Werehpai is an
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...
in
Suriname consisting of several caves containing
petroglyphs
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 ...
of
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...
origin. The site is located about from the village of
Kwamalasamutu
Kwamalasamutu, also Kwamalasamoetoe, is a Tiriyó Amerindian village in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname, and home to the granman (paramount chief) of the northern Trios. Kwamalasamutu is the biggest village of the Tiriyó tribe.
History
The ...
.
With 313 identified
petroglyphs, Werehpai is by far the largest pre-Columbian petroglyph site known in Suriname, and perhaps the largest in all of the
Guianas.
Name
The site was named by the local
Tiriyó after an ancestral female hero.
The archaeologists who researched the site in 2007 decided to keep the name.
Discovery and preliminary research
It is disputed who actually discovered the site. Initially, most media reported that the site was discovered in 1998 by a
Tiriyó man named Kamainja, who had lost his dog somewhere in the area. As the story goes, Kamainja then reported the discovery to the chief at Kwamalasamutu,
Asongo Alalaparu, who spread news of the discovery further. In 2011, however, Surinamese newspaper ''
de Ware Tijd
''De Ware Tijd'' (English: The True Time) is one of four daily newspapers in Paramaribo, Suriname. , it was the largest-circulation paper in the country, ahead of its rival, ''De West'', and was described as taking a "staunchly independent stance" ...
'' reported that a Tiriyó man by the name of Mennio Moeshè had already discovered the site around 1990, when he was 27 years old. When Kamainja lost his dog, Mennio Moeshè told him about the existence of the caves with petroglyphs, and that he believed that the caves were inhabited by tigers, who could have eaten Kamainja's dog. Kamainja then convinced Mennio Moeshè to show him the location.
What is certain is that chief Asongo in 2000 mentioned the existence of the site to representatives of
Conservation International Suriname. With the assistance of Stichting
Surinaams Museum
The Surinaams Museum is a museum located at Abraham Crijnssenweg 1 in Fort Zeelandia, Paramaribo, Suriname.
Description
The Surinaams Museum is located inside Fort Zeelandia, the site where British and Dutch colonists first arrived in Suriname. ...
, Conservation International subsequently set up a research project to investigate the site. Archaeologists Aad Versteeg of the Stichting Surinaams Museum and Abelardo Sandoval of the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
conducted field research at Werehpai in 2007, together with soil specialist Dirk Noordam.
In tests pits that were dug, pottery and charcoal fragments were found.
Radiocarbon dating on three charcoal fragments resulted in datings between 5,000 and 4,200 years
BP.
Tourism / Iwana Samu
Even though the site was discovered only relatively recently, tour operators in Suriname have already begun offering tours to the caves.
The
Inter-American Development Bank funded a tourism lodge at Iwana Samu. The Iwana Samu lodge was created to generate funds for effective management of the Werehpai protected area.
The caves are 45 minute boat journey from the lodge.
See also
*
Corantijn Basin
The Wonotobo Falls (Dutch: ''Wonotobovallen'') are a series of waterfalls in the Courantyne River in Sipaliwini District, Suriname near the border with Guyana. The waterfalls are not navigable. A pre-Columbian petroglyph site is located near the ...
References
{{Navbox prehistoric caves
Archaeological sites in Suriname
Sipaliwini District
Pre-Columbian archaeological sites
Petroglyphs in South America