Karaudarnau
Lumid Pau | |
---|---|
Village | |
Coordinates: 2°24′24″N 59°27′32″W / 2.4068°N 59.4589°W | |
Country | Guyana |
Region | Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo |
Government | |
• Toshao | Arnold Stephens [1] |
Area | |
• Total | 453.32 km2 (175.03 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Total | 1,053 |
• Density | 2.3/km2 (6.0/sq mi) |
Karaudarnau (also Lumid Pau) is an indigenous village of Wapishana Amerindians in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana. It is located in the Rupununi savannah on the Rupununi River. [2]
The name Karaudarnau means "snake hill" in Wapishana and refers to a legend that a snake lives underneath the village. [3] A big black rock in the centre of the village is claimed to be the head of the snake. [2]
Karaudarnau has a school, a health post, a community centre, [1] and two churches. [2] As of 2017, education is bilingual in Wapishana and English. [4] The community has close links to the Brazilian Wapishana community [2] who live in the Jacamim Indigenous Territory. [5] The village has no access to the telephone network or internet, [6]
Karaudarnau has been awarded a territory of 453.32 square kilometres (175.03 sq mi). [1] There is a 2am curfew, and liquor has been banned in the community. [3] In 2018, the village was given access to clean drinking water by a joint exercise of the Brazilian Army and the Guyana Defence Force. [7] In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic the community blocked access to the gold mine. [8]
The nearest town is Lethem which is accessible by road. [1] Karaudarnau can also be reached from the Lumid Pau Airport. [9]
The economy of the village is based on livestock in particular cattle ranching and pig farming, agriculture, [2] and industrial-scale gold mining at the Marudi Mountain by Romanex Guyana Exploration. [10]