Wonotobo Falls

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Wonotobo Falls
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Wonotobo Falls is located in Suriname
Wonotobo Falls
LocationCourantyne River, Suriname
Coordinates4°21′46″N 57°56′48″W / 4.3629°N 57.9467°W / 4.3629; -57.9467Coordinates: 4°21′46″N 57°56′48″W / 4.3629°N 57.9467°W / 4.3629; -57.9467

The Wonotobo Falls (Dutch: Wonotobovallen) are a series of waterfalls in the Courantyne River in Sipaliwini District, Suriname near the border with Guyana.[1] The waterfalls are not navigable.[2] A pre-Columbian petroglyph site is located near the falls.

Overview[]

The waterfalls are situated about 250 kilometres (160 mi) from the mouth of the Courantyne River. The complex consists of the Dutchman Fall, the Blue Crane Fall, the Frenchman Fall, and the Englishman Fall. To pass the falls, canoes have to be transported five kilometres overland.[2] Wanapan, an Amerindian village, is located at the bottom of the falls.[3]

In 1836, Robert Hermann Schomburgk was the first person to venture beyond the falls.[1] Wonotobo is a Kalina word. According to Schomburgk, the full name was "Mawari Wonotopo" (the spot where the blue crane sleeps).[2]

Petroglyphs[]

At a distance of about 200 metres from the falls, there is an abandoned Amerindian settlement. In July 1959,  [nl] discovered petroglyphs and pottery near the settlement.[2] A total of 33 petroglyphs have been found.[4] A carbon dating of charcoal yielded an age of 1900 ± 40 BP[5] making it the oldest complex in the Guianas at the time.[6] The petroglyphs at Werehpai, which were discovered later, turned out to be significantly older.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Benjamins, Herman Daniël; Snelleman, Johannes (1917). Encyclopaedie van Nederlandsch West-Indië. Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 229.
  2. ^ a b c d Boomert 1983, p. 97.
  3. ^ Heemskerk, Marieke; Delvoye, Katia (2007). Trio Baseline Study: A sustainable livelihoods perspective on the Trio Indigenous Peoples of South Suriname (PDF). Paramaribo: Stichting Amazon Conservation Team-Suriname. p. 32.
  4. ^ Boomert 1983, p. 98.
  5. ^ Boomert 1983, p. 100.
  6. ^ Boomert 1983, p. 101.
  7. ^ "Het geheim van Werehpai". Parbode (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 March 2021.

Bibliography[]

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