Since I'd had no idea that there were Caribs in Trinidad

[the_future_modernes]

Here's a 2009 article: Forgetting the Caribs of Trinidad

A stream of newspaper articles, and public comments on their contents, have been published over the past six months in Trinidad's Guardian newspaper. It has been a while since I have had a chance to cover the latest news, as reported by the media. Though not unexpected, some of the news is very striking about the degree to which the indigenous Caribs of Trinidad are suppressed, even while supposedly being celebrated, and forgotten even as they are commemorated. It seems that the authorities and elites in Trinidad are not content with any display of Caribness that goes beyond superficial performances and outright simulation. To some extent, the organized body of Caribs, the Santa Rosa Carib Community, is also responsible for buying into that system of official diversity management, whereby select groups are trotted out solely for the purpose of public performance, as if they were barely living, quasi-archaeological artifacts dancing in the state's cultural showcase. Now it seems that they are growing increasingly upset with the superficiality of the attention paid to them, but have not yet devised a strategy that does anything other than produce more of the same: more commemorations in place of any real transformation.

Mockery and Superficiality at the 5th Summit of the Americas

Let us begin with this year's Fifth Summit of the Americas (see also on Twitter). The first in a series of articles that touched on the Carib "presence" at the 5th Summit was Foreign delegates to get taste of local culture, by Michelle Loubon (3 April 2009). There is no note of potential controversy -- on the contrary, it seems that some much needed post-colonial revision will be presented:

In history classes, children learn that before Columbus came, T&T was inhabited by the Caribs and Arawaks. This is followed by the description of the Caribs as ‘warlike’ and the Arawaks as ‘peaceful.’ The Arawaks were decimated, but there remains a strong Carib community in the town of Arima—which diligently celebrates the Feast of Santa Rosa every year. For the 2009 Summit of the Americas, visiting US president Barack Obama and the other dignitaries will get a cultural history lesson on these indigenous peoples from reigning bandleader Brian Mac Farlane.

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I remember those history classes. I didn't realize that Caribs and Arawaks still existed still until Pirates of the Caribbeans fucked up a couple of years ago.

Comments

[willow]

Well damn, I am a child of the 70's then (Hippie University Child). It was all about Black Power when I was a child, except I didn't know it as such. It was all Black Professors, Black Speakers, African History, African Culture ans how it related to Caribbean culture... As a teenager, when I went back, I think I was busy remembering stuff and being confused by other stuff; like the Black vs Indian discrimination and slurs and jokes and stuff going on.

I do remember in Barbados, however, people were holding on to Britishisms and that method of class consciousness. And it's only today I have the words to explain that while I grew up bouncing between poor, working class and middle class, part of being Bajan (in my upbringing) was knowing how to class pass and codeswitch from poor to upperclass, specific emphasis on upperclass passing.

It was really hard to break out of that too, and I still end up getting dressed up to go pick up my mail from the box most days. Or check the weather at the gate. Because growing up it mattered and it's only as an adult I have the thoughts and comprehension as to why.

[the_future_modernes]

I visited Barbados once, and it was pointed out in the tourist materials that Barbados has tried to hold on to as much of its Britishness as possible. *shrugs* And that was a good thing to be proud of. My parents were about not being mistaken for lower class.