Painting of how Chatoyer met his death soon to be revealed

Artist, Calvert Jones will soon reveal a painting of Paramount Carib Chief, Joseph Chatoyer depicting what he says is the actual truth of how this country’s sole national hero died.

Jones, a local creative, said in a recent interview that he has teamed up with Dr Désha Osborne, and his painting will show a 90% accuracy of how Chatoyer died.

Jones said Dr Osborne has come across information which shows that Chatoyer did not die in a duel with Major Alexander Leith, although Major Leith did kill the Chief.

In 2019 as a Daiches-Manning Fellow, Dr Osborne, a professor, did a project that explored the lives of Chatoyer and Major Leith (of Scotland). It is said Major Leith killed Chatoyer in a duel on March 14, 1795 in Dorsetshire Hill.

Jones said he has never been comfortable with the paintings of this country’s national hero.

“There was one in particular at Fort Charlotte- most of these that we know are at Fort Charlotte- and they depict the Garifuna as savages. You can see the skin colour of the Europeans looking normal, and the Garifuna looking blue-ish and pale, and the teeth actually looking like they have been sharpened, like fish teeth,” Jones noted.

“…it’s sort of embarrassing to know that at our historic site that they are there, but sometimes people don’t pay attention to details and I would not necessarily lay any blame or criticize outside of that because it’s most likely they overlooked it and it’s the only thing they have and that is why they are there,” he reasoned.

“…but at the same time, as an artist and as a citizen of the country, what has always been important for me is [to] try to use my craft to instil national pride and to inspire, not really my generation, but the younger generation into feeling proud of where we came from and where we going,” Jones said.

He said the depictions at Fort Charlotte have led him to want to present Chatoyer in a way that “we” could feel proud, because one of the paintings at Fort Charlotte of him, the only one up there that had him in it, had him taking a sword to his chest.”

“It basically had him defeated, so it is not like he was in any position that would make you feel like ‘yeah this man helped to continue or further a legacy that lasted approximately 200 years’…we just seeing a defeated soldier in battle basically,” Jones pointed out.

He said Dr Osborne has shared with him information she found in a letter which was written by Major Leith to his children.

“The letter- I would not reveal details right now- but the letter did not indicate at all that there was any scenario like a duel and if you think about it really, it would not have made sense. A duel is something that you see in movies as established combat.

“The Garifuna was more known for Guerilla warfare, meaning they would camouflage themselves, they would surprise their enemy and that was one of their tactics to win,” Jones expounded.

“Why would a man like Chatoyer want to go in a duel with a European? It appears as if they crafted that narrative to make it look as if it was a fair and square fight and he was defeated because again, that messes with the psychology of the others who they needed to convince.”

Jones added that there is still some “measure of conjecture” with the actual circumstances, but based on the information that was revealed in the letter, and the research that Dr. Osborne has done, he is crafting the final scene which shows, “I would say a 90% accuracy, to how the last scene would have played out with him”.

He added, “I want to recreate that last scene in a historic sense…because it is based on an actual letter that the man who they said killed him wrote to his children in Scotland that was recovered”.

Jones said that a physical ‘reveal’ of the painting will soon be done but he cannot say in what shape or form that will take place.