Kwatamang, one of the five satellite villages of Annai, is situated on very hilly terrain. The 400-odd people living there are predominantly Macushi. Kwatamang in Macushi is ‘quata’ meaning ‘black spider monkey’ and ‘man’ for ‘male’. Villagers said that originally the village name was spelt Quataman, but as time went by this was changed to the current spell
Legend has it that the Kwatamang Mountain, situated on the far western side of the village, was once home to a huge male ‘quata’ (monkey) whose howls bellowed through the village. But there came a time when this quata and others suffered from hunger and thirst so they journeyed down the mountain in search of food and water. Their quest led them through the village (which thus earned its name) down to the Rupununi River landing.
Back on my borrowed bicycle, I set out for Kwatamang from Annai, facing some of the