Today August 9th is celebrated as the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES. This day was so declared by the UN General assembly on December 23, 1994. The objective is to raise or bring awareness to the contributions and achievements as well as issues affecting Indigenous Peoples. In Belize there are 2 groups of Indigenous Peoples, the Garifuna and Maya.
The theme for 2022 is ‘THE ROLE OF INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN THE PRESERVATION AND TRANSMISSION OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE.’ It is well documented that Indigenous women are the backbone of our communities and play a crucial role in the preserving and sharing traditional knowledge. In Belize, we remain as the cornerstone, buttress in promoting and preserving our traditional knowledge.
I offer and highlight today two such women, one from our past and one from present day. they are Ebu Sarah Mariano Gonguez and Oufuri Naiomi Norahles. The late Ebu Sarah as a Buyei of nearly three decades offered healing through the Dabuyaba not only to Garifuna peoples, but hundreds of others from every corner of this country. She was an amazing teacher of traditional knowledge of healing, food preparation, songs of the Dabuyaba, not in the formal sense but by hands on. Oufuri Naiomi is presently in the business of making ereba (cassava bread) for a living. While her task in the process is made easier by some mechanization, it is still an arduous task. She continues to engage the youth in hands–on training in Dangriga.
