Sainte-Rose-de-Lima is a village of

Lokono The Lokono or Arawak are an Arawak people native to northern coastal areas of South America. Today, approximately 10,000 Lokono live primarily along the coasts and rivers of Guyana, with smaller numbers in Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Trinida ...

Amerindians In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

in the commune of

Matoury Matoury (; ) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Matoury is a southern suburb of Cayenne, the '' préfecture'' and largest city of French Guiana. Cayenne – Félix Eboué Air ...

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. The village is located on the RN2 near

Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport Cayenne – Félix Éboué Airport (, ) is French Guiana's main international airport. It is located near the commune of Matoury, southwest of French Guiana's capital city of Cayenne. It is managed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Fr ...

. It is the largest settlement of Lokono in French Guiana.

History

In 1951, Lokono from

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

started to migrate to French Guiana mainly for economic reasons. The main villages of origin were Alfonsdorp near the

Maroni River The Maroni () or Marowijne (; ) is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist forests ecoregion. It originates in the Tumuk Humak Mountains and forms ...

, and Matta in the

Para District Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a population of 24,700 and an area of 5,393 km2. The district is the mining and forestry centre of Sur ...

. At first they settled in the existing Lokono village of

Balaté Balaté is a village of Lokono Amerindians in the commune of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni at the confluence of the Maroni River and the Balaté River in French Guiana. History Balaté was founded in 1946 near the town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. The v ...

near

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (, ; ) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is one of the three sub-prefectures of French Guiana and the seat of the Arrondissement ...

. Later, some migrated to

Iracoubo Iracoubo (; ) is a commune on the coast of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France, located in South America. Geography The settlement of Iracoubo, seat of the commune, is located between the settlement of Sinnamary and th ...

and

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Caye ...

often settling among the

Kalina people The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an Indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in villages on the rivers and coasts of Venezuela ...

. On 13 April 1969, a small plane carrying four people took off from

in bad weather. It struck the tree tops, and crashed in the rainforest. There were no survivors. In order to prevent future accidents, the rainforest in front of the runaway was cleared. In 1971, the Lokono created a settlement in the cleared area. Originally it was called "CD5" after the road running along the village. The Catholic Church built a mission in the village. In 1980, the priest of Matoury, suggested renaming the village "Sainte-Rose-de-Lima" after

Rose of Lima Rose of Lima, TOSD (born Isabel Flores de Oliva; 20 April 1586 24 August 1617) (, ), was a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, Spanish Empire, who became known for both her life of severe penance and her care of the pover ...

. Sainte-Rose-de-Lima has received access to drinking water and electricity. The land is legally owned by the tribe, and the tribal government is recognized by French Guiana. However, the commune of Matoury refuses building permits citing safety and noise concerns. Other

shanty town A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from cheap building materials such as corrugated iron s ...

s, mainly populated by Surinamese

Maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery, through flight or manumission, and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with Indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into ...

and Brazilians, have been constructed adjacent to Sainte-Rose-de-Lima. In 2020, INSEE counted five shanty towns in the commune. In 2008, the Federation of Lokono in French Guiana was established and is headquartered in Sainte-Rose-de-Lima. In 1993, the Lokono had been awarded four hectares of

communal land Communal land is a (mostly rural) territory in possession of a community, rather than an individual or company. This sort of arrangement existed in almost all Europe until the 18th century, by which the king or the church officially owned the la ...

(ZDUC). In 2017, the land was controversially sold to a mining company. In 2017, Sainte-Rose-de-Lima was host to the Grand Village, the meeting of all Amerindian tribal chiefs in French Guiana. In June 2020, the village self isolated during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

References

Bibliography

* {{authority control Indigenous villages in French Guiana Matoury Squatting in France Villages in French Guiana

History

See also

References

Bibliography