Tamana The jewel of the Central Range

I found myself in this rustic village, that can be easily arrived at either from Sangre Grande, Brazil or Cumuto, on a Saturday morning. The drive takes you along gentle terrain unlike the undulating, winding rugged roads typical of most rural villages. I came here to hike to the Tamana Caves and soon found that while this is a major attraction of the region, Tamana is much more than the eco wonder of the bat caves it is noted for.

Indeed, the caves are a wonder; though a disgustingly smelly one.

Our group consisted mainly of people living in Tamana, who had either never been to the caves or had only been there once, a long time ago. Two locals who function as tour guides to outsiders and residents wishing to visit the site made the trek to the caves possible.

Nicholas and his uncle were everything you would want in a guide, quite knowledgable about the caves and the village’s surroundings.

The longer, circuitous route taken by our guides involved “walking” up the side of the mountain.

That was challenging but it was well worth it. Before reaching the caves we arrived at the highest point of Mount Tamana, a flat plain that provided a lookout point for splendid views of the village below and the entire Central Range.

This spot, the caves and the entire rural terrain of Tamana makes it an ideal eco tourism location. In fact, on our return journey we met well known tour operator Stephen Broadbridge taking a party of visitors to the caves. As he stopped for a brief chat with the guides, I learned that he had in past years taken scientists from around the world and television crews such as a group from National Geographic Channel to the cave.

Beyond its eco attractions, Tamana is like an agricultural wonderland. Everywhere you look there is some sort of food-bearing tree displaying its produce. Citrus trees of all kinds – portugal, orange, nectarine, grapefruit - are plentiful here, not just in the residential parts of the village but also in the mountains where large orchards thrive. Breadfruit trees line the road leading to the trail to the Tamana Bat cave. Cocoa plantations were in full bloom with colourful pods hanging from the many tree branches. On our walk through the village we even passed a home where the residents had beans drying in the sun of crocus bags.

On the trek back from the caves I was startled to discover the nature of a yellowish “fruit” growing wild in the bush. As those ahead of me stopped to pick from the tree I noticed one of the guides – his eyes earnestly trained on the forest floor beneath the tree – bending to pick up some large, brown “nuts” that carpeted the ground below the tree. The yellow “fruit” that on first glance I thought was guava, that having fallen to the ground and cracked open looked like large nuts, was actually nutmeg. I soon followed the guide in collecting what I could of this lovely spice that cost a pretty penny in any market or grocery store. It is truly a marvel to see the plethora of agricultural crops flourishing in this water scarce village.

Here then lies a good opportunity for villagers to boost their earnings and the economic potential of the village. Regular farmers’ markets, properly set up with tables for farmers to display and sell their produce will surely lure people to the village. Even if these markets only take place twice a month, villagers can help create a viable market for the region’s produce and earn income without having to leave their village to do so.

Writing in Towns and Villages Michael Anthony noted that as far back as 1900, roads and water were issues facing this part of the country.

According to Anthony, then warden for the Ward of Tamana, Harris Harragin reported that: “The streets are a serious problem.

I had to refrain from visiting these new villages as Sanitary Inspector, as the streets were unopened and uncared for. Pure water is a problem in these parts.” Today, Tamana’s roads are far improved from what they were in the Harragin days with much paved infrastructure when compared to other villages. However, there is still a lot of work to be done as some of the smaller villages in the Tamana community are serviced by rugged dirt roads and mere tracks in some places.

“Tamana Road section too needs repairing,” mentioned Lorna Hanooman a long time resident of the village.

However, the most pressing problem facing Tamana residents continues from what Harragin observed in1900. An adequate water supply to residents’ homes is a rare thing. “Water problem is a major problem. We just have a little catchment area at the side of the mountain to catch the water and that’s not enough,” said Hanooman who only gets water in her taps once a week – and that is only during the rainy season.
When the dry season rolls in, she and her fellow neighbours live with dry taps in their homes.

“Weeks I haven’t received water in my tap,” she added.
As such any visitor to the area will see a plethora of a barrels and drums strategically placed around people’s homes to catch the precious rain water from roofs and gutterings. Indeed, rainwater harvesting is the main source of water for residents to use for everything from drinking to cooking and bathing, washing and watering their crops. A truck-borne supply from WASA to tanks placed around the village helps supplement what is gathered from the rain.

There are also standpipes at various roadside points but turning on the tap and finding a flow from these is not a guaranteed thing on any given day. When there is water in these taps, you can expect to see rows of water containers lining the road as residents line up to fill up on this precious commodity whenever it appears.

Tamana has so much potential.
With the few road repairs completed, with Nicholas and other tour guides in the village gaining their tour guide certification, with the development of a regular farmers’ market and with careful and strategic advertising of what it has to offer, Tamana can become a model to other villages.

It can show the nation what is possible if residents and government work together to harness the treasures of this land beyond oil and gas.

VISITORS to Tamana will see a plethora of a barrels and drums strategically placed around villagers’ homes to catch the precious rain water from roofs and gutterings. The area is also bountiful in agriculture but the community still has to contend with dirt roads and mere tracks in some places. While Tamana may be short on infrastructure it is not lacking in agricultural and and eco tourism possibilities and has the potential to become a model for other villages.