André Cognat

André Cognat, also known as Antecume, (born 1938) is the French chief of a wayana tribe in Antecume Pata, French Guiana, France.

André Cognat
André Cognat (left) in 1979
Born21 February 1938
Pierre-Bénite, Metropolitan Lyon, France
OccupationTribal chief, memoirist

Early life

André Cognat was born on 21 February 1938 in Pierre-Bénite near Lyon, in metropolitan France.[1]

Adult life

Cognat moved to French Guiana in 1961, at the age of 23.[1] His boat capsized on the Litani near Maripasoula, and he was rescued by a wayana from the Amazonia.[1] Cognat decided to stay there, and he married a wayana woman called Alasawani in 1973; they had a son and a daughter.[1] By 1985, he took the name of Antecume.[1] He also founded a new settlement called Antecume Pata,[2] and he became the chief of the local wayana tribe.[1]

Cognat founded Yepe, a non-profit organization to protect the rights of the wayanas, in 1990.[1] In particular, he had interceded for them in Cayenne to retain their access to water against Brazilian gold dredgers.[1]

Cognat is the author of two memoirs about his life as a tribal chief.

Works
  • Cognat, André (1988). Antecume ou une autre vie. Paris: Robert Laffont. ISBN 9782221012604. OCLC 743077769.
  • Cognat, André (1995). J’ai choisi d’être indien. Paris: Éditions L'Harmattan. ISBN 9782738405845. OCLC 634356286.
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References
  1. Cormier, Jean (August 15, 2000). "Ce Français, chef de tribu indien". Le Parisien. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  2. Gouin, Thomas (November 26, 2013). "Dossier : les Wayanas d'Antecume Pata". France Info. Retrieved March 27, 2017. Le village d'Antecume Pata a été fondé par d'André Cognat, ouvrier lyonnais venu de France métropolitaine qui a intégré la communauté Wayana depuis 1961.



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