AREAL VIEW OF NELSON’S DOCKYARD
HISTORY TIMES GONE BY The earliest people to live in Antigua and Barbuda were primitive people who probably arrived from South America about 2,000 BC. They were followed by seafaring, Arawak-speaking farmers and fishermen who settled in villages around our coastlines about 200 BC. The Arawaks were skilled in the art of pottery. It is said that they had slightly pointed heads, as their skulls were deformed by using pieces of wood strapped tightly to their heads when they were children. A tuft of hair on top of the shaven head accentuated this shape. They were a peaceful people, catching fish and growing corn and cassava. Their tribes were ruled by a chief, or cacique. Held in great respect was their religious leader, the shaman, who was in contact with the ‘other’ world and who performed religious rites and divination. The Arawaks used tobacco, which they smoked in a special kind of pipe, or rolled into cigars, and drank a liqueur made from corn. In 600 AD their peaceful existence was disturbed by the arrival of a warlike tribe from the Amazon forest, the Caribs. Their name derives from the Spanish word caribal, meaning cannibal. The Caribs conquered and occupied all the lands of the Arawaks. In 1492 Columbus sighted the island of Watling in the Bahamas, paving the way for Spanish colonisers. He was followed by the English, French and Dutch, who fought for dominion over the islands. Although Columbus never landed on Antigua he named the island in honour of Santa Maria de la Antigua, the saint he worshipped in Seville. Antigua remained under the rule of the English with only a brief takeover by the French in 1666. Once returned to the crown with the Peace of Breda in 1667, Antigua became an important colonial naval base. An arsenal was built in English Harbour, a natural 30 ANTIGUA INTEREST . HISTORY
hurricane hole, and the British fleet was stationed at the port. Its most famous commander, Horatio Nelson, is commemorated here at Nelson’s Dockyard. Antigua’s soil was most suitable for intensive farming. When the demand for sugar increased from the 17th century the island became known for the production of sugar cane. As local labour was not sufficient, this period saw the rise of the slave trade where shiploads of people were transported over from the African colonies. The so-called ‘slave triangle’ worked as follows: European ships docked in Africa, particularly West Africa, laden with cargoes of little value. The goods were offered to slave traders in exchange for strong healthy people who could cope with the inhuman conditions of the sea voyage (which could last up to three months) and, once across the Atlantic, would be a reliable workforce for labour in the fields and sugar plantations. The triangle was completed with the ship’s return to Europe laden with sugar and other goods obtained from the sale of slaves to landowners. The abolition of slavery in 1834 and the subsequent introduction of the process of sugar beet refining in Europe led to the decline in sugar cane cultivation. An important event took place in the early years of the last century, when, in 1914, the USA reached an agreement with Panama for the opening of the famous canal. Since that time America has had a strong influence on the area. Between the two world wars, a new ethnic group arrived on the island: the Syrians and Lebanese. They came to Antigua as small traders and integrated well into the community, operating in a range of businesses. The end of World