SITUATION ANALYSIS OF THE SMALL-SCALE GOLD ... - WWF

3.2 The second gold rush
Until the 1980s, few people other than the above mentioned forest peoples lived and
worked in the interior. In Chapter 1 we also noted the absence of the government from
this area. This pattern started to change with the onset of the 20 th century gold rush, in the
late 1980s (see Chapter II). While the government remained physically and politically
removed from the forest, foreign and a lesser extend- coastal small-scale gold miners and
service providers began to flock to the mining zones of the interior.
Most of these gold miners are Brazilian garimpeiros, who make up more than three
quarters of the Suriname mining population (Table 3.1). They usually originate from
Brazil‟s poor North-East and Amazonian states; enter Suriname without the required
visa; and work clandestinely. The largest share consists of professional garimpeiros who
have been mining for years and even decades. Starting their mining careers in Brazilian
garimpos, they have worked in a variety of countries including Guyana, French Guiana,
and Venezuela. In addition, a smaller number of Brazilian small-farmers work
temporarily in the mines. Mining allows them to save money for a larger investment and
pay outstanding debts. Migrant miners from Guyana, other Latin American countries, and
Europe probably represent no more than 1% of the mining population.
Table 2. Socio-cultural characterization of the mining economy
Main group Sub group Main functions
(in order of frequency)
Est. % 1
Surinamers Interior Maroons Pit work
Service provider
Unit owner
Concession holder
17
Coastal Maroons Pit work
Service provider
Unit owner
Concession holder
5
Urban residents from other ethnic Service provider
groups
Concession holder 2
Brazilians Professional garimpeiros Pit work
Service provider
Unit owner
65
Small farmers Pit work
Service provider
Unit owner
10
Other foreigners Guyanese, Columbian, peruian Pit work
Service provider
1
Total 100
1
The listed percentages are rough approximations. In-depth survey work is needed to find out how realistic
these figures are.
Local Suriname miners are for 90-95% of Maroon ethnic origin. A significant share of
them originates from the city. Few of these urban Maroons ever worked or lived in the
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