The World Indigenous Peoples Day held on Sunday, August 9 and scores of Kalinago leaders have been voicing their concerns regarding the ethnic identity and cultural development of the ancient tribe. Parliamentarians, government ministers, and tribal leaders all came together to celebrate the Kalinago culture and proffer ways for moving the kingdom forward.
The Minister for Environment, Rural Modernization and Kalinago Upliftment, Cozier Frederick, expressed his delight to be part of the Kalinago heritage and be part of its restoration. The parliamentary representative for the Salybia constituency noted that the religion and cultural governance which the Kalinago people inherited from colonial masters must be redefined and re-evaluated to help the tribe move forward following 40 years of self-rule.
Senator Annette Sanford pleaded to the collective resilience of the Kalinago people and urged the tribe to strive for unity and progress with a view to shaping the future of the indigenous people. She credited the Kalinagos with a stereotypical identity, and pointed to this trait as responsible for the ability of the tribe to fashion their future based on how far their past has brought them.
Sanford lamented the fact that Henry Hesketh Bell in 1903 partitioned 3,700 acres of land which was alloted to the Kalinagos for their residence. She said the reserve has limited the expansion of the Kalinago territory and that the tribe has been forced to accept a rebirth foisted on them by the government. She said the restriction has compromised the Kalinago culture and native values, lamenting that very few people are willing to fight for the cause of the tribal people.
Youth activist and black advocate, Ashfred Norris, also lamented about the financial and economic woes of the people of the tribe, saying Kalinago natives have been marginalized and discriminated against in terms of political and economic empowerment. He said the government must resolve to raise the standards of living for the tribe and to give them economic indepedence for tribal emancipation.
Kalinago Chief Lorenzo Sanford in his speech urged members of the tribe to stop considering themselves as limited to a population of 3,000 in Waitukubuli Dominica. According to him, the indigenous Kalinagos are “a massive family of indigenous peoples of the Americas” and not just restricted to the 3,000 souls on the territory. He urged the people to connect with other clusters of the tribe in other countries to create a global community of the indigenous peoples of Kalinago.
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