Dear Honourable Minister,

We, the Indigenous Peoples of Guyana congratulate you on your appointment as the Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs.  We admonish you to execute this duty with the highest regard for the interests and aspirations of our peoples in all matters which may affect us.

On this note, we make our first appeal to you with respect to the following:

·         To refrain from, and advice against renaming the Ministry as “Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.”

·         To address us as Indigenous Peoples, and not as Amerindians in executing all duties in your capacity as our Minister.

·         To ensure the incumbent government honours this appeal in all references pertaining to Guyanese Indigenous Peoples, especially within the media.

The generalized ethnic label “Amerindian” or “American Indian” is now an acknowledged misnomer resulting from the erroneous geography of Christopher Columbus, a label which has been perpetuated without the consent of Indigenous Peoples; a label which will continue to distort our histories and search for our lost and hidden indigenous identities. This historical blunder must end with us.

Until we derive a label authentically indigenous and empowering to our peoples collectively, we choose to identify as Indigenous Peoples of this beloved country as enshrined within the Preamble of our Constitution. It promotes solidarity with our brothers and sisters of other nations and also fulfills the spirit of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and similar declarations and conventions.  

This is our simple request and we hope it is respectfully observed.

Tenki! Thank You!