The History Of The Caribbean Island Of Saint Lucia

The Documented History Of Saint Lucia Todays article will discuss the documented history of Saint Lucia. Saint Lucia is an island in the Caribbean, it exists in the lesser Antilles & is a part of the island group called the “Windward Islands”. From its closest pointoday'sT, it is 186.04 Nautical/Marine miles (214.091009 miles or 344.54608 kilometers) from mainland Venezuela. It is also 1314.27 Nautical/Marine miles (1512.434905 miles or 2434.02804 kilometers) from mainland Florida. Its history was widely dictated by the English, similar to the surrounding islands. Saint Lucia has 10 current municipalities & 150 inhabited towns. It has an incredibly rich history with multiple indigenous tribes & many wars over the course of time. In this article we will discuss the discovery & documented history of Saint Lucia as a whole, The known aboriginals of Saint Lucia, the disaster history of Saint Lucia, & finally a segment on the Saint Lucian economy.

The Documented History Of Saint Lucia Before Colonization Saint Lucia was inhabited by 3 main indigenous peoples before being discovered by the Europeans. These tribes were the Arawaks, the Ciboney, & The Kalingo / Caribs. These tribes trace back to 1000 B.CC..B on Saint Lucia. The Ciboney were the first people to inhabit Saint Lucia. They most likely arrived in approximately 1000 B.C. However they did not document much & did not leave many things behind. It is not known why they left. After this, the Arawaks came from northern South America. They came between the years of 200 & 400 A.D. They used pottery for numerous things & left behind large amounts of it. Many Arawak archeological sights contain large amounts of pottery from this age. It is not fully known what the Arawaks called the island however it is believed that they called it Louanalao. This translates into “Land Of The Iguanas”. This was due to the high population density of iguanas in Saint Lucia. These Arawaks were rather peaceful & built canoes for various purposes. They often fished & learned how to make black earth. Black earth is used for agricultural purposes, it is made with a mix of charcoal & soil. This leads us to believe they had rather industrious farms. They did not wear clothes & chose to live without them. They spoke a variety of different languages. Their religious beliefs centered heavily around nature spirits & their ancestors. Every different settlement that they made had complex social structures & hierarchies. After this, the Caribs / Kalinago arrived & were not peaceful toward the Arawaks. They often fought, kidnapped, murdered, & stole from the Arawaks. They spoke many different languages, however “Island Carib” was the most popular. Their religious beliefs were relatively unknown but they were polytheistic. They also had canoes however instead of fishing, they were used as warships. These war ships could hold over 100 people & were fast enough to catch a European sailing ship. The Caribs became infamous for their ferociousness in battle. They also had a complex societal structure, however the Saint Lucian Caribs did not seem to have any kind of government. The Caribs killed off most of the male Arawaks & took the women to integrate them into Carib society. They originally called the island Hewanarau. This translates into “There where the iguanas are found”. After Colonization 16th Century Christopher Columbus may have seen the island on his fourth voyage in the year 1502 as he sailed to Martinique from the south. However, this island was not mentioned in his log so it is unknown. Juan de la Cosa a Spanish cartographer did note a land mass that was in Saint Lucia’s area on a map from 1500. However, this may have not been Saint Lucia, in which case he would have discovered it in 1504. He notes it as “El Falcon” on the map. A Spanish Cedula (order) mentions an island in the approximate area of Saint Lucia that existed within the Spanish domain. Additionally, a globe made in the Vatican in the year 1520 lists the island as Sancta Lucia. A later Spanish map from the year of 1529 lists the island as S. Luzia. After this, in the 1550’s, a french pirate by the name of François le Clerc / Jambe de Bois set up a base of sorts on the islet of Pigeon Island. His reason for doing so was that he was attacked by Spanish ships. At the time, the islet was not connected with the main isle of Saint Lucia. 17th Century In 1600, Spanish explorers arrived & officially settled the french pirates settlement, calling it Vieux Fort. This still exists as a city to this day. In 1605, a group of 67 english settlers on a vessel known as Oliphe Blossome were thrown off course from their original destination of Guyana. They ended up taking refuge on the island of Saint Lucia & starting a settlement. They were welcomed by the Carib chief known as Anthonie. Unfortunately, after only a few weeks, only 19 of the colonists were left alive. This was mainly due to attacks from the other carib chief Augraumart. After that they abandoned the settlement & fled the island. In the year of 1626, the company of Compagnie de Saint-Christopher was chartered by Cardinal Richelieu. He was the chief minister of Louis the XIII of France. His reasoning for this charter was his that he wished to colonize the area of the lesser Antilles that were between the eleventh & eighteenth parallels. In 1627, a royal patent was issued to a certain James Hay 