Kalinago, Garifuna heritage take centre stage at World’s Indigenous Peoples celebration

ST VINCENT and the Grenadines (SVG), joined the rest of the world in marking International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples with an exhibition and a Culture Village on August 9, 2024.

The celebration is designated by the United Nations with the goal of raising awareness on the needs of indigenous population groups.

At the Peace Memorial Hall in Kingstown, school children and dance groups showcased talent and costumes related to indigenous cultures not only from St Vincent and the Grenadines but also across the Caribbean and Central America.

Augustine ‘Sardo’ Sutherland who headed the exhibition titled ‘Caribbean Ties’, explained that the exhibition was mounted in a number of countries and has now come ‘home’ for the World’s Indigenous People’s celebration.

The exhibition focused on the connections between past and present indigenous cultures and features artefacts excavated from places such as Argyle, Barrouallie as well as other locations. It included clay pots, pottery, cutlery, artillery, foods and herbs used by local indigenous communities.

Sutherland said the excavation of the artefacts was done over a number of years and he wished more Vincentians were able to view the exhibition and learn about their history.

“Especially so Vincentians can know a little more about themselves and get to love their country more.Why? Most Vincentians don’t know their history, so we would that more would come down and ask questions on the things we dug up from places like Argyle, Barrouallie and different other places.

“… we’re sorry that much more people didn’t come out, but whoever come we are grateful they came to learn more about themselves and their country”.

Sutherland also said the artefacts highlight

the links between local, indigenous groups and those from other Caribbean islands including Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, as well as what items were traded between the tribes.

“We expected in this region where we housed a lot of nations from around the world, we found a lot of pottery from different islands right here.When you find different artefacts on another island, you know it’s trading. Right now we trade with Trinidad and other countries… you know definitely there was trading going on with the ancestors. It’s not surprising some of these findings.”

Sutherland also emphasized the importance of the excavation work in preserving the country’s heritage and culture, noting that Vincentians should not depend on history books penned by Europeans to tell their stories.

This year’s celebration was held under the theme “Indigenous People, Involuntary Isolation and Initial Contact”, and also featured remarks from the Garifuna Heritage Foundation, the National Trust and the Ministry of Culture.

Manager of the National Trust, Laverne Bentick-Phillips said it is important for a nation to be aware of its history and of its indigenous identity because this can impact future generations, giving them a sense of identity.