Native Americans
At the heart of the Amerindian group are six different ethnic groups: the Wayampi, the Emerillon, the Wayana, the Galibi or Kali'na, the Arawak and the Palikour. In French Guiana, their current numbers are estimated at around 9,000, most of whom live apart from society, secluded in their respective villages in the forest or on the coast. The French authorities recently created a restricted zone stretching south from Maripasoula (on the Maroni) to Camopi (on the Oyapock), covering a good third of the territory. This initiative does not stem from the threat of the physical disappearance of these indigenous communities, but rather from a desire to ensure the continuity of their practices, which are threatened by the inevitable acculturation resulting from the settlement of Amerindians in large cities. Protecting the environment's flora and fauna is also essential to the food balance of these ethnic groups, which is constantly undermined by the danger posed by gold mining. For some years now, the Amerindians of French Guiana have been expressing the desire to see their children attend normal schooling, like other Guyanese children. Unfortunately, the distance separating certain villages from their schools often represents an obstacle to the successful pursuit of these studies, and the problem of finding accommodation close to the school tends to be a recurring one.
Despite this isolation, the inhabitants of the reserved areas and coastal regions play an active role in the life of the country, and meeting these Amerindian peoples is a highly recommended experience. What's more, their knowledge of the Amazon rainforest and their way of life, which is totally integrated into the environment, make them particularly remarkable guides: their experience and knowledge are extremely useful for trekking or even hunting expeditions in the forest!
The Wayana. Today, for example, you can visit Wayana villages, mainly on the Haut Maroni. Extremely susceptible to the most benign European diseases, such as the common cold, these people have been isolated to ensure their own protection. Although they have been influenced by Western life (French education system, dress, language), the Wayana identity and way of life have changed little. Although they no longer wear the kalimbé (a red-colored loincloth) every day, for festivities and other special occasions, they dress up in festive outfits (magnificent hand-sewn costumes and colorful feather crowns) and play their traditional musical instruments. The Wayana's daily life is divided between farming, hunting, fishing and gathering, all of which help meet the community's food requirements. Manioc, in the form of cassave (a kind of pancake) or couac (semolina), is the most commonly used ingredient in their cuisine.
The Galibi. Of all the Amerindian peoples in French Guiana, the Galibi are probably the most integrated into Guyanese social life, as, unlike other Amerindian communities, they live mainly on the coast, near Mana, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, Iracoubo, Kourou and Cayenne. The Galibi fight on the social and political fronts to defend their interests and traditions. For example, they have secured the creation of their own commune at the mouth of the Maroni, Awala-Yalimapo, which they manage themselves. They are a dynamic part of French Guiana's economy, active in tourism, agriculture and fishing. Organized into communities, the Galibi recognize the authority of a "captain" who generally acts as an interlocutor with institutions. Recently, these communities have begun to turn their attention to tourism, allowing visitors to share their daily lives for a day or a weekend.
The Palikour. Considered, like the Wayana, to be highly vulnerable to diseases imported from Europe, the Palikour live mainly in south-east French Guiana, between the village of Saint-Georges and the mouth of the Oyapock River, in protected areas created for them by prefectoral decree. Traditionally bartering, the Palikour have only recently begun to use coins. Although the majority of their children now attend school, they are still far removed from modern civilization, retaining very traditional customs and mores.
Black Maroons or Bushinengués
Black Maroons are so named for historical reasons: they are the descendants of African slaves who, in the 18th century, decided to "maroon", i.e. flee the plantations - mainly Dutch in Suriname, but also in French Guiana - where they worked in often intolerable conditions, in order to regain their status as free men. The other name for these men and their descendants is "Bushinengué", a term coined from the English "bush negroes", because it was by isolating themselves in the forest, a terrain they tamed perfectly, that they managed to avoid being caught by the oppressors and organize themselves into communities. Like the Amerindians, they are considered in French Guiana to be "men of the river"; their knowledge of the waterways and the ease with which they navigate them make them excellent piroguiers. Black Maroon communities are also renowned for their mastery of wood carving and painting, with Bushinengé craftsmanship drawing heavily on African roots.
There are three groups of Bushinengués in French Guiana: the Bonis or Akulu (around 5,000 people) live mainly on the right bank of the Maroni (Apatou, Papaïchton and Maripasoula), the Ndjukas (between 6,000 and 10,000 members) also reside along the Maroni as well as in Grand-Santi, Kourou and the suburbs of Cayenne, while the Saramacas (around 8,000 people) are spread across the four corners of the territory (Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, Kourou, on the banks of the Tampoc and Oyapock rivers). The common language used by the Black Maroons, independently of their own language, is Sranan Tongo, which originated in Suriname. However, inland populations use variants more closely linked to their own culture. The Saramaca, for example, use Sranan Tongo in their exchanges with other Bushinengés, but speak Samaca whenever they are among themselves.
