With a special focus on the Kalinago Territory, the entire people of Dominica celebrated the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on Tuesday, August 9. With the theme “The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge,” native Kalinagoans explored the richness of cultural language in transmitting native knowledge to the younger generation.
A range of activities was flagged for the occasion at the Kalinago Resource Centre – ranging from cultural celebrations and oral values to panel discussions on the role of women in transmitting native knowledge using the mother tongue.
Cultural Officer in the Ministry of Environment, Rural Modernisation and Kalinago Upliftment, Prosper Paris, said the role of native women in preserving cultures and promoting the use of local languages cannot be overemphasized. He stated that women are largely responsible for transmitting indigenous languages to younger generations since they bond with children throughout a lifetime.
As part of the activities outlined for the celebration, Paris said a projector will be used to display a PowerPoint presentation of languages and cultural expositions to Kalinago peoples. He urged all Dominicans to be present at the occasion since they would learn native skills for preserving valued cultures through oral skills. He also pleaded with women to speak their native languages to their children to preserve the beauty of mother tongues forever.
The Minister for Rural Modernization and Kalinago Upliftment, Cozier Frederick, acknowledged that the indigenous peoples of the Kalinago Territory have contributed immensely to cultural emancipation in Dominica. He said they have not only safeguarded their communities, but they have also succeeded in preserving ancestral knowledge of native medicine, local lifestyles, cultural dressing, farming techniques, folk dramas and music, as well as oral skills among others.
In a related development, the government in partnership with the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation donated a total of 490 waste bins to the Kalinago Territory under the “Kalinago Territory Zero Waste Community Project”. The initiative was launched to promote environmental health and effective waste disposal in the territory and to promote the overall health of the people and of their environment.
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