Carib Territory in Dominica

Today, Dominica is one of the very few Caribbean islands that still have a relatively large autochthonous community, which is said to be the largest, with a total population of approximately 3000 Carib Indians.

Over the years, the numbers of the Dominica indigenous Carib people have dwindled due to constant interracial marriages between Carib Indians who live in the Carib Reserve and persons of African descent from other parts of Dominica. This has also been coupled by constant emigration into the city, other villages and foreign countries in search of employment opportunities and higher education.

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Though the traditional round, thatched roof indigenous building structures are still commonly used by a relatively large fraction of the Dominica Carib population in the Carib Territory, small numbers of present day Dominica Carib Indians have chosen to reside in normal wooden or concrete houses and enjoy the comforts of modern day living.

Traditional forms of cooking with the use of wood is still largely practiced, although this has been slightly reduced due to the increased use of contemporary household appliances such as gas stoves, microwave ovens, barbecue grills, and toasters which have slowly infiltrated the present day Carib lifestyle in Dominica.

Several of the Dominica Carib villages found on the East Coast of the island are collectively known as the Carib Reserve or Carib Territory; a 3,700 acre reserve that was particularly set aside for the Carib people in 1903. Several of the indigenous names of Carib villages still form part of the present day Carib vocabulary and provide words and names which have been preserved in the Carib language. Such names include Sinekou, Atkinson, Bataka, Salybia, Koliho, Makushari, Taro, Batali and Taro.

Other areas such as Veille Case, Portsmouth, Roseau and La Plaine, were called Itassi, Portsmouth, Uyuhao, Sairi and Kuliru respectively. One of the last speakers of the Carib language died in 1920, but fortunately, several of the Carib legends have been preserved up to present in the Carib Territory, thanks to the work of Douglas Taylor, an American anthropologist who spent several years studying the Carib culture in Dominica.

Many years ago, the Carib Territory / Carib Reserve in Dominica was relatively isolated with scattered hamlets on the north-east coastal regions of the island, and generally, was known as the “Carib Quarter”. From 1776, this was expanded when one lot of land was set aside for the Dominica’s Carib s Indians soon after the British Crown had acquired the island in 1763. In 1777, the area was expanded by the British Crown, and a piece was given to the Roman Catholic Church roughly eight years after. In the year of 1903, this territory was divided by boundaries by the Government. These boundaries exist even today in the Carib Territory in Dominica.

On the 26th of July, 2003, The Carib Territory in Dominica celebrated its 100th Anniversary of existence. In commemoration of that day, several educational, social and cultural activities such as cultural performances and shows, as well as discussions and lectures at the University of the West Indies Centre were offered by the renowned Dominican Historian and Staff Tutor, Dr. Lennox Honychurch.

According to Dr. Honychurch, on the 26th of July 1902, the idea of a Carib Territory of Dominica was initiated by the Administrator of Dominica, Hesketh Bell, who sent a letter to England, requesting the Crown’s permission to establish a Carib reserve on Dominica. Mr. Bell was concerned that no definite allocation of this land had ever been arranged, to him, it seemed desirable to permanently guarantee land to the people to whom the entire island once belonged.

Studies conducted by Dr. Honychurch on present day Carib life in Dominica, however, show that one of the challenges faced by the residents today of the Carib Territory in Dominica include problems of land ownership, title, soil erosion and land boundaries. Also, its location in the interior of the island, away from the capital, made it difficult for the construction of roads, proper water systems and other fundamental community institutions, problems that are presently being resolved in the Carib Reserve by the government.

Despite this, over the years the Caribs in Dominica have become much more involved in the island’s politics, and today, the Carib Territory plays an instrumental role in Dominica politics and overall development. The Carib Indians in Dominica today exercise political and democratic rights and are freely able to contest the general elections, vote their own parliamentary representative as well as Chief. This level of liberty has enabled the Carib people today to be actively involved in the political, economic and social development of their communities in seeking to find ways to overcome the challenges that they face. In so doing, they have been empowered to demand satisfaction in regards to the construction of primary, secondary and tertiary level educational institutions, proper health care facilities, proper roads as well as the active involvement and commitment of the Government in the development of the tourism sector in the Carib Territory in Dominica. In regards to the latter, Caribs in Dominica are presently actively involved in the development of the Carib Territory and culture as one of the main tourism and historical features of the island.

Today in the Carib Territory, apart from the traditional weaving of authentic beautifully patterned brown, white and black baskets with the use of the versatile larouma reed, square panniers and side bags made into layers with heliconia leaves, some of the major tourist attractions within this zone include the Crayfish or Isulukati River where waterfalls cascade from rock pools over a stony ledge into the sea.

A leisurely fifteen minute hike from the hamlet of Sineku leads to an important landmark which is still known today by the Carib s as Escalier Tête Chien or the Snake’s Staircase – Tête Chien referring to the local French Creole name for the boa constrictor (its head is similar to that of a dog’s). Geographical studies conducted in the Escalier Tête Chien today in the Carib Reserve, area refer to this rock formation as a dyke, which resembles an enormous petrified serpent crawling up the hillside from the ocean with its back crystallized into the wedges of rock forming a natural staircase.

Other interesting landmarks are the rock located at Sineku, which is often depicted in ancient Carib mythology, including a gigantic rock that overlooks the Pagua River near Atkinson, the islets of Londonderry beach and a cave near Kraibo Bay located in Wesley. All of these important landmarks form part of present day Dominican Carib literature, which has contributed to the rich cultural heritage both of the present day Carib s, as well as the island.

In an effort to unite the indigenous peoples of the region, the present day Carib Indians of Dominica are very conscious of their heritage and participate in organising various voyages via canoe to Central America, where a relatively large population of indigenous tribes still exists. Such movements have sensitized persons all over the world, and have made manifest the need to preserve the region’s historical background.

Dominica, the Nature Island of the Carib bean, does not only exude beauty but cultural vibrancy and a rich heritage which is far from being abandoned or forgotten.