Even though referred to collectively as Amerindians, the
Indigenous peoples in Guyana are made up of several distinct tribes or nations.
Warao,
Lokono,
Kalina, and
Wapishana are all represented in Guyana. Europeans arrived in
the Guianas in the search for gold in the
New World, eventually settling in and colonizing Guyana and the Americas. Starting with the Dutch, then English, the cultural presence of Europe has been a significant force in the country even though the population was always in the minority. French and Spanish also have a presence in the region. The climate of Guyana was deemed suitable for growing sugar cane, sparking a demand for labour unmet by the Europeans themselves or the local Amerindians, so slaves from Africa were brought into the country. The high mortality and low birthrate of plantation slavery was supplemented by bringing in more enslaved people until the slave trade was abolished in 1838. Indentured labour contracts were made for Portuguese and Chinese people, but the largest numbers came from India. The diversity of the country is a point of pride as well as a challenge; conflicts along racial lines have been a source of significant social tension. Racism in Guyana has roots in the control of labour, so that plantation owners could maintain a stratified society of subservient workers and limit competition for the highest social class. Many segments of society are divided by race, such as religion, politics, even industries. ==Language==