Guyana 1990

At the bend in the river

(Contact with the Wai-Wai Indians in Guyana)

The tapirs shoot through the dense undergrowth like arrows in a panic, and before I know it, the Wai-Wai Indians are racing after them at breakneck speed. With great effort, I pursue the hunters, who rush through the dark green jungle in a skillful zigzag run. The branches whip around my ears and I can feel the stinging pain as spikes dig into my arms. My cameras are getting in my way, dangling wildly back and forth. Just keep at it, I think to myself, I mustn’t lose sight of them under any circumstances. Despite being in good physical condition, I get fitness problems. Breathing is difficult. Then it happens, a huge blow, a sharp pain in my shin, and I fall to the muddy jungle floor without being able to support myself. I lie there for a moment, stunned, looking at my cameras covered in viscous dirt. I immediately jump back to my feet, but it’s too late, the Indians are swallowed up by the forest …

I fondly remember the hunting trip with the Wai-Wai Indians, who had their village at a bend in the Essequibo River. Unfortunately, they are also threatened by gold diggers flown in by the military and by diamond prospectors who disregard the borders from Brazil to Guyana. The foreigners bring diseases against which the Indians have no defenses, contaminate the fish-rich rivers with mercury and much more.

If time permits, I will publish a report on our contact with the Wai-Wai Indians under the heading “Diaries Guyana Wai-Wai”.

Guyana (former British Guiana) 1990

Expedition to the border region between Guyana and Brazil to visit the endangered Wai-Wai Indians. At a bend in the Essequibo River, Denis Katzer lived with the last Wai-Wai Indians of Guyana in order to capture them for posterity in pictures and film.