Papaichton | |
|---|---|
 A view of the Place de la Poste in the centre of Papaichton | |
 Location of the commune (in red) within French Guiana | |
 Location of Papaichton | |
| Coordinates:3°48′25″N54°08′58″W / 3.807°N 54.1495°W /3.807; -54.1495 | |
| Country | France |
| Overseas region and department | French Guiana |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni |
| Intercommunality | Ouest Guyanais |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Jules Deie[1] |
Area 1 | 2,628 km2 (1,015 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 5,006 |
| • Density | 1.905/km2 (4.934/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−03:00 |
| INSEE/Postal code | 97362 /97316 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Papaichton (French pronunciation:[papajʃtɔ̃]; unofficial spellingPapaïchton with atrema;French Guianese Creole:Papaychton) is acommune in theoverseas region anddepartment ofFrench Guiana. The village lies on the shores of theLawa River.[3] Papaichton is served by theMaripasoula Airport.[4]
The village which is the seat of the commune was named Papaichton-Pompidouville in honour of thepresidentPompidou[5] who invited Granman Tolinga to theÉlysée in 1971.[6] The commune is located on the border withSuriname.
Papaichton is home to some of theAluku people and the seat of theirgranman (paramount chief).[5][6]
Around 1710,Slaves escape from the plantations inSuriname, and band together in tribes. A tribe calling itself Aluku settled inCottica over the border in Suriname.[6] In 1760, theNdyuka, another Maroon tribe, signed a peace treaty with theSociety of Suriname allowing them autonomy.[7]Boni also desired a peace treaty, but the Society of Suriname, despite contrary advice from the Dutch government, wanted to persecute and destroy the Aluku.[8] Between 1768 and 1793, the Boni wars started in which the Ndyuka side with the Dutch colonists, and it resulted in many Alukus seeking refuge in France on the other side of theMaroni River.[9]
In 1895, the village was founded by Granman Ochi.[6][10] At the time,Boniville was the capital of Aluku tribe.[11] In 1930, the territory ofInini was founded,[12] with Papaichton as one of the administrative divisions.[6] The territory of Inini allowed for an autonomous and self sufficienttribal system for the Maroons without clear borders.[13] In 1946, French Guiana departmentalised, and the territory of Inini became anarrondissement.[14]
In 1965, Granman Tolinga moved the capital of the tribe from Boniville to Papaichton.[11] In 1968, the municipal circle of Grand-Santi-Papaichton was created, and a year later became acommune.[6] Along with the commune, came a government structure, andfrancisation. Most importantly, it led to the concentration in bigger villages and the near abandonment of smaller settlements.[13] In 1976 the communes separated inApatou and Grand-Santi-Papaichton, and finally in 1993, Papaichton became an independent commune.[6]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 284 | — |
| 1974 | 410 | +5.39% |
| 1982 | 297 | −3.95% |
| 1990 | 750 | +12.28% |
| 1999 | 1,650 | +9.16% |
| 2007 | 2,296 | +4.22% |
| 2012 | 6,097 | +21.57% |
| 2017 | 6,668 | +1.81% |
| Source: INSEE[15] | ||
Papaichton can only be accessed by air, or boat via the Maroni river.[3] The unpaved path betweenMaripasoula and Papaichton will be turned into a proper road. Road work has commenced on 20 July 2020 and was scheduled to be completed by 2021.[16] There are plans to extent the Route Nationale fromSaint-Laurent-du-Maroni to Maripasoula,[17] however the Route Nationale currently ends south ofApatou.[18]
Loka is a hamlet in the commune of Papaichton. In April 2006, 14 people from the same family, including 12 children, were found dead, believed to be the result ofcarbon monoxide poisoning.[19]
The commune is dominated by theCottica Mountain,[20] which rises to a height of 744 metres.[21] The mountain was ignored by scientists until 2005 when two naturalists started investigating the area, and discovered a remarkable biodiversity.[20] In 2014, an area of 4,813 hectares (11,890 acres) was designated asZNIEFF, an important natural environment.[21]
TheLawa River narrows when it passes through the mountainous area around Cottica, and wild streams with waterfalls descend from the mountains through dense rainforest. The river widens to the north and splits in many streams with large river islands. The nature area around river is calledAbattis Cottica [ceb].[20]
The commune is also home to several small hamlets which have a historic significance to the Aluku people. Between 1793 and 1837, the Aluku settled in Gaan Day (also:Gaa Daï;4°01′18″N54°19′18″W / 4.02154°N 54.32157°W /4.02154; -54.32157).[22]
In 1860, a peace treaty was signed with theNdyuka, and the Aluku were allowed to settle in the village of Abouna Sounga (also:Abunasunga;4°3′34″N54°21′38″W / 4.05944°N 54.36056°W /4.05944; -54.36056).[22] Therapids of Abouna Sounga form the northern border of the Aluku area. The southern border is theLitani River.[23]
L'Enfant Perdu (3°51′28″N54°13′03″W / 3.85785°N 54.21746°W /3.85785; -54.21746) is a village on a river island acrossCottica, Suriname. The Cottica mountain is located on the French side.[24]
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