1st Earl Carlisle by Charles The 1st Of England granting rights over to the Caribbean islands that existed between the 10° & 20° north latitude, creating a competing claim. In 1635, the company of Compagnie de Saint-Christopher was reorganized under a new patent for the Compagnie des ÎIes de I’Amerique. This gave the company all the properties & administration of the former company & the rights to continue colonizing neighboring vacant islands to Saint Lucia. There are English documents claiming that colonists from Bermuda came & settled the island in 1635. However, a French patent claims that french settlers settled the island on the 8th of March 1635. The alleged leading settler was Pierre Belain d’Esnambuc. Captain Judlee planned to establish a settlement at modern day Praslin Bay with 300-400 Englishmen. Unfortunately, they were attacked over the course of three weeks by the local Caribs. The outcome ended up being the the few remaining colonists fleeing on the 12th of October 1640. In 1642, Louis XIII of France extended the charter of with relation to Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique for 20 more years. Afterwards in 1643, du Parquet, who had become Governor of Martinique, noted that the British had abandoned the idea of colonizing Saint Lucia. With that, he began making plans for a settlement. In June 1650, he sent French explorer Louis de Kerengoan, Sieur de Rousselan & 40 Frenchmen to establish a fort at the mouth of the Rivière du Carenage. This would have been near present day Castries. As the Compagnie faced bankruptcy due to little interest from the public, du Parquet sailed to France in September 1650. They then purchased the sole proprietorship for Grenada, the Grenadines, Martinique, & what they named “Sainte-Lucie” for 41,500 dollars. The French drove off an attempted English invasion in 1659, but allowed the Dutch to build a redoubt near Vieux Fort Bay in 1654. On the 6th April 1663, the Caribs sold Saint Lucia to a man named Francis Willoughby, the 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham. He was the English governor of the Caribbean. He decided to invade the island with 1100 Englishmen & 600 Amerindians in 5 ships-of-war in 17 pirogues forcing the 14 French defenders to flee. However, the majority of the English colony succumbed to a disease. The French then took over again as the English kept failing to settle the island. However the English came back in June 1664 & fully retained possession of the isle until the 20th of October 1665 when diplomacy ended up gave the island back to France. The English decided to invade again in 1665, but disease, famine, & the Caribs viscous attacks caused them to ultimately decide to flee in January of 1666. The Treaty of Breda gave control of the island back to the French. The English raided the island in 1686, but relinquished all claims in a 1687 treaty & the 1697 Treaty Of Ryswick. 18th Century The British had their headquarters in Barbados & the French were centred on Martinique. They had both found that Saint Lucia had grown appealing for their purposes. This was after the slave-based sugar cane industry developed in 1763. During the 18th century the island changed ownership or was declared neutral territory a dozen times or more. This may have been entirely avoided if international laws on new territories existed at this time period. Even though it changed ownership the French settlements remained & the island turned into an unofficial French colony well into the 18th century. In 1722, George the I of Great Britain granted both islands of Saint Lucia & Saint Vincent to John Montagu, the 2nd Duke Of Montagu. He in turn decided to appoint a man named Nathaniel Uring who was an English merchant, sea captain & explorer as the deputy-governor. Uring went to the islands with a group of seven ships, & established settlement at Petit Carenage, which would be nearby modern day Castries. Uring was unable to get enough support from British warships or from other British settlers. This ended in him & the new colonists being promptly run out by the French. His ability to start an English colony was due to the treaty of choc which made Saint Lucia a neutral territory. A census conducted on Saint Lucia in 1730 showed 463 occupants of the island, which included just 125 Europeans, 37 Caribs, 175 slaves, & the rest were free africans or people of mixed race. The French took control of the island in 1744 for their purposes. In 1745, the island had a population of 3455, which included 2573 slaves. The increase in population by so much was most likely due to the french farming sugar cane. During the Seven Years War Britain occupied Saint Lucia in 1762, but ultimately gave the island back at the Treaty of Paris on the 10th of February 1763. Britain occupied the island again in 1778 after the Grand Battle Of Cul de Sac during the American Revolution. British Admiral George Rodney then built Fort Rodney from 1779 to 1782. In 1779 another census was conducted which showed that the island's population had increased to 19,230, which included 16,003 slaves who were working 44 sugar plantations. Due to the high density of people, the Great Hurricane Of 1780 killed about 800. The island was restored to French rule in 1784, as a consequence of the Peace of Paris. After this, it was discov that 300 plantations had been abandoned & a thousand Maroon people lived in the interior. In January 1791, during