An Amerindian community in Guyana and Suriname. Some scholars believe that around 1670 the Taruma moved into Guyana from Brazil. Whether or not this is the case, during the early colonial era they were traders in the southern part of Suriname that borders on Brazil. They were known for their beautiful pottery and their hunting dogs. In the nineteenth century they joined the Waiwai people. Very few Taruma people survive today. Their name may come from a local word for “stinging ant.”
For more information see In and Out of Suriname: Language, Mobility and Identity. (Leiden: Brill, 2014).
