Rupununi Learners Foundation

Kaigan House


Roll the mouse over the image to see a caption.
Click on the image to see a larger version.

Kaigan House is an expanded and improved existing structure, located in the heart of the village outside the Caiman House compound. The purpose of Kaigan House is to serve as a comfortable and independent living and working space for visiting volunteers, both short and long term.

Made of mostly local materials and by entirely local hands, one of the notable features of the building is its paneled ceiling of plaited ite fiber, produced by elder craftsmen paired with apprenticed youth as young as nine years old. Caiman House has hosted a number of such projects to encourage that traditional skills are passed along to the rising generation.

"Kaigan" is Makushi for the nine-banded armadillo, the local animal that provides the most homes for other creatures.