Inter-faith Service ushers in Amerindian Heritage month

 

[www.inewsguyana.com] – An inter faith prayer service, yesterday afternoon [August 31], at the Umana Yana in Kingston brought together members of the local religious bodies, Amerindians, government officials including Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, and Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai, and representatives of the diplomatic community among others

The faith gathering was to mark the beginning of the 2014 celebrations for Amerindian Heritage month, the theme of which is ‘Traditional Embodiment for Amerindian Development.’

Advisor to the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Yvonne Pearson opening the worship session noted that, “it was a good thing to say thanks onto the lord and to sing praises onto his name.” She urged that the month of celebration should not only be focused on recognising and promoting the indigenous culture , but also on strengthening of spiritual relationship as well as the relationship with all Guyanese.

Pearson was followed by almost two hours of prayers, chanting, scripture reading, songs and dance by the representatives of the different faith and community organisations. These include the Alleluia Group of Region 7, the Roman Catholic Church, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Central Islamic Organisation, the Baha’i Community of Guyana, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, the Guyana Conference of Seventh Day Adventists, Winners Cathedral, Guyana Rastafari Council, Circle of Love (Fenton Parks and Team) and the Teshiri Culture Group (Gideon Domingo.)

The inter faith service is an annual feature of the Amerindian Heritage month celebration.

Minister Sukhai noted that it was in keeping with the indigenous people’s belief in their connection with ‘Mother Earth’ and spirituality.

“Expressing our religious connection to Mother Earth and the higher Authority is always a remarkable event and experience which we as a people and nation will continue to do,” the Minister said.

She explained that the objective of the event is to ensure that the indigenous people’s faith and experience are shared in unity with all the other faith based religions in Guyana.

Celebrations for Amerindian Heritage month 2014 continue today, Monday, September 1 with the official launch at the Amerindian Village at Sophia. Activities during the course of the month include an Amerindian Sports Fest, cultural nights, craft and food exhibitions and an educational tour. [Extracted and modified from GINA]