Santa Rosa First Peoples celebrate Heritage Week with river ritual

Black Immigrant Daily News

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Tobacco leaves were smoked as part of the ritual during the First Peoples river ritual on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

“Spirituality is a way of life.”

So said Santa Rosa First Peoples chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez as he described the river ritual that was held by the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community at the Arima river, Blanchisseuse Road on Tuesday morning.

The river ritual is among the activities carded for Heritage Week, a week of festivities from October 10 – 15 to commemorate the first peoples annual day of recognition on October 14. This year’s theme is Acknowledging the Resilience and Creativity of Our First Peoples.

“We have been lobbying for quite a while for a day of recognition as the first people’s of Trinidad and Tobago. We had to choose a day of significance, so we chose the 14th of October.”

Bharath Hernandez said on October 14, 1637, Chieftain Hyarima of the Nepuyo people did his “most daring act” when he fought against Spanish oppression of his people by attacking the town of St Joseph – burning it to the ground.

“It is a day of resistance against the oppressors.”

Bharath Hernandez said his people revere water and as such pay homage at the river to honour its deep-rooted significance to their culture.

“Everything we do everyday is based on some aspect of our spirituality. The first peoples would have made their villages at the banks of rivers or near a watercourse because of the importance of water for life generally.”

“Water is sustaining, it is healing, it is cleansing, you cannot live without water and we respect the water. We sing praises to the water, we do offerings in the water with some of the traditional foods like the cassava bread and so on. And, through the flowers that we carry we make personal offerings.”

Bharath Hernandez said indigenous people contigents from Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Belize, St Vincent and Dominica travelled to TT to take part in Heritage Week festivities.

This year’s Heritage Week programme will include:

October 10: Conference on Reparations, UWI St Augustine campus (10am – 12 noon)

October 11: River Ritual, Arima river (6.30am)

October 12: Remembering the Ancestors ritual, Red House (10am)

October 13: Youth Forum, University of Trinidad and Tobago, Point Lisas campus (9am – 11.30am)

October 14: Day of Recognition, gathering at Hyarima monument (6.30am)

October 15: Church service and procession to Santa Rosa First Peoples head quarters (6pm)

Parang festival (8pm)

Newsday’s chief photographer Jeff K Mayers captured these images from the Santa Rosa First Peoples river ritual.

The First People paid homage to water during the river ritual at the Arima river on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Drummer Sergio Bergmans of Suriname says a personal prayer while blowing smoke from the tobacco leaves at the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Suriname Shaman Anesta Jagendorst adds the final cleansing by blowing smoke from tobacco leaves onto the special medicinal herb water at the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Suriname Shaman Anesta Jagendorst blows the smoke from the tobacco leaves on Santa Rosa First Peoples Chief Ricardo Barath Hernandez which is a symbolic cleansing from bad energy at the First Peoples River Ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Suriname Shaman Anesta Jagendorst smoking tobacco leaves at the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Suriname drummer Sergio Bergmans cleanses himself before the start of the festival while paying respect to the water at the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Suriname Shaman Anesta Jagendorst, Santa Rosa First Peoples Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez and Queen Nona Lopez Calderon Galera Moreno Aquan make offerings after paying respects and saying a personal prayer during the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Queen Nona Lopez Calderon Galera Moreno Aquan during the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Suriname drummer Sergio Bergmans from the Waiono Arowakaan group makes an offering after paying respects and saying a personal prayer during the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Suriname drummer Sergio Bergmans from the Waiono Arowakaan group, makes an offering after paying respects and saying a personal prayer during the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez and his granddaughter 6-year-old Amaya Bharath Hernandez during the First Peoples river ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Santa Rosa First Peoples chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez performs a ritual during the First Peoples water ceremony at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road, Arima on October 11. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Santa Rosa First Peoples performed their river ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road on October 1. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

Santa Rosa First Peoples performed their river ritual at the Arima River, Blanchisseuse Road on October 1. The ritual was a part of Heritage Week festivities. – Photo by Jeff K Mayers

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