Bigiston, also Bigi Ston, is a group of settlements of Ndyuka Maroons and indigenous Kalina[2] in the Albina resort of the Marowijne District of Suriname. The villages lie on Marowijne River across from Saint-Jean-du-Maroni in French Guiana.[3]
Bigiston | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 School in Bigiston (1964) | |
  Bigiston Location in Suriname | |
| Coordinates: 5°24′54″N 54°07′35″W / 5.415°N 54.126389°W | |
| Country |  Suriname |
| District | Marowijne District |
| Resort | Albina |
| Government | |
| • Captain | Sylvester Awatjale[1] |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 361 |
Bigiston is the name of the most northern of six small settlements. The name means big stone after a nearby rock with petroglyphs.[4] The village is a minor tourist attraction, and promoted for ecotourism.[5][6] The village has a school,[7] and a clinic operated by the Regional Health Service (RGD).[7]
The village chief as of 2017[8] is Sylvester Awatjale,[1] who lives in the southern Amerindian settlement. The Ndyuka and Kalina people peacefully coexist, but do not intermingle or intermarriage.[5] Electricity is being provided by Diesel generators operating about six hours a day.[9] The most southern settlement Gronkiki contains a Winti clinic offering traditional health care.[5]
On 5 October 1986, during the Surinamese Interior War, the village was attacked by the Jungle Commando[10] and most of the villagers fled to French Guiana, however the village has been rebuilt and resettled after the war.[11][5]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Dorpen en Dorpsbesturen". Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Groenedijk 2006, p. 15.
- ^ "Bigiston". Raoul Kieffer (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Hering, Christiaan Johan". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d Groenedijk 2006, p. 21.
- ^ Plan Bureau 2014, p. 127.
- ^ a b Plan Bureau 2014, p. 112.
- ^ "Sylvester Awaitjale nieuw dorpshoofd Bigiston". Dagblad Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Op weg naar 1×24 uur stroom voor dorpsgemeenschappen". United News.sr (in Dutch). 19 February 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Surinaamse machtsstrijd maakt Indianen weerioos". Reformatorisch Dagblad via Digibron (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Gemeente Bigiston". Barend en Dinie (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 May 2020.
Bibliography
edit- Groenedijk, Sarah (2006). Winti Practives in Bigiston (Thesis). Utrecht: University of Utrecht.
- Plan Bureau (2014). "Planning Office Suriname - Districts 2009-2013" (PDF). Planning Office Suriname (in Dutch).
External links
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