Bigiston | |
---|---|
Village | |
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, 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 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]
Bigiston | |
---|---|
Village | |
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, 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 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]