Commentary
Dara Healy
Daseena Okenaga highway
Okenaga daseena highway
How much for us, how much for the daseena highway
The king is passing
– Black Indian song shared by Maria Nunes to honor Narrie Approo, pioneer of Black Indian masquerade
Throughout history there have been phenomenal atrocities against humanity, providing each country with what we call contested heritage…If the statue of Christopher Columbus, for example, is to be removed, it must be preserved in a suitable place that is still accessible to him. public, along with an accurate account of the impact of Columbus’s presence in the New Worldd.
– National Trust, TT
SURISIMA was a calypsonian and a member of the Kalinago (formerly Carib) peoples. He and Cariso Jane, a shack yard calypsonian known for “indecent acts,” are said to have been in love. Very little is known about the Surisima or, indeed, the heritage of our indigenous peoples. This is part of my motivation for writing a series about the monuments, plaques and street names that should honor the people who built this nation.
Spanish colonialism was responsible for the almost complete destruction of indigenous peoples. In little more than a generation, overwork, disease and mistreatment reduced their numbers from about 40,000 to only about 4,000 souls. Why then should we celebrate the people responsible for such genocide with permanent and highly visible statues and other monuments?
Scholars point out that “statutes and memorials are part of a wider system of power, making visible or invisible histories that are seen (or invisible)…” The notion of “contested heritage” points to the fact that since history is usually written by the dominant authority of the time, this often results in indigenous cultures being largely invisible.
Kalinago, Warao, Lokono, Nepuyo, Taino, Arauca, Chaguanes – these are just some of the names of the indigenous peoples who settled here in TT and across the Caribbean. They called Trinidad Kairi or Iere, and gave Tobago its name, probably from the word tobacco. We also know about some of their heritage in place names like Mucurapo, Caroni and Arima, in foods like manioc or cassava and words like barbecue, agouti, pirogue, Savannah and hurricane from Huracan.
But the times call for a deeper understanding of our heritage beyond the superficial. This is essential for the true decolonization of our society. The sole aim of the colonial powers was to extract whatever was valuable to enrich their royal bosses and of course themselves. As noted by Dr Eric Williams, Columbus assured his employer that “God has reserved for the Spanish monarchs, not only all the treasures of the New World, but…(an) infinite number of souls destined to bring in the bosom of the Christian Church.”
Thus, when in 1699 the indigenous peoples turned their anger on the priests who had enslaved and Christianized the indigenous peoples, history documented this act of resistance as a massacre and not as an uprising in the name of freedom and preservation of ancestral and cultural identity.
However, the colonialists were not able to erase all traces of this beautiful spiritual culture. Even our indigenous ancestors now speak to us through masquerade. During slavery, they often helped enslaved Africans escape and resist, either through densely forested mountain trails or on open water in their dugouts. No doubt strong friendships, even personal relationships, would have developed. This intermingling of African and indigenous cultures is particularly visible in the black Indian masquerade, some elements of which have survived since the late 1600s, when Capuchin monks arrived here as missionaries.
In addition to Hyarima’s statue in Arima, there is one in San Juan of an indigenous ancestor, and recently, a statue was erected in Moruga to honor the indigenous people of that region. San Fernando Hill is considered a sacred site for the Warao, Cleaver Woods Recreation Park houses some artifacts and community history, and in Arima, the descendants of the indigenous peoples now have land and a center with historical information and authentic instruments, jewelry, food and items others for sale.
As the world re-examines the importance of public spaces to issues of racism, inequality and social justice, we have an opportunity for our own soul-searching. We need to bring all these unique aspects of our indigenous culture together to undo the colonial damage and empower future generations.
So in the Black Indian tradition, “Achi mama, Achi mama – Ah leaving.”
Dara E Healy is a performance artist, communications specialist and founder of the NGO, Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN
