The San­ta Rosa First Peo­ples Com­mu­ni­ty con­tin­ues to pro­mote and sup­port the re­cov­ery and preser­va­tion of their her­itage, in­clud­ing the cul­tur­al goods and ser­vices and tra­di­tion­al ex­pres­sions of the First Na­tion Peo­ples.

On Fri­day, Oc­to­ber 14, they cel­e­brat­ed the 22nd year of the Day of Recog­ni­tion which be­gan with the tra­di­tion­al smoke cer­e­mo­ny at the Stat­ue of Hyari­ma in Ari­ma to ho­n­our this coura­geous Chief of the Nepuyo Na­tion. Rep­re­sen­ta­tives of var­i­ous First Peo­ples of T&T and the Caribbean were in at­ten­dance.

Guardian Me­dia’s Edi­son Boodoos­ingh was there.

Chief of the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community, Ricardo Bharath Hernandez, presides over the smoke ceremony.

Edison Boodoosingh

Indigenous groups get together to dance after the smoke ceremony

Edison Boodoosingh

Sengio Bergmans from Suriname stands in front of the Hyarima statue

Edison Boodoosingh

Carib Queen Nona Aquan looks truly regal

Edison Boodoosingh

A delegate from Suriname performs a ritual smoke.

Edison Boodoosingh

Surinamese delegate makes offerings