Great to see you here Pernilla, many thanks for joining. For several years I knew an anthropologist at Gothenburg, Kyra Marie Landzelius. If you have any questions about this site, how to make the most use of it, etc., please let me know, although I can see that you are already mastering its main elements.

Very best wishes and a warm welcome again.

Thank you! I have just started to take up my masterstudies about Dominica and finish my degree, so I feel a bit fumbling.
I understand that you are situated in Canada?

What I would really like is to get in contact with others who have interest in or knowledge of Dominica in general and the Carib indians in particular. I conducted my fieldwork in spring 2000, so I assume a lot has happend since then. Or not. That is equally interesting! For exampel - do you know if they ever built the new international airport (apart from Canefield and Melville Hall)?
Do you happen to have any Carib contacts that I could link up with?

Have a very nice day, and I will gladly contact you soon again!
/Pernilla

Hi Pernilla,
I sent you a message yesterday but I guess it never made it through. I would like to discuss with you the Carib situation and on your impressions on the Taino.
Thank you!

Hi Pernilla, I have sent myself your email message and promise to respond soon, lots of great questions that you ask, I think I can answer at least some of them.

Hi,
I work on the Karifuna (Carib) language. I saw you had some questions about the language. Feel free to ask me any questions and I'll answer as best as I can.

There are two primary languages that are spoken today in Dominica, English and Kweyol (Creole). Kweyol is not the Amerindian language that was spoken by the Indigenous people. It is a French based Creole.

Karifuna is an Arawakan language with influences from the South American Carib language. It is not spoken anymore beyond a few words and phrases (but I'm working to fix that.) Karifuna is related to Garifuna, which is still spoken by 100,000+ people in Central America as well as the Arawak language.

The words you are hearing other than English are Creole and, at least based on my family in St. Lucia, the Creole spoken in rural areas can be a bit different from that spoken in the city (but still intelligible to all.)

Hope that helps.

The Creole spoken by the Caribs is no different from what's spoken on the rest of the island. There are know Carib or Arawakan words in Creole except for maybe a handful. It's overwhelmingly French based. I wondered about this too but I can find little evidence.

Have you listen to my Macushi ( Cariban Language) songs? If not - it's my great pleasure to invite you to do so. I hope you like it.

Hey Pernilla

It is so nice to hear that you visited my homeland. I am more than willing to asssit you as much as i can and also i can help you make contact with anyone you may need to. I left home about 10yrs ago but i have kept in touch with my people. so yeah let's chat and find out more about each other.

later
Amoi

Hello Dear,

I was born in the Village of St.Cyr, but grew up in the beautiful Village of Salybia. When you visited do you remember who was the Carib Chief?, Was it Chief Irvince Auguiste. My cousin and uncle were both chiefs. Did you visited the Carib Councils office during your stay?, i uesd to live about 3 mins from that building. Anyway i'm anxious to know more about your trip.

Amoi

Dear Pernilla:

The indigenous culture is dieing very quickly in the Caribbean..and the only reserve, on the island of Dominica, is struggling with balancing the need to improve the livelihoods of its people and sustain its cultural integrity. The community has invested in tourism as an approach to development, but that has had its own challenges.

I know of another Anthropologist , Jennifer Lutton who is currently at CUNY Graduate Center. She's done work in Dominica and visits regularly. Her e-mail is jlutton@gc.cuny.edu . I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you contacted here.

I will also look up some information on Caribbean tourism which I will send to you as soon as I can pull it together.

Let me know how your contact with Jennifer goes.

Sylvester.

Hi Pernilla, the work is going slow but it's coming along, mainly because of translation issues. But I keep working on it because I love it!

I thank you for your message-it is late now,and have to go to bed,but wanted to at least make contact!Till next time!
Frank AkuTurey

actually my son's father is Dominican/Antiguan.
I have no love for the Antiguan grandmother, and neither does my son, so he has decided he wants to focus on his Dominican roots.
Dominica seems more interesting anyways!!
as for my sons roots.... its becoming difficult as it seems there arent a lot of Grants on the island. I know also my son's grandfather had some Carib blood, but as to how much?? i dont know.

Hey, read some where that you are doing research on the caribs. Would you be posting it? I am of taino ancestory but the carib indians and the tainos are related. So any info on them is always intersing.

well i dont know anything about the lifestyle but im still stubborn i can at least find the family roots and be able to point on a map or walk into a village and say.. "this is where youre from" because i can do that for my son with my roots!
and my son is 14 already. halfway to a man!!

Hey, Pernilla


The picture are all family members. Actually my family is much bigger than this. Mom has 15 brothers and sister, Dad has about 18 brothers and sister. So between my mom and dad I have over 100 first cousins, Few second cousins too. I have family I havent even met.

Jorge Estevez is great. His work is very important for our people. Especially with this rewakeing/resurgence of our people. I think it is going to help people who dont know of there indigenous ancestory as well as of us who do know. But some times are but in a situation where we have to deny it. He works down here in NY at the native american mussuem. I have seen his taino presentation that he does every monday a few times. It's a great education for taino's regardless of what island they are from. Aslo for other native or non natives. Even though he is very knowlegable with any aspect of our taino ancestory. He seems to be very pro indian. In other words. His work at the museum goes beyoned our tribe. He can speak about other indigenous tribes asswell. I mean this is what I have seen.


Yes, I am from Kiskeya. One of the picture on my page are mountains were there are actually villages. This is were both my parents come from. I was born in New York. I actually posted that picture cause I wanted to show that some part of the island (cibao region) are very secluded. Cibao region is very big. I am sure that Jorge village look very simillar to this. When you get a chance go to (On "Not Looking Indian") started by Orocobia. Page4. I posted a intersting story. This will show how secluded even till now some parts of the cibao region are. I am sure that goes for cuba and the other island too.

You know. It wasnt till I met Jorge that I was able to ask my parents better question. Jorge told me dont ask about indian/taino things. Just ask about there child hood in Kiskeya. Once I did this. The taino/indio just poured out. I found out that 3 genration back everybody in both side of my family had taino fiirst and middle names. Ocourse there are still taino names being used today. But not like before. My mom talked about how they use to make pots out of clay. How they use to make casabe bread, etc etc. Lots of good storys.

You see when I was little. We were thought that we were extinct. I did have a teacher in the village that thought us we are native americans. Later, I actually bought my first taino book when I came back to the states. When I read that tainos wer extinct. I threw the book out. Cause I knew it was a lie. So I kinda turn my back on the whole thing. But I did read anything on north and south american indians (sadly south american indian are going threw the same denial). But nothing that mentioned tainos. I have always felt a connection to other indigenous people. Regardless if they themselves didnt call themslev indians. Obviously things changed now. Books are slowly being updated. But still there is a problem. I can tell other people including native and non native I am taino and they will accept it. But if I tell a person from a spanish speaking island I am taino they will dismis it. Call you crazy. Even if they themself are indians.

WOW, I wrote alot. Sorry for the long book. Hey if you have a specific question go ahead and ask. I dont want to make your page my page, LOL............

Looking forward to your readig your work.

Thanx for the friend invite.

By the way nice family you got there. Nice pictures too. I am assuming this is in sweden? The picuture of the ligh house a very beuatiful shot.