Tapanahony: The Plane Ride

First, there was the plane ride. The plane was the smallest plan I have ever been on! The plane technically had space for about 18 people.  However, since two entire rows were covered with boxes, there were only six seats available.

The view from the plane window was gorgeous.

I have been to Native American villages (like Pierre Kondre Kumbasi) but this is my first time staying in a maroon village. This is also my first time going this far south in the country. Pierre Kondre is a few hours south by bus. This section of the Tapanahony River is an hour south by plane. The environment here is completely different. Redi Doti (which is the Sranan word for red dirt) has lots of red sand. It is the savanna. The Tapanahony River has more mud and some white sand.

When I landed, Matt greeted me at the airstrip, which is not technically in his village. Matt’s village is an island surrounded on either side by the Tapanahony River. The strip is a field next to an elementary school on the mainland.  This photo was taken from the airstrip, looking across that river at Matt’s village.

Broko dei fu a Graanman Intro

I visited Matt, a Peace Corps volunteer in a village on the Tapanahony River (where the funeral is taking place), for a few days during the broko-dei for the graanman of the Njuka people. A broko-dei is a maroon funeral. The Njuka people are descendents of escaped slaves (maroons) who hid in the interior of Suriname. Funerals are typically weeklong celebrations of the life of the deceased. The word broko-dei literally means “break the day” because family members party in front of the casket until dawn. In the interior, the head political figure is called a graanman (like grand man). Since the graanman of the Njuka people was a public figure who was in power for over 40 years, his broko-dei has been a several month long event. He died in 2011, and the funeral is still going on in March of 2012.