Acquainting yourself with the basics of Guadeloupe’s history, deeply linked
with the history of the whole of the region, is essential if you wish to
understand the cultural context of the area you are bound to. “Yesterday was
yesterday, today is today”, said a certain politician from the Middle East.
This, however, is not relevant to regions such as Guadeloupe, where a sound
knowledge of the past gives a helping hand in understanding present day
traditions. Contrarily to continental America, the Caribbean islands
accommodate a great majority of[...]
In terms of history, Martinique’s society is a young one. The abolishment of slavery in 1848 gave birth to society as known today, and certain elements are still under formation up to our days. History is thus present on an everyday level and acquainting yourself with its basics is essential if you wish to understand the cultural context of the island you are bound to visit.
Chronology
1635 : The first French colonists found the colony of Saint Pierre under authority of Pierre Belain d’Esnambuc. A year later, Louis XIII’s[...]
Saint Martin’s history is just one step in the progressive populating of
the islands between Miami and Venezuela. The region of Grand Case displays
the most ancient traces of a tribe referred to as “Meso Indians”, who were
ignorant in terms of agriculture and pottery, and arrived to the region
around 2000 B.C. (in the Palaeolithic period). These initial settlers were
eventually assimilated by a new peoples of a more advanced social structure,
the Saladoids (also called “Arawaks”), wandering to the area
from the delta of the Orinoco Flow,[...]
Saint Barthélemy –or St. Barts in English- has a particular history, different from the ones of the other islands nearby. This has to do with the fact that St. Barts, being especially difficult to exploit, often became a trading possession, changing sovereignty several times. Among the Amerindians that first inhabited the island, the Arawak Indians left the name "Ouanalao". This was most probably the very first name of the island. Today, it appears on the island's coat of arms and its meaning probably refers to the[...]
2 A.D The sole freshwater source of the island is a
sacred place of pilgrimage for the Arawak Indians.
1493 Christopher Columbus names the island “Anguille”
(French for “eel”), due to its longish shape.
1650 English colonisation, followed by a short period of
French occupation in the 18th century.
1816 Anguilla constitutes a sole entity with St Kitts,
Nevis and the British Virgin Islands.
1848/1850 Inhabitants of Anguilla seek work in Saint
Maarten, where a large labour force is required after the abolishment[...]
Before 1493 > The island was inhabited by the Arawak Indians, then by the Caribbean. 1493 One Sunday, Christopher Columbus sailed along the coast of the island, and called it Sunday (in Spanish: Domingo, where we get Dominica). The Spanish quickly left the French and the English to quibble over who was to govern it. Twice their gunfire started a fire and totally destroyed Roseau. 17th century French and English fighting. 1748 The French and the English abandon the island to the Caribbeans and declare it a neutral zone in order to put an end[...]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were discovered and first inhabited by the
Ciboney, who left their native South America on board their peculiar small
boats to arrive and settle on the islands way before Egypt’s first pharaohs
rose to power. Arawaks were soon to follow, bringing with them their
rudimentary methods of farming and extraordinary fishing talents which
permitted the development of a more elaborate political and social
structure. Their peaceful society was eventually conquered by the arrival of
Caribbean people (also known[...]
Saint Lucia is part of the Lesser Antilles, and has most certainly been inhabited since the Meso-Indian period (5,000 B.C., see the section on History) or the Pre-Ceramic period. In accordance with our current knowledge, this society underwent great change when agriculture and ceramics arrived (saladoid culture). What we know only allows us to go back as far as populating the goes to between 200 and 400 A.D. In other words, if we use traditional terminology, back to the Arawak peoples. Starting in the 7th century, the Lesser Antilles (including
Saint[...]
