The Siparuni River is a river in the
Potaro-Siparuni 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 a tributary of the
Essequibo River. Tributaries of the Siparuni River include the
Takutu River
The Takutu River (Takatu River, Tacutu River) is a river in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana and Roraima in Brazil. It forms part of the boundary between the two countries. The confluence of the Takutu and Uraricoera Rivers form ...
,
Burro-Burro River,
Tipuru River and
Levai Creek.
Archaic
Archaic is a period of time preceding a designated classical period, or something from an older period of time that is also not found or used currently:
*List of archaeological periods
**Archaic Sumerian language, spoken between 31st - 26th cent ...
petroglyph
A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
s have been recorded in a number of locations on the Siparuni River, including Big "S" Falls, as well as artificial stone depressions and sharpening grooves are located at Electric Eel Rock, and Tapir Rock. These sites are between 3,500 and 7,000 years old, also known as the Archaic Period.
Like many of Guyana's waterways, the Siparuni is used for gold mining, and illegal dredging operations are a problem in the protected areas. It is the northern border of the protected Iwokrama forest.
It is an important water source for
Macushi people of the
Surama village, who undertake periodic, extended fishing trips at the river. Fish are then smoked or salted for short-term preservation. Mining has been viewed as having a negative impact on this practice, by decreasing the abundance of fish and threatening this food source.
References
{{Guyana-river-stub