Kalinago people have made serious strides Salybia MP says

Darroux (left) and Frederick addressed a launching ceremony of Kalinago Week on Friday
Darroux (left) and Frederick addressed a launching ceremony of Kalinago Week on Friday

As the island’s indigenous people prepare to celebrate Kalinago Week 2016, Minister of Kalinago Affairs and MP for the Salybia Constituency, Casius Darroux has said despite the challenges the Kalinago people have made serious strides over the years.

He was addressing the launching ceremony of Kalinago Week 2016 held at the Ministry of Kalinago Affairs on Friday.

“Over many years we have had governments coming and leaving, we have had minimal development maybe because of our topography or our geographical location, however we as apeople into ensuring that we have, what we say as self-determination identifying our own people and identifying ways that we can be sustainable,” Darroux stated. “This is why the indigenous people of Dominica were able to understand our topography on this beautiful island and did not destroy Mother Nature.”

He said the Kalinago people are at a stage where they can stand “almost” on their own in terms of self-determination.

“We as a Kalinago people, we have given to this country two of the best doctors on the island who works at the Princess Margaret Hospital, we have given to Dominica pilots, lawyers and most recently Miss (Pearl) Williams who was appointed to serve as magistrate at the Dominica Magistrate’s Court,” Darroux explained. “We have come a long way.”

Darroux went on to say that throughout the years the Kalinago community has had its own challenges and opportunities

“With regards to the Kalinago week we must not forget where it stems from which is basically from the 1930’s happening at Salybia which was the capital of the Kalinago community where commercial activities were happening…,” he stated.

Activities for the week will be held from September 16 to 25.

A number of activities are being planned which will showcase the history of the Kalinago people, culture, among other activities.

Development officer in the Ministry of Kalinago Affairs, Cozier Frederick said the activities is not just about the “ lime” or “sewo” but “it’s some serious activities that can impact positively the population of Dominica and more specifically persons who are not aware of the significant contributions of the Kalinago people to the Dominican space.”

He said Kalinago week serves as a reminder of the last resistance effort of the Kalinago people in Dominica, known as the 1930 Carib War.

It took place when the Windward Island Police Force was ordered to enter the then Carib Reserve to confiscate goods that were reportedly smuggled there. Two Kalinagos died in the incident that followed and the week gives the people a time to remember what took place on September 19, 1930.

The theme for Kalinago Week is: “Kalinago Forever, Defeat Never, Embracing our Cultural Heritage.”

Activities to mark the event are as follows:

-September 16, official opening ceremony where the Kalinago elder will be honoured, also there will be the launching of the Buy Kalinago Product at the Sineku Enterprise Centre from 4pm to 5pm.
-September 17, Miss Kalinago Show at the Karina Cultural Village from 8:00pm.
-September 18, An ecumenical service and Kalinago Food Day which will be held for the first time at the Gualette River Playing Field at 1:00pm.
-September 19, Opening of Kalinago History Week: encouraging the schools to observe history week where there will be lectures, video presentation, storytelling, Myths and Legends at 9:00am.
-Vigil in honour of our Past and Present leaders at the memorial site in Salybia at 1:00pm
-September 20, Eat Kalinago Food Day in schools and at homes (the Kalinago community are encouraged to prepare Kalinago foods at home and practise eating local foods). The event will be held all day.
-September 21, Kalinago Cultural Experience to be held in Roseau all day.
-Panel Dissussion on the Rights of Indigenous People at the St.Cyr Resource Centre at 7:00pm.
-September 22, School Visits by leaders in the Kalinago Territory to be held all day all Primary and Secondary Schools in that area
-September 23, Band Splash at the Karina Cultural Village at 10:00pm
-September 24, Kalinago Youth Day: “Kalinago Youth Explosion” all day.
– September 25, World River Day Celebration: Open picnic/Bar-B-Que, Initiation/naming ceremony and traditional bath to be held at the Kalinago Barana Aute/ Isulukati Falls all day.

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22 Comments

  1. So Jah say. I will leave a remnant of my chosen.
    September 17, 2016

    To ‘my life’ you make it sound like it was only the African people that the europeans oppressed.
    You have conveniently overlooked the fact of all the atrocities the europeans committed against the Kalinago but want to blame the African descendants for your situation. Well the Africans did not kill and take the Kalinago land nor put them in reservations . The African descendants gave a voice to the Kalinago and made them more culturally aware of their history, just as the African descendants themselves gained awareness of their own history and culture. Why have you nothing to say about the way the euroopeans treated the Kalinago? I AM Proud of my African ancestry. What is there for me to be jealous about?

