Paramaribo

Keti Koti

Palmentuin

Aukaners

Drietabbetje

Oudejaarsdag

Wandelmars

Home Page

Drietabbetje

The home of the paramount chief of the Aukan nation lies deep in the rainforest along the Tappanahoni River in the village of Drietabbetje. This village is the cultural and ethnographic center of the Aukan people.

Throughout the village you can see beautiful painted doors that are a trademark of their culture. Each symbol has a meaning and no two doors are exactly alike. It appears that this practice is beginning to fade away however. More and more houses can be seen without wonderful paintings like the one on this door.

Aukaners typically live very simple lives. They reside in small houses with few personal possessions. A collection of pots and pans, clothes, and a hammock are usually what they own. Aukaners are a very mobile people. They enjoy visiting in several villages along the river. Most of the things that they need and own can be put into sacks and carried along with them in boats. They value a simple, peaceful lifestyle, and this is what you can find in a village like Drietabbetje.