Guyana's Umana Yana

The umana yana is a conical palm thatched hut benab erected in August 1972 as a V.I.P. Lounge and recreation centre. It is situated on Main Street next to the Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, it is now a permanent and much admired part of Georgetown's scenery, and is in constant use as an exhibition and conference centre.

The structure is 55 feet, 16.78 meters high and is made from thatched allibanna and manicole palm leaves, and wallaba posts lashed together with mukru, turu and nibbi vines. No nails were used. It was erected by a team of about sixty     Wai-Wai Amerindians, one of the nine indigenous tribes of Guyana. "Umana Yana" is a Wai-Wai word meaning "Meeting place of the people".