Culture Minister Justina Charles is calling for the preservation of the country’s Kalinago culture.
Charles told the Heritage Day celebrations, which was held in Vieille Case on Sunday, that the country must also pay tribute to the heroic effort of the Kalinago population to defend their way of life, their freedom and the sovereignty.
“We are all here today with a great deal of history, stemming back 500 years ago with the Kalinago settlement and documentation of their way of life, their knowledge and language which is carried through their generations,” she said.
She said further that 500 years after the arrival of the Europeans, Dominica remains the only country in the Eastern Caribbean with a strong Kalinago presence, a Kalinago population and a living Kalinago culture. “We must pay tribute to the heroic efforts of the Kalinago population to defend their way of life, their freedom and their heritage,” she said.
Concerning Vieille Case Charles said Dominicans has every reason to be proud of the community’s history and contribution to Dominica.
“When we look at our more recent history we see that your community has brought about two heads of government. No other community has achieved this,” she said.
Mrs. Charles,a way to go, why not start to change the names of places and streets, with Kalinago and African names,get rid of these european stigma; so that when people stay outside of Dominica and cannot recognise our beautiful sports because the names confused them; it would make it easier to relate. i hope you mean that and not just cheap chat.example change ‘winsor park’ to cassava park or Le Blanc’s park; great george street to Kalinago street.happy cultural awearness.
Mrs. Charles are you for real? Why do you think that groups like Karifuna and Karina exist? Bon Diay it must be to promote and preserve the cultural heritage of the Kalinago People!! (Hope I got the spelling of the group’s names right).
To me these these most of our ministers delivering speeches and repeating what is already known and so obvious!!
It’s like tooth paste and tooth brushes; right? Don’t you think that children need to be reminded daily? Have you seen the ‘cheese’ (heavy plaque) on some adults’ teeth. Should a dentist not remind them of tooth decay and bad breath? Tooth paste and tooth brushes are so basic and obvious!!
So, what should the Minister for Culture do when presented with a microphone and the press corp? It is so obvious!! By the way, did you see the animosity and criticisms levelled against the Kalinago people recently? Some Dominicans are still hostile towards these native Dominicans. We need to be reminded and educated every day about the history and importance of these folks. I love these people. I wish that they could be given more land and each family given a title for their parcel to encourage private development of their community.
Ms Charles what do you want in return? All you all have been doing is fancy talk and no action.
in my opinion….these are the original Dominicans. Kinda like the Chinese are from China. However, they the Kalinago people were less advanced at the time when the Europeans invaded the land. I believe that if it hadn’t been because of events which occurred during that period in history, the Kalinago people would be way more advanced as a culture….Like the Chinese. I remember when I was younger, my God-father took me on a road trip to the Carib Reserve where i witnessed the process of building a canoe…that was amazing because right next to the one that is being carved out of a tree is freshly made canoe with all the chips around it. Women weaving baskets and all kind of ornaments from scratch both freehand and over templates. What if our indigenous people were given the chance to evolve and advance as a people knowing the things they know and doing the things that they can do with their bare hands? I’d like to be a part of that Dominica.
Well, it’s not unprecedented for the Amerindians to do great, startling things; just look at the architecture of the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Incas.These peoples created buildings, jewelry, art, and myths of sometimes extraordinary beauty and skill, the best architectural works of which can even compete with the great architecture of Europe. Not all of the Indian cultures achieved such heights, though, and the ones that did also have histories of brutality we must take into consideration, like the Aztecs’ infamous ritual of pulling the still-beating heart out of a sacrificial victim–but then again, where does not have a history of violence, really? So I think your question is an intersting one, and it’s sad to think we’ll never know. But the Kalinago were a dynamic, powerful people–not always in a good way, as with the Arawak raids–and so their potential for control was definitely a possible starting point for the creation of something much more significant.
of cause why not,keep that spirit alive,in time to come we shall see the real benefit of having the carib people on our side of preserved history,and beside they ain’t just indians,they are dominicans
Of course they are Dominicans. They were here long before Europeans and Africans were. And the Europeans temporarily even gave Dominica to the Caribs via the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, since the island was so difficult to colonize. This island is, in terms of who has been here longer, in many way more theirs than ours. Preserving their culture, to me, is necessary, but it’s easier said than done. Already, many of their myths have been lost or partly forgotten.
Vieille Case has produced two heads of government and ONE HEAD OF STATE: Le Blanc, Skerrit and Sorhaindo….remember.
And the Vieille Case constituency has never voted in a candidate who is not a member of the party in power.When Vieille Case people vote ‘pon guard’!!
Sorhaindo came from Delices to be exact
To be exact: Yes CLIVE Sorhaindo came from Delices, but he went to teach at Vieille Case and there met and married Miss Frederick. They had a niumber of children there including Crispin Sorhaindo who became President. He was born raised and educated at Primary School in Vieille Case.
Even the Heritage Day programme produced by Vieille Case people had Sorhaindo’s photo on the cover of their programme along with Skerrit and Le Blanc.So Crispin Sorhaindo is from Vieille Case.
yes but skerrit is no le blanc!!