Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
toshao. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
toshao, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
toshao in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
toshao you have here. The definition of the word
toshao will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
toshao, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Guyanese Amerindian languages, possibly influenced by Portuguese tuxaua, meaning "village chief."
Pronunciation
Noun
toshao (plural toshaos)
- (Guyana, chiefly historical) The elected leader or head of an Indigenous Amerindian community in Guyana, responsible for representing the village and managing its affairs, particularly in dealings with the government.
2006, Sharon Ousman, Duncan Macqueen, Grace Roberts, Stronger by Association: Lessons from Guyana's Forest-based Associations (IIED small and medium forest enterprise series; 16), International Institute for Environment and Development, page 64:Membership representation on the board has recently been changed to include 16 community leaders, one other elected community member from each village, a youth group leader, the toshao (village leader) for Annai District, an elder and one woman leader.
2022, Ulrike Schröder, Milene Mendes de Oliveira, Adriana Maria Tenut, editors, Metaphorical Conceptualizations: (Inter)Cultural Perspectives (Applications of Cognitive Linguistics; 45), illustrated edition, Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, page 118:toshao – elected tribal leader of an Amerindian village or community (miscellaneous references)
2024, Casey High, Luiz Costa, editors, The Lowland South American World (Routledge Worlds), illustrated edition, Taylor & Francis, page 786:I witnessed a similar concern in 2018 in Guyana, where the election of leaders has been introduced in the late 1950s (when they were called "captains") and formalized by the Amerindian Act of 2006 (under the name of toshaos): some villagers suggested that the village toshao had been elected only thanks to the votes of people who had recently arrived from Venezuela and whose legitimacy as Village residents was therefore questionable.