The Last of the Caribs

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000749

SIPDIS
AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN PASS TO AMEMBASSY GRENADA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/07
TAGS: PGOV SOCI EAID ECON KWMN XL
SUBJECT: The Last of the Caribs

DERIVED FROM: DSCG 05-1 B, D

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Summary

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1. (C) Dominica's Carib territory - one of the last vestiges of
indigenous Carib culture in the Hemisphere -- is rapidly losing its
cultural identity due to increasing government encroachment, the
breakdown of public institutions, and the high rate of poverty and
social ills within the Carib community. An almost finished village
consisting of housing units and a community center has become a hot
button topic in the Carib Reserve, as those in need are being
denied access to the Venezuelan built complex as the Skerrit
government seeks to deliver the units to local party faithful.
With local control being eroded and cultural traditions fading,
this last refuge of pre-Colombian culture in the Eastern Caribbean
is quickly losing its identity. End Summary.



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Autonomous Zone

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2. (SBU) The Carib territory in Dominica is an autonomous zone
designed to preserve Carib culture. The reserve is on the east
coast of the country and contains roughly 3000 inhabitants, many of
mixed African/Carib ancestry. The reserve is governed by a Chief
who is assisted by a council of advisors, as well as a
parliamentary representative. The territory has abolished private
land ownership, but allows people to utilize land for housing or
farming after consultation with the council. The lack of private
ownership of land effectively cuts off any source of bank funding,
limiting the growth of private business and forcing most Caribs to
commute an hour each way to the capital to find gainful employment.
The territory was the third largest provider of bananas by parish
in Dominica, but has seen production plummet in recent years as
preferential access to the EU market disappeared. The lack of jobs
is the main contributor to social ills, which include high rates of
alcoholism, domestic violence, and child abuse, according to
Francis Joseph of the Christian Children's Fund. The CCF runs a
program that attempts to thwart these problems by stressing mental
stimulation of children under five years of age. A group of 14
roving caregivers recruited from the community they serve are given
basic training in childhood development and are outfitted with an
assortment of books and toys.




3. (C) The Carib territory, despite being a reserve to maintain
cultural identity, is now at risk of losing its autonomy from the
federal government. The construction of a housing project funded
by Venezuela has shown the limits of local authority: although the
housing is almost complete, the local Carib government has not been
allowed to disburse the housing to local residents; instead, as the
central government in Roseau is seeking to distribute it as
patronage to party supporters. According to Masclem Frederick, the
Carib Chief from 1972-1975 and current advisor to the council, the
territory owns all land and property in the reserve, and is
considering suing the federal government for preventing its use of
resources on community land.



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Community Service Day Hampered by Lack of Government Support

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4. (SBU) November 4th is a national holiday, and has been dubbed
Community Service Day in order to encourage citizens to work on
short-term public works projects. Throughout the reserve,
individuals were busy cutting back weeds from the road shoulder,
fixing potholes, and paving rough patches of the road. The
projects are designed to be finished in one day and to use

community labor with resources provided by the government.
Fastulus Frederick, brother of Masclem and Chief from 1975-1978,
lamented the lack of funding from the government, which paid only
$20 USD to the community for its efforts. The community has become
frustrated by the lack of government involvement and has ceased
applying for government funds, as the previous years' requests have
all been rejected. While government officials were conspicuously
absent, Claudius Sanford, the opposition candidate for the district
was seen helping residents on projects.



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Carib Culture and Language

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5. (SBU) The Carib language has already almost completely
disappeared, with only a few elders still able to sing some songs
in the language. The British anthropologist Douglas Taylor created
a dictionary to preserve the language, but it is not being used in
any of the schools. Prosper Paris, labeled a 'cultural treasure,'
is a trainer of cultural dancing troupes and is able to sing some
folk songs in the Kalinago language, but he, too, is unable to
effectively communicate. In brief interviews with residents, most
claimed that they could not say anything in their ancestral tongue.
Paris told poloff he has seen the community become marginalized and
victimized, and forced to rely on foreign assistance for education,
housing, childhood development, and health.




6. (U) Carib Chief Garnet Joseph lamented the lack of instruction
about Carib history in the local school systems. Dominicans are
not taught about pre-Colombian history and have very limited
knowledge about the role that Caribs have played in shaping
Dominican society. As Creole Day focused on Dominican culture,
almost nothing was dedicated to Carib history, language, music or
food. This is denying the role that Caribs have played in the
makeup of Dominica culture.



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Model Village

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7. (U) The Kalinago Barana AutC* is a Caribbean Development Bank
and U.S. cultural grant-funded model village designed to highlight
traditional culture, handicrafts, canoe building, cassava
processing, and herbal medicine all set in structures utilizing
traditional architectural techniques. The record of attracting
tourists to the site has been mixed, as it is too far from the
cruise terminal to easily visit on a day trip. On the main road
next to the turnoff to the site is a collection of local Carib
merchants selling handicrafts. Even though they could sell at a
central location within the village, the low number of tourists
making their way to the village convinced them to stay by the main
road, where they could at least attract those on their way to the
airport.



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Comment

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8. (C) The Carib territory is an important, if imperfect, attempt
to preserve the traditional culture of the Carib people. Poverty,
alcoholism and other social ills plague the reserve, and while the
council that understands the Carib culture would be best placed to
solve these ills, they are not given the support to do so from the
national government. The growing trend of centralizing power in
the hands of the national government and PM Skerrit is undermining
whatever local autonomy is left. The almost-finished Venezuelan
housing project overlooking the main road serves as a point of

contention, its new concrete construction both beckoning and
taunting local residents who simply wish to improve their lot in
life. It now serves as a standing reminder to the Caribs of the
steady encroachment of the national government on their autonomy.
HARDT