the French Revolutionary war on first coalition, the National Assembly sent four Commissaries to St. Lucia to spread the revolution philosophy. In August, the slaves began to abandon their estates & Governor de Gimat of France fled. In December 1792, Lieutenant Jean-Baptiste Raymond de Lacrosse arrived with revolutionary pamphlets, & the poor whites as well as free people of color began to arm themselves as a collective force called the patriots. On the 1st of February 1793, France declared war on England & Holland, & General Nicolas Xaiver de Ricard took over as Governor of Saint Lucia. The Convention Nationale abolished enslavement of any race on the 4th of February 1794. Unfortunately Saint Lucia fell to a British invasion led by Vice Admiral John Jervis on the 1st of April 1794. The residential area of Morne Fortune became Fort Charlotte. Soon, a patriot army of resistance known as L'Armee Francaise dans les Bois, began to fight back. This ended up in beginning the 1st Brigand War. A short time afterwards the Royal army invaded in response to the concerns of the wealthy plantation owners, who wanted to keep sugar production going. On the 21st of February 1795 a group of rebels who were led by Victor Hugues, defeated a battalion of British troops. For the next four months, a group of recently freed slaves known as the Brigands forced out by the British army. As well as every white slave-owner from the isle. The English were eventually defeated on June 19th of the same year & fled from the island. The Royalist planters fled with army, leaving the remaining now free Saint Lucians to enjoy “L’Année de la Liberté” which translates to “The year of freedom. Gaspard Goyrand, a Frenchman who was Saint Lucia's Commissary later became Governor of Saint Lucia, & proclaimed the abolition of slavery. Goyrand decision for the corrupt planters were to bring them to trial. This ended in several losing their heads on the guillotine, which had been brought to Saint Lucia with the troops. He then proceeded to reorganize the islands government. The British continued to harbour dreams of recapturing the island, these would come true in April 1796 when Sir Ralph Abercrombie & his troops attempted to capture the island. During the invasion, Castries was burned & destroyed, & after approximately one month of battles the French surrendered at Fort Charlotte on the 25th of May 1796. General Moore was elevated to the position of Governor of Saint Lucia by Abercrombie & was left with 5,000 troops to complete the task of subduing the entire isle. A British Brigadier General John Moore was appointed Military Governor on the 25th of May 1796, & engaged in the Second Brigand War. Some Brigands began to surrender in 1797, when promised they would not be returned to slavery. Final freedom & the end to hostilities came with total Emancipation in the year of 1838. 19th Century The 1802 Treaty of Amiens caused the isle to be restored to French control, & at this time it was decided by Napoleon Bonaparte to reinstate slavery. The British regained the island in June of 1803, when British Commodore Samuel Hood defeated French Governor Brigadier General Antoine Noguès. The island was officially ceded to Britain in 1814. Additionally in 1838, Saint Lucia was incorporated into the British Windward Islands administration, which at the time was headquartered in Barbados. This lasted until 1885, when the capital was moved to the main island of Grenada. 20th Century During the Battle Of The Caribbean World War 2, a German U-boat vessel attacked & sank two British battleships in the Castries harbour on the 9th of March 1942. Increasing self-government has been marked as the most liberating thing for Saint Lucia's 20th-century history. A 1924 constitution gave the island its first form of representative government, with a minority of elected members in the previously all nominated legislative council. Universal adult suffrage was introduced in 1951, & elected members became a majority of the council. Ministerial government was introduced in 1956, & in the year 1958 Saint Lucia joined the short lived West Indies Federation, a semi-autonomous dependency of the United Kingdom. When the federation collapsed in 1962, due to Jamaica's withdrawal, a smaller federation was briefly attempted. After the failure of that federation, the United Kingdom & the 9 windward & leeward islands of Grenada, Saint Vincent, Dominica, Antigua, Saint Kitts, Saint Nevis, Anguilla & Saint Lucia developed a novel form of cooperation called associated statehood. In 1957, bananas officially exceeded sugar as a major export crop. As an associated state of the United Kingdom from 1967 to 1979, St. Lucia had full responsibility for internal self government but left its external affairs and defence responsibilities to the United Kingdom. This interim arrangement ended on February 22, 1979, when St. Lucia achieved complete independence from the United Kingdom. The Aboriginals Of Saint Lucia The Kalingo / Carib Indigenous Peoples The Caribs of Saint Lucia were an indigenous Amerindian of the Caribbean lesser Antilles. They are also known as the Kalingo or Kalina. They also lived through South America. They spoke a language that is modernly known as Island Carib which is classified as a highly endangered language. They were one of the least peaceful tribes of the Caribbean. They had many warlike tactics & were believed to have mandatory combat training. They were taller, bulkier, & stronger then the Arawaks due to the emphasis of being a warrior & being able to defend their home. They utilized their marine resources often & had a strong fishing industry. Fish was one of the most common foods, they also were believed to have bred some fish. They had large boats which were most similar to a modern day Canoe, these boats could hold up to 12 persons. However, their largest warships could hold up to 100 persons. These boats looked similar to a modern day dug out canoe. However, they also had the ability to use & build sails. They used these to raid the Arawaks as well as to fish. They also utilized the ocean in other ways often. They fought with the other tribes of The lesser Antilles such as the Arawaks who were relatively peaceful. They hunted mammals as well. They revered the bones of their elders or family members & they burnt off fat from their enemies or prisoners of war during battle rituals. They were labelled as cannibals & savages by the Spanish & British on their individual conquests, this was in an effort to justify conquering their lands & enslaving them. The modern day word cannibal, originates from the word Carib due to their alleged cannibalistic practices. They invented certain types of primitive barbecues as well which they most likely used to barbecue the Arawaks. However, if they were cannibalistic they did not consume the entire body. Allegedly, their reasoning for this was that if they consumed a little bit of their enemy after they were dead, they would assume the characteristics of that person. Also, there is evidence to believe that early Caribs were not cannibals. They were on average approximately 5 feet 5 inches. They had a brown hue to their skin similar to that of a modern day Latin American person. They did not appear to wear clothing of any kind. The women would paint their skin with a red dye known as Roucou which is made from the extract of the seeds of the Achiote tree. The women also circled their eyes with black pigment. The male’s would also painted their bodies and on occasion wore feathered headdresses, jewelry & piercings of all kinds through their lips, and large hoop jewelry through their noses. Nose piercings were fairly common among both genders. The male’s also wore the Caracoli which was a necklace of small bones along with the teeth of defeated enemies from which a crescent-shaped bone carved ornament was suspended. The Caracoli necklace was worn to represent the courage of the wearer, it was typically worn by men & there isn’t much evidence that it was worn by women. The women also commonly lived in different houses from the men. Arts were common among the Caribs. Basket weaving was a common type of art that was done both for function & for art. Pottery was quite common among Caribs as well. They had many different structural styles of pottery. It is also important to note that most men spoke Island Carib languages, however women spoke mostly Arawakan languages. They often used bow & arrows when hunting or fighting. This weaponry unfortunately was not very helpful during the initial British Invasion. However, their boats were. They were infamous for using one of their war ships to catch European boats. This is one of the main reasons as to why Saint Lucia wasn’t colonized for such a long time. They did not have a social or societal construct & did not have any form of government. Little is known about their religion however it is believed that they practiced polytheism. The Arawak Indigenous Peoples The Arawak Indigenous peoples existed throughout the lesser Antilles & heavily throughout northern South America. They were also known as the Taino people. They spoke many different dialects of Arawaken languages. They were quite peaceful & often avoided to engage in combat. They mostly only fought in defence or if they were being directly threatened. They often did not fight with other Arawak populations. They often practiced farming of corn, beans, pepper, sweet potatoes, ground nuts, & cassava. They also practiced fishing with nets & spear fishing. They used weaving techniques to build the nets. They also bred their own fish in individual ponds. They hunt any animals that were available using spears, bows, & blow guns. They however, did not use the pelts to make clothes. Most of the time Arawaks stood naked, with men occasionally wearing loincloths. The women wore short skirts & beaded shell necklaces. They also did not make shoes of any kind. On occasions, they would paint their bodies various colours such as black, white, or red. They were described as being of medium height by Columbus, which most likely means approximately 5 feet & 3 inches. They also generally were quite slim in build. Their skin was a dark tanned colour. Their hair was a black colour & was corse. They often wore jewellery & ornaments on their neck, ears, lips, & noses. These ornaments varied in material however they were often made with clay, shell, or cotton. Some of these ornaments were braided into hair & used as hair pieces as well. They did have social & societal constructs, with each individual group of Arawaks having a chief. For fun & religious purposes, they had festivals. These festivals entailed singing, dancing, & eating food with the community. They had instruments such as wooden gongs, reed pipes, & certain types of drums. They also had a kind of primitive oven which was used to bake small