Kwamalasamutu

Kwamalasamutu Kwamalasamoetoe
Village
Kwamalasamutu Location in Suriname
Coordinates: 2°20′N 56°47′W / 2.333°N 56.783°W / 2.333; -56.783
Country	Suriname
District	Sipaliwini District
Resort (municipality)	Coeroeni

Kwamalasamutu, also Kwamalasamoetoe, is a Tiriyó Indian village in southern Suriname (Sipaliwini district), and home to the Paramount Chief of the northern Trios. It also serves as field Headquarters for the Amazon Conservation Team's northeast Amazon projects. Noted ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin has been working here since 1982.

Tourism

The Werehpai archaeological site, which consists of caves containing petroglyphs of pre-Columbian origin, is located about 10 kilometres from Kwamalasamutu.

Healthcare

Kwamalasamutu is home to a Medische Zending healthcare centre.

Energy

Like most villages in the Surinamese interior, Kwamalasamutu relies on diesel generators for electricity. The government provides diesel oil for free to produce electricity for about 5-6 hours per day. In 1994 solar panels were installed with the intention to provide electricity for the entire day, but an evaluation study conducted in 2013 showed that lack of maintenance has meant that none of the systems installed in 1994 still worked in 2013. Instead people have used the panels from 1994 that still worked for their own systems, with some having invested in additional panels themselves. New projects are underway to provide electricity in the interior in a hybrid way, with diesel generators taking over production during night.^[1]

References

Coordinates: 2°20′N 56°47′W / 2.333°N 56.783°W / 2.333; -56.783