Ethnoecology, Resource Use, Conservation And Development In A ...

Brethren faith, and has constructed a separate church in the south of the village. A
windmill-powered water system in the compound formerly supplied water to both
schools and to the health centre, as well as a hand pump for general use but is
nowadays broken down, only the well remains functional. A new well was being dug at
the time of my departure from the village.
Four villagers nowadays run shops, two of which opened during the course of the
research. These supply a variety of basic essentials: mostly foods such as salt, rice,
sugar, flour, cooking oil, matches, soap, pens, notebooks, and in one case clothes.
Other goods such as sweets and both sweet and alcoholic drinks are also often
available. Supply can be sporadic due to the difficulty of transport from Lethem:
especially during the rainy season, even basic goods can be in short supply. The
supply of commercial goods is periodically augmented by the visits of traders from
Awarewaunau and Aishalton, and more rarely Lethem, who may come weekly during
the dry season, but far less frequently when the weather is poor. Village markets, in
which a variety of local and manufactured goods are sold, are held on an irregular
basis. These are often organised for the purpose of raising funds for the council,
school, or health centre.
Economic opportunities are very scarce in the village. Apart from the handful of
government employees — the teachers and community health worker — nobody
holds a regular salaried position. The most reliable source of income is the sale of
peanuts. Peanut farming was introduced under the encouragement of an agricultural
extension worker in the late 1960's, and many families supplement their subsistence
agricultural activities with the cultivation of a field of peanuts. For a market outlet
they are dependent on a small number of traders who bring vehicles to the villages
either to buy peanuts or to exchange them for commercial goods.
The sale of livestock is another important source of money for some people.
Individual buyers will occasionally travel in vehicles from Brazil to take advantage of
the relatively cheap prices of meat in the Rupununi, but their visits are inevitably
restricted to the less remote villages. Those in Maruranau and other outlying areas
must take their livestock to the market, which involves a walk of several days to
Lethem. Aside from the arduous and time-consuming nature of the drive itself, these
people are at a severe disadvantage to livestock producers living closer to Lethem.
Animals suffer loss of weight and are occasionally lost or die en route. The traders
themselves are out of touch with current market information and vulnerable to
exploitation by buyers because of their need to make a quick sale or face the cost
and inconvenience of an extended stay away from home. The growing involvement of