The Caribs are back in town- right in Basseterre.
By Shawn Seabrookes
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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| Mr. Creighton Pencheon, Director of Culture welcoming the Caribs |
(Basseterre; St. Kitts): The Indians who have long been branded in history as warlike cannibals who would stop at nothing to destroy the enemy and plunder the spoils of war did not come to destroy.
This time they came in peace, aboard the Carib dugout, the "Gli Gli" not only to testify of their migrations hundreds of years ago from the Orinoco Delta, on the South American continent to the smaller islands in the North.
The small dugout canoe eased into the Basseterre Marina just before 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, much to the delight of the hundreds of mesmerized school students and onlookers who perched themselves on the seas wall and the marina fencing to get a glimpse of the true offsprings of the Carib Indians.
Even the sea gulls sensed the great symbolism of the journey by the Caribs and they serenaded them with loud squawking.
The twelve occupants of the canoe, most of whom are Caribs, signaled their arrival with the blowing of the conch shell and the beating of drums, two items that have limitless links to our history.
Unlike hundreds of years ago, where the loin cloth was the accepted line of clothing, the Caribs that docked at the Basseterre Marina today were dressed in casual "modern" clothing.
From the moment of their arrival, a cloud of awe gripped the onlookers.
They were accustomed to read about the Caribs in history books, or hear of them from the tongues of story tellers in the community- now those very Caribs were right in plain view, in living colour.
The Caribs aboard the canoe were met by Mr. Creighton Pencheon, Director of Culture and other members of his department.
It is a novel initiative that has gotten rave reviews from historians around the globe- the Caribs are tracing their history from South America right up to the islands.
The voyage of the Gli Gli heralds the tenth anniversary of the canoe's creation. As part of the events marking the celebration, the mission focuses on an expedition from Dominica to Guyana, at the mouth of the Orinoco, via the Leeward Islands, the past home of the Caribs.
The Caribs have indeed helped to shape the region and it is imperative that the existence of the largest surviving Carib indigenous tribe be highlighted in this tenth year anniversary. These survivors live on the Carib Reserve in Dominica.
The Gli Gli first made an historic voyage to Guyana in 1997 that received widespread media attention as it underscored the need to preserve indigenous cultures throughout the globe.
This present leg by the Gli Gli is known as the Leeward Islands Expedition, as it touches on a number of islands in the sub-region.
The canoe stopped in Nevis before berthing in Basseterre.
A support ship, known as the Carmela travels along with the Gli Gli.
Among the twelve Caribs who are traveling on the Gli Gli, two of them are Caribs.
The crew includes John Francis, drummer, flute player, artist, activist and project spokesperson; Paulinus Frenderick, drummer, craftsman and activist; Etiene Charles, master canoe builder and the Gli Gli's builder; Augustine Charles, an apprenticed canoe builder; Hyacinth Stoute, master canoe builder and banjo player; St. John Stoute, apprentice canoe builder; Elvis Vamont, craftsman; Algenon Frederick, basket maker; Sebastian Frederick, carpenter; Patricia Sandford, basket maker and dancer and Althea Williams, craftswoman and vendor.
