Galibi-Marworno

The Galibi-Marworno are a people of the middle Uaçá river in the Oiapoque region of northern Amapá, most of whom live in the large village of Kumarumã. Their composite name reflects a composite history: Galibi (Kaliña) ancestors from French Guiana's Jesuit missions, displaced south by a Portuguese offensive in the late eighteenth century, merged with Aruã and Marworno groups to form the people of today, who describe themselves as 'mixed and united'.

Their mother tongue is Kheuól, a French-based creole that survived attempts at suppression and is now a marker of identity, spoken alongside Portuguese. The economy joins manioc farming for food and trade with seasonal fishing and renowned canoe-building; collective work parties called maiuhi organize neighbors for large tasks. Village governance runs through assemblies with chiefs, vice-chiefs, and counselors.

Their lands form part of the demarcated Uaçá Indigenous Territory complex, shared with the Karipuna and Palikur, with whom they act jointly in regional Indigenous politics. The population has grown strongly for over a century, and communities today balance customary life with schooling, salaried work, and cross-border ties to French Guiana.