapaima'' is the type genus of the subfamily Arapaiminae within the family Osteoglossi ...

, a highly endangered species that has been subject to extreme overfishing. Stephanu Honorio from the Rewa Village Council, is a trained specialist in arapaima relocation. Rewa Eco-Lodge was awarded Most Outstanding Community-led and Owned Tourism Enterprise by the Guyana Tourism Authority in 2018. In 2020, Rovin Alvin, a Rewa native, was a guide for

Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a tot ...

in an episode of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, which features cuisines of remote and indigenous communities around the world. The episode featured traditional Amerindian foods made with

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...

, Spectacled caiman, black

piranha A piranha or piraña (, , or ; or , ) is one of a number of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, ...

arowana Arowanas are freshwater bony fish of the subfamily Osteoglossinae, also known as bony tongues (the latter name is now often reserved for Arapaiminae). In this family of fish, the head is bony and the elongated body is covered by large, heavy s ...

, and

goliath birdeater The Goliath birdeater (''Theraphosa blondi'') belongs to the tarantula family Theraphosidae. Found in northern South America, it is the largest spider in the world by mass () and body length (up to ), and second to the giant huntsman spider by l ...

as well as Ramsey recreating

Guyanese pepperpot Pepperpot is an Amerindian-derived dish popular in Guyana. It is traditionally served at Christmas and other special events. Along with chicken curry, and cook-up rice, pepperpot is one of Guyana's national dishes. Pepperpot is a stewed meat dish, ...

References

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