  2. Kto the flowwwwwww
    September 5, 2016

    I Have never seen such ignorance in my life. people discriminating the kalinago race, they have been on the island for centuries, even helped in the battle to fight against slavery, not our fault we were in the poor situation, is because of SOME of the black people who only look for there self an no one else, the Kalinago tried there best to make a living out of Agriculture and Arts and craft.. not just look for hand outs. its was pressed onto the Kalinago leaving them with no choice..

  3. Glen
    September 4, 2016

    But wait!! Two negroes that there trying to represent Kalinago. Get real Kalinagos like prosper paris to represent the people and show the world a true reflection of kalinago. These two guys represent blacks fro Africa, caribbean and America. Only the face of Africa I see on these two guys. smh

    • UDOHREADYET
      September 4, 2016

      if it wasn’t for blacks Kalinagos would not exist… so please show some respect.

      • Well, you are correct, but you must understand had it not been for Black people there would be no other complexion of people on this earth. I am not saying that to suggest that any one complexion of people are superior to the other.

        Whereas science proved through DNA that life itself began in Namibia in Africa, if you visit Namibia today you will find the phenotype of every tribe alive, and notice I did not say race, because there is no such thing as “race.” Nevertheless, we have to accept the fact that we are from different tribes.

        And that came about in the time when the building of Tower of Babel intended to reach into heaven. Read Genesis chapter 11:1,2,3,4-9.

        In verse 9, we read “And they said, go, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top mar reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. If you continue reading and find where God confused the then language, causing the people to scatter, hence,…

    • Maybe you should apologize for referring to the duo as “Negroes.” The word Negro, is the same as referring to black people as “Niger,” it means the same thing!

      I am from the village of Wesley, I am very dark in complexion, nevertheless, my grandmothers’ mother as far as I know her name was Selena, she was born in the village of Sinekou. Now if you go into the village of Sinekou you will find Carib Indians with the name surname Valmond.

      If you go to Wesley you should find the Surname Valmond, they are the grand children of my uncle, the late Sentieve Valmond. He was a Carib. If you ever heard of the Band Take 2 Plus the Valmond brothers in that Band are the grandchildren of my uncle. The Thomas guy is also the son of another cousin. There was a Carib Chief name Williams, his father was from Wesley, who was once a School Master on the Reservation.

      I have Carib blood in my body too; so don’t be derogatory about it!

  4. observer
    September 3, 2016

    Kalinago people have made serious strides through the effort of the late Prime Minister Roosie Douglass who founded the Cuban Scholarship where we have several of our Doctors trained and Kalinago Chief Charles Williams who founded the Sir Arthur Lewis Indigenous Scholarship.
    This certainly challenged Roosevelt skerrit and forced him to beg of Chavez the venezuelan scholarship, perhaps even at the cost of Bird island.
    We must not forget that the salybia School, and the first 42 houses was built in the territory out of the Chavez Kalinago fund that was stolen by Roosevelt skerrit.
    The Road and community center that Cassius and ashton are boasting about was pushed by Dr Charles Corbet and Chief Charles Williams under the Carib territory community capacity building project that was short changed, the stcyr community building that is handled by the Ministry of Carib Affairs is yet to be commissioned after after 8 years and was very poorly designed,

  5. Blessed
    September 3, 2016

    I recognize all our Doctors as the best. Our three speacialists and one who is not specialized. They all do there very best in the workplace. I wonder which two u really meant?

  6. Reasoning
    September 3, 2016

    :?: Casius Darroux said nothing of significance,when this guy speaks it’s like a dumb trying to say something! What significant strides or progress has the Kalinago people made :?: The Kalinago people are some of those in the most vulnerable and poor state,of which you and your ………..rogues posing as government intends to keep them,so that you all can have the people continue to look for a few handouts from your rogue government! When one enters the island, there is nothing one can see that identifies with the Kalinago people! How much of their products dominates the Dominican or regional markets :?: How affluent are the Kalinago people in their own land that descendants of slaves now rob and rape :?: Where’s the money from deceased Chavez for the Kalinago bank :?: The British should have hand back the island to the Kalinago peoples,instead of these slave plantation rogues posing as government! I’m calling on the Kalinago people to take back their land!!!

    • So Jah say. I will leave a remnant of my chosen.
      September 4, 2016

      When the Europeans oppressed you and treated you as savages you all could do nothing and had nothing to say except drink rum. Now thank God to the African decendants who helped you and gave you a voice, now you have the audacity to call us slaves. We fought for our freedom, whilst they put you in reservation! Go on and see how far allu will get. We Africans are the first born of the Most High. Jah knows why we were brought to Watikubuli. There is Nothing you can do about it. Praise Jah.