As with all Amerindians, the traditional economy of the Black Maroons is based on forest agriculture, hunting, fishing and gathering. Men cut down and burn plots of forest land for slash-and-burn cultivation. Women mainly grow rice, manioc and a few tubers. Like the Amerindians, they import a number of manufactured goods from coastal towns (crockery, clothing, fabrics, etc.), making them relatively dependent on Western civilization. Since 1960, the black and brown poles have tended to break up. However, communications between the coastal towns of Suriname and Guyana have improved, facilitating the exchange of goods and tourism.
Creoles and Subways
Creoles make up the largest and most active community in French Guiana (around 40% of the population). Guyana's Creoles are the fruit of a vast intermingling of African ancestors and diverse groups such as Chinese, Europeans and even Indians (from India), more commonly known as "Coolies". Over the course of its history, French Guiana has also welcomed a large number of Creole immigrants from the French West Indies (Guadeloupe and Martinique, today numbering around 12,000) and the English West Indies (St. Lucia and Dominica). The Guyanese Creole language(kréyòl gwiyanè) and music embody the Creole identity, an exoticism that leaves no traveler indifferent. It's during Carnival that the Creole spirit is at its most vibrant. Under the impact of strong immigration, the proportion of Creoles is tending to decline. Generally settled on the coast (Cayenne, Kourou, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and Mana), Creoles nevertheless control most of the local political power, and only a minority of them live in the equatorial forest. Visitors may be struck by the antagonism between Guyanese and West Indians. For political and administrative reasons, French Guiana and the West Indies are grouped together in the same territorial entity, even though the problems encountered in each of these geographical areas have absolutely nothing in common. Guyanese often rightly consider their department to be the poor relation compared to those in the West Indies.
French nationals from mainland France, commonly known as "Métros", account for around 12% of the Guyanese population. Unlike the West Indies, French Guiana has no long-standing white community like the Békés of Martinique and Guadeloupe. The historical conditions under which whites arrived in French Guiana differ radically from those in the West Indies. In the islands, the white man was initially a landowner, a master running a plantation operated by Creoles who were often enslaved. In French Guiana, whites were initially associated with the convicts who populated the territory from the mid-19th century onwards. The Métros community is mainly employed in the administration, the army and the space industry. It is essentially a temporary population that is regularly renewed. As a result, this population rarely gets involved in local social life and seeks, at best, to integrate into the Creole community. Some, however, have succumbed to French Guiana's charm during a short stay and have settled here permanently.
Other Communities
Guiana's geopolitical environment is conducive to population movements. The department is a veritable island of economic wealth in this part of the world, so much so that over the last ten years or so, its population has been growing almost uncontrollably: French Guiana is often seen as an El Dorado, particularly by the Brazilian and Surinamese populations. In fact, illegal immigration is one of the authorities' main concerns, even though the presence of these populations has many economic and cultural advantages. Every year, the Guyanese authorities expel around 15,000 illegal immigrants.
Among Guyana's major foreign communities, the most dynamic are the Asians, who are driving forces in trade and agriculture. Chinese from the Canton region were brought to French Guiana in the 19th century to make up for the shortage of labor following the abolition of slavery. Their situation has evolved over the years, and today they specialize mainly in petty trade and organize their own immigration channels with Hong Kong. The Hmongs of French Guiana were settled in 1977 by the French government, following proposals from refugee aid associations and missionaries who had evangelized this population in Indochina. Originally from Laos, which they had fled in 1975 to camps in Thailand after the Communists came to power, they were the subject of various resettlement projects in Western countries. This is how the first Hmong families arrived in French Guiana, in the village of Cacao, where they grew rice. Today, most of them have become market gardeners, and play a decisive role in supplying fruit and vegetables to the urban markets of Guyana's large and medium-sized towns. A second village, Javouhey, 250 km from Cacao, was created in 1979, and a third, Rococoua, in 1988. The Asian community in French Guiana also includes the Javanese, in fact Indonesians who emigrated to Suriname (at the time Dutch Guiana) and settled in the Sinnamary region of French Guiana around 1955-1960, after completing their contract with the Dutch government. After a few attempts at farming, most of them turned their backs on agriculture to work on the major construction sites of the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG).
Lebanese immigrants have been living in French Guiana for a very long time, and are fully integrated into the country. Their main activity is the textile trade. But French Guiana is also a land of asylum in this troubled part of the world. In the not-too-distant past, Haitians fleeing the totalitarian Duvalier regime, then the misery of their country, found French-speaking Guiana a welcoming land. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, many students were invited to continue their studies in French Guiana while their country was being rebuilt. Generally speaking, Haitians earn their living by doing odd jobs in the garden or maintaining their homes, as administrative or financial difficulties often force them to live in very modest homes, often in communities. Other refugees include those from the civil war in neighboring Suriname. This conflict led to a massive arrival of Surinamese, notably in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in 1986. At the time, camps had been set up in the region to accommodate them and manage what was then considered a temporary situation. But the conflict lasted seven years, and when calm returned in 1993, few of them returned home. Work on the gold-panning sites, meanwhile, has mainly attracted Brazilians, whose families are integrated into Guyanese life and whose children generally attend school. Finally, several thousand nationals from Saint Lucia, the Dominican Republic, Guyana and Indonesia complete this formidable patchwork of populations.
