Day 8: Carib Territory

Our flight leaves in the afternoon, and we spend our last morning exploring Carib Territory, a 3,500 acre reserve set aside for the last of the indigenous people in the Caribbean. By most accounts, the Carib Indians were originally a warlike group who traveled from South America in canoes, conquering the small peaceful Arawak communities scattered through the Caribbean, killing the men, and keeping the women for wives. The Carib called Dominica "Wai'ti Kubuli", which translates to be "How tall is her body", in reference to the dramatic mountains which rise up out of the sea.

When the Europeans arrived, the Carib Indians throughout the Caribbean defended their lands with a fierce intensity. In other Caribbean islands, they were all but destroyed, either due to illness or slaughter. However, the imposing mountainous terrain of Dominica afforded additional protection for the Carib Indians here. The Europeans decided it easier to trade with the Dominican Caribs than to go enter the imposing mountain interior and try to conquer them.

The people retain many of their pre-Columbian practices, such as canoe building and basket-making. Governance is under a Carib Council. There is an active effort to retain the Carib ways, including discouragement of marrying people outside of the territory. Efforts are being made to create a Carib Cultural Village, which would be a great attraction for tourists. Some fear that the risks of exploitation are too great, but others see it as a great financial resource for the people.

A more detailed history is found here.

All through this trip, Dominicans said that I look like a Carib Indian. I thought it was a joke until we visited this area and I saw some of the school children. With long straight black hair, almond eyes and honey skin, they looked like a tanner version of me as a child. I guess they weren't kidding.


A traditional canoe is built behind the Carib Council House.

We stop to watch a man under a thatch roof baking cassave bread, a traditional Carib food. The bread is made from ground cassava and coconut, and baked open-air on an old piece of iron. The locals say that this bread was traditionally used when traveling long distances. Unlike flour-based bread, cassava bread doesn't mold or spoil. It's quite tasty and hearty. Andrew calls it "Elven Bread".

With only a couple hours left, we stop at a small BBQ shack on the side of the road, our last Domincan meal. We order chicken legs, and as usual, they are delicious. I spy a little girl behind the counter, I wave hello and she runs away.

A group of farmers sit in front of the shack, their table overflowing with bottles of Kubuli, the local beer. They welcome us to the island. "This is the best place in the world!". They look disappointed when we tell them its our last day here. "You're coming back, right?" Every now and then, their table erupts with racuous laughter. There's going to be a big pig roast and they are celebratory from just slaughtering a pig in the river. "Do you want to see the video? I recorded it!"

Two small-framed men in army uniforms appear. They are from Venezuela and they have been sent to rebuild the airport runway, yet another sign of the foreign aide coming into the country. One of the men calls from the table: "Amigo! You want some cerveza?". The Venezuelans just smile.

I've brought our tangerines from the car to snack on, but I decide to save the last one to savor at the airport, as a departing memory. As we get ready to leave, the little girl appears again from behind the counter. I smile at her, and outstretch my hand with the last tangerine. She looks at me cautiously, then smiles and takes it.

I recall Dixon's words as we stood in his gardens by Red Rocks: "Life gives to you, you give to others. This is what it is about."

Comments on the Photography

Most of the photographs were taken on a Canon 350D Digital Rebel XT using the kit lens. The rest were taken on a Canon Elph. Digital processing was done on Photoshop - basic curves, levels, and saturation.

I’m still learning how to use an SLR and there was much trial and error on this trip. More trips, better photos!

Thanks

Thanks to Anne Jno Baptiste for identifying the flora and fauna in these photos. Also thanks to Elliot for inspiration from his travel site.

Helpful Sites about Traveling in Dominica

Because it's such an undeveloped place, there's little information available on Dominica online, however I found these sites very helpful:

• Sky views Inc. has the best online maps for travel planning.


• A Virtual Dominica and The Official Dominica Tourist Site offers a wealth of practical and useful information.


• Tripadvisor.com offers tons of reviews, but they do tend towards a slightly older, less adventurous set


• Very helpful articles in the New York Times, National Geographic, and the Washington Post


• Ron Rothman's Dominica Travelogue provides another great first-person account of traveling in Dominica.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Dominica.