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21st April, 2004 // Suriname
Saramaka Territory

The following is an account written by Wanhati (one heart), an organization of Saramakans dedicated to educating their people about the threats posed to their lands by logging and mining interests. It was printed on a map showing the territory, the resources, and the Saramakan uses of their land.

"Lo" (pronounced "law") is the Saramakan word meaning tribe, or extended family.

The Territory of the Twelve Saramaka Lo South of the Van Blommenstein Reservoir.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, our anscestors chose freedom in the forests of the interior of Suriname over cruel slavery and bondage. Especially after they concluded a peace treaty on equal footing with the colonial government in 1762, they have regarded the area south of Gadjawaka, later Posusula, on either side of the Suriname River as their territory, where they could live according to their own traditions.

Based on internal agreements among the twelve lo about the use of the area, our anscestors have lived their lives relatively undisturbed. They could scarcely guess that we, their offspring, even before the so called independance in 1975, would be confronted with continuous breaches of the Peace Treaty, such as the construction of a hydroelectric dam/reservoir and the handout of concessions in our area. We believe the Treaty is still in force, since there have never been any discussions with us about changes or annulment. The Treaty is sacred, our anscestors have signed it with their own blood. It was agreed upon for an indefinite period and there have not been any new treaties in its place. For us, the breaches constitute violations of our rights.

This map was made by the Association of Saramaka Authorities (ASA) "Wanhati", which has promoted and defended the rights of the Saramaka people since 1998. We want this map to show the Surinamese and international communities which is our territory, a territory that we have occupied and sustainably managed and used for centuries, where our culture lives and breathes and where we call home.