Mike's Journal

DOMINICA | Saturday, 6 July 2013 | Views [320] | View Smaller Image

Ma Ricky’s shop served as the hub for the small rural village of Salybia. The people of the area generally subsisted on unprocessed food that came straight from the earth – ground provisions, fish, fresh fruit – but just about anything else that they needed could be found at Ma Ricky’s sparsely stocked shop. It seemed that everyone truly appreciated how much the land provided for them, although many wished they had some more cash in hand to buy material goods. The fact that land cannot be sold in the territory means that while land often remains in family hands and is used for farming, it cannot be used as collateral for loans, making progressing out of material poverty a serious challenge.

Waytu-Ka is the second “canoua” of its kind built in recent times in Dominica. The main body is made of one massive gommier tree that was felled by the indigenous Kalinago people in the depths of the forest or “Zion” as they often refer to it. After a week in the forest the tree was hollowed and stretched using traditional methods that have been passed down for generations. Parked on the roadside in front of a beautiful vista, you get the sense that some traditions have remained strong. This canoua will be sailed through the Caribbean in part to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the Kalinago territory in Dominica.

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Life in the Kalinago territory, while materially poor is embodied by life close to the land, family, and leisure time. I stumbled across this beautiful river pool right by the ocean where the younger kids were swimming and doing tricks, while the older boys talked and washed clothes in the river. Clearly, while almost all the ingredients for a happy lifestyle can be found, money for education and serious health complications are not easily accessible.

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