Wapishana People - Settlements

Settlements

During the twentieth century, villages usually surround a church. The government has provided schools, meeting houses, and even shops to village centers. Villagers meet, usually at the church or in school to discuss local issues and make plans. After these meetings, men frequently play soccer in open areas nearby "Villagers cut their gardens in the forests on the low hills that rise up from the savannas, sometimes walking for several hours with heavy loads of cassava roots, which they process near to their homes", shows how efficient they are as a group of people. A small number of families live on their farms, but this is not looked upon well by others in the community. In some places the Wapishana have customarily preferred to live in the open country.