flat cakes. Games were also a common past time of them, one game they invented was a ball game called Batos. The Ciboney Indigenous Peoples The Ciboney indigenous peoples lived all throughout the Caribbean. They lived throughout Cuba & as well as the greater & lesser Antilles. They were also known as the Siboney. Their language was unknown & it was a language was an isolate. They often stayed out of the way & lived on the coast lines. Their ambitions in relation to war & peace are unknown. They did not farm anything to our knowledge, instead opting to hunt & gather their supplies. They did not write anything down, so extremely little is known about them as the majority of them were gone before the Europeans arrived. Some of their primary sources of food were shellfish, turtles, & certain available island rodents. They also lacked in arts such as pottery & weaving. They may have originated from southern America in the areas of modern day Venezuela. If they were, they would have migrated to up to Cuba. Alternatively, they may have originated from the southern areas of modern day Florida. However, they did not have very good maritime technologies. The Most Destructive Man-Caused & Natural Disasters That Affected Saint Lucia No.1 Hurricane Tomas Hurricane Tomas was the 19th hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. It was a category 2 hurricane. It affected the greater & lesser Antilles. 44 people suffered fatal injuries due to a direct cause of the hurricane, 8 of which were on Saint Lucia. It also intensified a cholera outbreak in Haiti. It caused 463.4 million USD dollars in damages in 2010. Adjusted for inflation, that would modernly be 633.74 million USD. It lasted from October 29th 2010 to November 11th 2010. No.2 Hurricane Janet Hurricane Janet was the most powerful tropical cyclone of the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season. It is also one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, & was the first category 5 hurricane name to be retired. It was a category 5 hurricane. It affected most northern Caribbean countries & mainland Mexico. It caused over 1,023 deaths to occur directly from it. There is unfortunately no indirect death toll. It cost 65.8 million USD in 1955. Adjusted for inflation that would be, 731.69 million USD. It lasted from the 21st of September 1955 to the 30th of September 1955. No.3 Hurricane Allen Hurricane Allen was the second tropical cyclone of the 1980 Atlantic Hurricane season. It was also the 5th most intense Atlantic hurricane in terms of barometric pressure. It was a category 5 hurricane. 269 direct fatalities were caused a a result of the hurricane, 6 of which were on Saint Lucia. It affected the entire Caribbean, Texas, & Mexico. It caused 1.57 billion USD in damages in 1980. Adjusted for inflation that would be 5.68 billion USD. It lasted from July 31st 1980 to August 11th 1980. No.4 Plane Crash On Mount Gimie A plane crash occurred on October 29th 1973 at Mount Gimie. The aircraft was a Britten-Norman Islander. There were 4 total fatalities & there were 0 survivors. There were 3 passengers & 1 crew member on board. The twin engine plane struck a slope on Mount Gimie at 950 meters (3116.8 feet) high at night. The plane was absolutely destroyed. The wreckage was found one day later & all aboard were already dead. Saint Lucia’s Economy & Public Stock Market Saint Lucia is economically stable which, gives it its safe reputation. They largely export crops, clothing, electronics, electrical components, & beverages. Their largest industry is tourism. Agriculture accounts for 3% of GDP & for 20% of all jobs. Their Banana industry is slowly declining due to cheaper banana exports from South & Central America. The avocado industry however, is slowly & slightly on the rise. The isle is considered to have the most diverse manufacturing industry in the eastern Caribbean. Their GDP for the year of 2021 was 1.787 billion USD. Their currency is XCD or the eastern Caribbean dollar. Their GDP per capita is 9,816 USD. This has steadily risen throughout the years. Their inflation rate as of 2021 is 3.8% which is higher then in 2019. Their GDP by sector is, 2.2% agricultural, manufacturing / industry 10.9%, & services 86.9%. Their main stock market is the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange or the ECSE. This stock market has 13 listings as of 2023. Directories / Credits https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arawak https://www.britannica.com/topic/Carib https://www.stlucia.org/en/discover-saint-lucia/history-culture/ https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Lucia/History http://www.geographia.com/st-lucia/lchis01.htm http://saintluciamissionun.org/about-saint-lucia/ https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Saint_Lucia.html https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/24/archeology-caribbean-carib-people-cannibalism-colonial-history-wrong https://www.embassyofstlucia.org/history-of-saint-lucia https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/media/Documents/International/Caribbean/World-Read-Aloud-Day/The-Arawaks-or-Tainos-First-Aid-Reader-E.pdf https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ciboney https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/19/61/00547/15-25.pdf https://www.baaa-acro.com/country/saint-lucia Strategic Partnerships Reel Guppy Outdoors Our Loyal Patrons Ms. Ochoa. ReplyForward