The Invaluable Role of Libraries in Indigenous Communities

Oct 15, 2023 Features / Columnists, News, Waterfalls Magazine

Waterfalls Magazine – At the Bellarmine library in the village of Aishalton in the Deep South Rupununi, Friday afternoons are given over to coloring and drawing, which are great activities for encouraging creativity and self-expression. When parents are too busy or unfamiliar with a topic to help with homework or reading, the library and librarians are there to point students in the right direction.

Libraries are the heart of a community since they serve as hubs for interaction, education, and cultural preservation. This is according to Roman Catholic priest, Joel Thompson, SJ and Medino Abraham who are based at Aishalton.

Father Joel serves as the Assistant Parish Priest of 14 communities in the South Rupununi and as the team leader of the Intercultural Bilingual Education Organization.

Children reading books at the Bellarmine Library at Aishalton, Deep South Rupununi.

This significance holds across all communities but is especially pronounced in indigenous communities globally, the church leaders said. They noted that libraries in indigenous communities are invaluable in preserving languages, stories, legends, traditions, and histories while providing access to resources that broaden minds and empower people. Any indigenous community serious about social and environmental well-being should have a library, they added.

Preserving Indigenous Languages and Cultures

One of the most important roles of a library in an indigenous community is the preservation of languages and cultural traditions. In addition to books, libraries can also store audio-visual material on craft (such as benab construction), songs, dances, poetry, interviews, events, and conversations.

As older generations pass on, having recordings of them using and speaking their language and practicing their culture is invaluable for ensuring that linguistic and other features are authentic.

Elders in the South Rupununi are currently being interviews with the aim of documenting their knowledge concerning villages’ founding, names’ origins, and their countless life stories. The project is being undertaken by Thompson and Abraham.

The Bellarmine library currently has materials in Wapichan and Macushi. Much of the Wapichan material was produced by the Wapichan Wadauniinao Ati’o (WWA) and the Intercultural Bilingual Education Organization.

A Wapichan literacy class began last month and plans are underway to offer language programs, storytelling sessions, and cultural workshops aimed at handing on traditions from one generation to the next. In this way, a library is a vital space for children and adults to learn more about their cultural heritage and other cultures in the country and world.

Promoting Literacy and Education

They are treasure troves of education where people of all ages can access books and digital resources and have their questions answered, the two church leaders said. In indigenous communities where access to quality education can be limited, libraries facilitate learning by providing books and resources tailored to the community’s cultural needs. Libraries sometimes offer homework assistance, and literacy programs to help children and adults develop the necessary skills for academic and personal development.

The two parish leaders said that in Aishalton, it is a joy to see around 30 children borrowing books and doing research and homework after school daily. “Education does not only occur in schools but in other environments, and a library can be an ideal place for reading in silence away from the noisy classroom setting,” they noted.

“It is also a space where parents can take their children to read for them to improve their literacy and where librarians can talk to parents about early childhood developments, and other roles parents can do to nurture their children’s love for reading,” they added.

Supporting Community Development

Any community serious about its members’ social and environmental well-being should invest in a library, Father Joel and Abraham said. They noted that libraries are vehicles for community development. Community dreams and solutions to problems are incubated within libraries, they said.

In indigenous communities, libraries can serve as spaces where community members can meet to discuss ideas, and access health, employment, and legal resources, they noted.

“We have ensured that the libraries we work with have essential national documents like the Constitution of Guyana and the Amerindian Act,” the priests said. They said the documents are available both digitally and in hard copy. Every year, an enormous amount of research is done within indigenous communities in Guyana. However, these studies are only sometimes readily available to community members or other researchers.

They noted that every researcher who enters an indigenous community should be required to file a copy of their research and a plain English version with the village library. Indigenous and other researchers will then be able to build on the work done and further the academic conversation, they added. It was noted that several young people within communities frequently approach they for help writing job applications and curriculum vitae, and as such books and templates are readily available in libraries.

A Worthwhile Initiative

Libraries in hinterland areas play an invaluable role in preserving Indigenous languages and traditions, promoting literacy and education, and supporting community development, the two church leaders said. In a rapidly changing world, libraries will be guardians of Indigenous heritage, ensuring that it continues to thrive, they added.

The community libraries can eventually develop partnerships with various sectors and institutions like the University of Guyana, the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Library, to promote literacy and other technical and scientific services in interior communities, Thompson and Abraham said. They pointed out that having up to date information on farming practices that increase productivity and on climate smart techniques will be helpful to farmers.

A library serving as a Research Centre would also serve as a place for producing reflective and critical writing as a basis for wisdom in decision-making relating to Indigenous people and their welfare, which can guide material, cultural and intellectual development for Indigenous people as they contribute in a noble way to the upward mobility of themselves and our beautiful country.

Recognizing and supporting community libraries, especially in rural areas, will transform Guyana, the priests said.

Those interested in supporting the work of procuring books and training librarians in the Rupununi can make contact with Abraham at [email protected].