Shii Village (Shea) is located in region 9. It is about 100 miles South East by dirt road from Lethem and is bounded on the North by the rolling Kanaku Mountains on the East by the Quitaro and Rewa rain forest and the south and west ant the south Rupununi savannah.
The first inhabitants of Shii lived at the edge of the forest along the creeks and streams with running water. Their immediate homesteads are now bush islands on hilltops and valleys with whity trees cocorite palms clay pot participles and other signs of human habitation. There is no written history of shea until the arrival of the Jesuits to the small settlement in early 1900.
Porombai, Inshio, Chipirincha, and Caitan Shikibaa were the founders of the village. Chipirincha being the chief then.
LAND RIGHTS
The community titled landmass when demarcated is 150 square miles. The existing land title does not cover the full area of the land traditionally owned, occupied and used by our community and our fore parents. Our Village has submitted an application for the extension of our land title over two tracts of land. The first covers the Northern and Eastern boundaries, which are part of the Kanuku mountains as well as pristine parts of the Riiwa and Essequibo rainforest, which our people have used and known for generations. The second tract of land covers the western border over a strip of savannah, which has been identified and agreed by residents as part of our proposal for village land title extension.
With 95 households and a population of four hundred and forty-four (444) persons, shea is a wapishana community and speaks the wapishan and English language.
So far there are no satellite community however there are seven home steads between three to five miles apart from the centre of the village mostly of which livestock Ranches, farming and Hunting Camps.
The relatively pristine and fully functional ecosystem of Shea include numerous water bodies, savannahs, shrubs and various types of forests. These ecosystems are also home to a large number of species found Quitaro, Rewa and Essequibo river basin.
With these characteristics Shea is a potential area for many activities such as hunting, fishing, logging for community use, trapping, canoeing, farming, mining, bird watching and many other activities
Residents are all subsistence farmers who under take small enterprises such as cattle, sheep and other livestock rearing while others cultivate cassava, peanuts and other cash crops though on a small scale. Some gather craft materials as well as do hunting and fishing all to sustain their families and maintain their livelihood.
The slash and burn method, the diversification and rotation of crops an the four to six years land to fallo is the system practised by all farmers, thus th sustainable use of the land.
Extraction of forest products.ie. timber is very limited they are only use for construction purposes by the villagers and in the village, so goes to the wild life and minerals within the village lands.
There is a Primary School with 106 pupils and 3 staff members. A Nursery School with 28 children and a staff of two teachers. The first school open in 1954 with 21 pupils presently there is a health Centre with one Health worker. The main communication link is by two HF radio installed at the health centre and the village office. Few residents own mobile phones but can only receive satellite service summit of Shea rock. Mode of transportation is mostly by foot, few own motorcycles, bicycles, bollock carts, pack bollocks, as well as riding horses and mules. The village council owns a tractor and a vehicle. The majority of hand dug wells are the souls source of water supplies.
For any emergency there is an airstrip (run way).
The village council is a corporate body comprising of a toshao and eight councillors. The toshao is automatically the chairman of the village council and he is also a rural constable and ex-officio member of the Justice of Peace. Toshao is also a member of the National Toshao Council.
Parents teachers and friends Association. Women’s Group, Youth Group, Shea Village Council, Community management Team, Parish Lady Assistance Group, Community Policing Group.
SPORTS
Shea Lions Club. The club`s activities include soft ball cricket, volley ball and Female and Male football. Participate annually at August Games and Indigenous heritage celebrations.
Expanding and Improving Cattle farming construction of 1square mile paddock, a corral and purchasing cattle and the introduction of Artificial Insemination (AI)for better and high quality breed cattle (1) 24 mile bush track to Quitaro (2) Construction of the Village Shop.
The pristine forest, the mountainous and hilly landscape with its fresh water rivers and streams are the habitat of the giant Harpy eagle, macaws, cock of the rock and many species of birds. The giant Armadillo, giant water turtles, giant ant eaters, tapir, anaconda, jaguar, puma, arapaima, bushmaster, rattler and many more wildlife one can think of can be found in abundance with all these resources of Shea one can just wonder that this can surely attract tourist.
One attraction is the mighty 474 feet solid grenade Shea Rock which is just 1mile from the centre of the village.
Taraipo (bottle mountain) Omaband other mountains hills are just a few added to the numerous attractions to the adventurous tourist.
The Village Council developed a Sustainable village resource zoning Plan where village members participated in drafting out and zoning areas for all the activities carried out in the titled village lands.ie. livestock, Farmland and logging, sustainable utilization area, community conservation area Ecotourism there was also a plan on the boundaries of the proposed extension of village lands occupied and used by the residents.