Gazon Matodya

Gazon Matodya (c. 1920 – 1 December 2011)[1] was gaanman of the Okanisi or Ndyuka people of Suriname, South America, one of six Maroon peoples in the area. He lived in Diitabiki (Drietabbetje), a village located on the Tapanahony River. Gaanman Gazon belonged to the Otoo Lo clan, from which most of the Aukan chiefs have come. He was one of the longest-living chiefs to date.

Gazon Matodya
Gazon Matodya (far right) with Dutch Prime Minister Piet de Jong and the other Surinamese granman
Gaanman of the Ndyuka nation
Reign	1965 – 2011
Predecessor	Akontu Velanti
Successor	Bono Velanti
Born	ca. 1920[1] Moitaki, Sipaliwini District, Suriname
Died	1 December 2011 Paramaribo, Suriname
Burial	10 April 2012 Diitabiki, Sipaliwini District, Suriname
House	Baaka bee of Otoo lo

In a statement made in 1992 while in the United States, Gazon said he was not happy with the changes that have occurred in his tribal area during the modern era of the late 20th century. This includes how disputes are settled.[2] In 2007 the six Maroon tribes won a major land rights case initiated in the early 1990s, by which they gained collective control of territories (including mineral resources), which they have occupied since the late 18th century.