      • My life
        September 12, 2016

        Haha take your head out of your ass you didn’t make it to Dominica because of choice or God your ancestors were chained,slapped,kick and raped on the way there , you made it sound like they were on a cruise. Give the Kalinago the credit they deserves they came along way and now they have a voice let it go!!!! We are beautiful people jealousy is like a cancer don’t let it engulfed you!! Proud Kalinago . (take a hike back to Africa!!??)

  7. Tell the Facts
    September 2, 2016

    United we stand. Divided we fall.
    They have really come a long way. In those days they were not educated. This may have occurred through their fault. They were not prevented from learning higher education and assimilating in the Dominican society.
    They have their own culture and want to be recognized as mainly Caribs/Kalinago. They do not assimilate in the Dominican society. They should not segregate but accept the Dominican culture as their own.
    They are not deprived of their heritage and today celebrating it which is their right.
    They must also consider they are not a nation within a nation and that they are part of the Dominican society and its culture.
    If they keep thinking solely they are Kalinagos and do not take an interest in what is occurring in Dominica, they will fail. The previous pattern will repeat itself.
    It would be wise to ask their views on this matter. The Minister could explain this.

    • Eyes Open
      September 4, 2016

      Racist

    • The Caribbean Indians were masters of their destiny, until White people set foot in Dominica. There was no Caribbean Indian Reservation in Dominica, or the rest of the entire Caribbean until the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch came set foot in Dominica and the rest of the Caribbean. You might know of the genocide where the Spanish gave both our indigenous, Caribs, and Arawak people blankets contaminated with Chicken-pox, and other VD, which includes syphilis, gonorrhea, and tuberculoses (TB) which killed the people by the thousands.

      When the colonial powers took Dominica from them and confine them to the Reservation, the same as they did to American Indians, and Canadian Indians, other Canadian indigenous; education was not on the agenda. Plundering for wealth gold in particular was their main objective, not education. That was introduce via religion (the Roman Catholic) who came with cross, and Bible misused the Bible to oppress and dominate the innocent!

      • So Jah say. I will leave a remnant of my chosen.
        September 6, 2016

        Mr Telemaque I agree with you comments. However, some descendants of the kalinago today want to blame Dominicans of African descent for all the atrocities the europeans did to their ancestors. The African descendants had to fight for their freedom in the lands in which they were scattered and are still fighting today. Both the African descendants and the Kalinago must live together and respect each others history and build up Dominica/Watikubuli for our children.
        We do not want to emulate Trinidad and Guyana with all their division among the peoples.

  8. Viewsexpressed
    September 2, 2016

    The Kalinaho people still conyinue to live in severe poverty and these blind politucal lanour bats will try yobfool the restbif Dominica and the Kalinago people that something is happening. Well nothing is happening. These two guys in the picture know that in the past 12 years they and their people jave been abandoned by Skerrits corrupt labour party.
    Child abuse is the highest on the island as false lsbour ounfuts continte to roam in and out pretending something is happening.
    The Carib Territory is a failed communuity….very depressing and very sad.

  9. UDOHREADYET
    September 2, 2016

    The Carib ( Kalinago people) are the ones who made Dominica unique among other Islands. They fought & resisted European invasion for over 234 years before the Island was colonized by the British.

    “1832 DA already had its first black legislature by 1838 it became the only British Caribbean colony to have a Black-controlled legislature in the 19th century. Dominicans as a whole have a very rich history, its what we should be teaching our children.
    In other Islands…
    “The Caribs put up fierce resistance against the Spanish and subsequently the French and English throughout the Lesser Antilles, which had been their undisputed territory from about 1400. In 1651 the last 30 Caribs in Grenada leap to their death at Sauteurs cliff, rather than surrender to the French. It wasn’t until 1797 that the Black Caribs of St Vincent (descendants of Caribs and runaway slaves) were finally defeated by the British and dumped on the islands off Honduras and Belize.’

  10. Eyes Open
    September 2, 2016

    The kalinago territory has become more dependent on handouts. Only real job creator has been NEP. The territory may just be a time-bomb of problems ready to explode.

    • Tell the Facts
      September 2, 2016

      At least today, they have an opportunity to make something better of themselves. They are receiving financial assistance which they did not receive in bygone years.
      As other D/cans, they cannot depend solely on the government. They must take advantage of educational and other opportunities and later build their own future.as seeking employment and build up and enhance Dominica. In other words, they must help themselves. Otherwise they will be their own time bombs.

    • Joe
      September 3, 2016

      One that Lennox and his UWP cannot fix for sure so they are better off with Labour!!!!!

      • Tell the Facts
        September 6, 2016

        :lol: :lol: :lol: I second that. :lol: :lol: :lol:

  11. Clayton Shillingford
    September 2, 2016

    Excellent effort for the Kalinago people to highlight their history and culture…. . The Dominican population should accord every respect and recognition to the early inhabitants of Dominica.

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