Indigenous People Impacted by Gold Mining and Land Privatization

Five Amerindian groups (Wayana, Carib, Arowaks,Trio, and Akurio) and five culturally distinct groups of Maroons (Ndyuka or Aukaner, Saramaka, Paramaka, Aluku or Boni, and Matawai) live along the main rivers in Suriname’s Greenstone Belt region. Mercury and Cyanide pollution generated by mining contaminate all available food and water. Deforestation, caused by mining and logging destroy traditional medicines, hunting grounds, and the materials used to construct homes. International fiscal policies that favor land privatization provide multi-national corporations direct access to “raw materials” on indigenous peoples’ traditional lands. Unprotected by environmental laws, land rights, or legal recognition, Indigenous Peoples face extinction.   
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