Trinidad and Tobago are the oldest settled islands of the
Caribbean archipelago, and as Arie Boomert demonstrates, Trinidad’s geography
is not only still marked by hundreds of Amerindian toponyms (unlike any other
Caribbean island), but the Indigenous Peoples’ cultural heritage was implanted
in the rural and domestic traditions of a peasantry that fused Amerindians,
Africans, and Spanish people and lives on to this day. Arie Boomert’s synthesis
of archaeological, ethnohistoric, and ethnographic research on the Indigenous
Peoples of Trinidad and Tobago is more than
just a capstone to his many years of research in this field. It is also more
than a book written for the general public (students, history teachers, and
adult citizens of the twin-island republic). It is the only existing,
up-to-date text on this long-neglected subject that is both comprehensive and
yet highly informative on very specific points. Both specialists in the
subject, and those with a general interest in the cultural history of the
Caribbean, or even the history of the Spanish Caribbean alone, will find great
value in this work which should form a part of every serious library collection
on the Caribbean.
The structure of the volume is chronologically sound,
divided into eight distinct time periods covering roughly ten thousand years,
without any one period occupying more space than the others. As an
archaeologist himself, Boomert was well equipped to provide the layperson with
a good overview of archaeological research conducted in Trinidad,
dating back to the 1800s, with roughly 300 sites studied. The strength of the
volume lies in its archaeological and ethnohistoric dimensions, with roughly
the past century and the present confined to the final chapter. In that sense,
the volume tends to reinforce the established tendency to speak of Trinidad indigeneity in the past tense. Yet Boomert’s
book also shows how indigeneity in Trinidad is
constantly returning from the margins, and is partly due to the island’s close
proximity to neighbouring Indigenous populations on the mainland, whose
presence figures prominently throughout the book.
Many will appreciate the thick detail in this book,
systematically organized as it is. Boomert draws from a wide variety of
sources, including his own archaeological work, the offerings of diverse museum
collections across Europe, and insights from
very rare texts. There is a minimum of speculation in this book, and a maximum
emphasis on information. It is also very well illustrated throughout, with
attractive photographs, diagrams, and maps. Tobago is not an afterthought
either: a significant amount of information about Tobago
is presented throughout, with a dense chapter devoted to the Indigenous People
of Tobago which in itself is a significant contribution to knowledge. Just to
give the reader a sense of the coverage contained in this book, it typically
focuses on trade, subsistence, material culture (pottery especially, and
weaponry), ritual (burial), warfare, social structure, the division of labour,
house construction, political organization, chiefs (many are named) and
shamans, and an expertly synthesized and engaging presentation of colonial
ethnohistory. The description of the emergence of a rural peasantry, with
syncretic religious, ecological and domestic agricultural traditions founded on
Indigenous knowledge and practices, is impressive. The book thus also covers
issues pertaining to ecology, folklore, health and healing, and food
production. Politically, Boomert also devotes considerable attention to slavery
(which first emerged in the Caribbean with the
Spanish enslavement of Indigenous Peoples); resistance, in the form of revolts;
and, collaboration between Indigenous communities and foreign invaders.
Boomert’s overview of the Catholic missions among Trinidad’s
Amerindians is comprehensive, and not confined to Arima alone, one of the longest
standing and more recent missions that is the current home of the revitalized
Santa Rosa First Peoples’ Community.
Among the very few shortcomings of the book, there was
insufficient effort made to transform archaeologists’ writing into material genuinely
intended for a broad public (few would call a bowl a “serving vessel”), and
some of the names of vegetables and ground provisions do not appear to be
Trinidadian but are imported by the author from elsewhere (such as “coontie
[zamia]”). There was actually very little on the figure of the Nepuyo warrior,
Hyarima, a treasured part of Arima’s history, with only a few lines offering no
new information, yet a subsection of a chapter was seemingly devoted to him. Most
importantly, however, is the consistent lack of citations in the text, thus not
allowing readers to track down the original sources of information. Instead,
Boomert opts for a select bibliography, organized into not very helpful
sections. One could also quibble about other specific historical and
interpretive points, but none of this is meant to detract from the fact that
this book stands as a highly detailed, comprehensive synthesis, that will
likely stand unrivalled for many years as a central, go-to resource on the
Indigenous Peoples of Trinidad and Tobago.
Maximilian C. Forte
Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Concordia University
“The Santa Rosa First Peoples Community is mourning the
death of its Queen Jennifer Cassar. Cassar, 66, died on Thursday after a brief
illness. She would have celebrated her birthday on August 4. She was elected
Queen of the Santa Rosa First Peoples’ Community in 2011, until her death.
Cassar succeeded then ‘Carib Queen’ Valentina Medina, who died at the age of
78. A statement from the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community said Cassar would
be remembered ‘as being a very warm, humble and compassionate Queen of the
Community, who worked tirelessly with the young Community members.’ She was a
cultural activist for over 20 years and known for her advocacy for the arts…. The
‘Carib Queen’ as she was affectionately called, Jennifer Cassar was born on
August 4, 1951 at Malabar, Arima to Nicholasa Lara-Pile and Rawle Pile. She is
the first of five children. Her ancestral line was quite deep as she was
descended from the full Amerindian bloodline through her maternal great, great,
grandparents—Jose and Annicasia Lara (nee Lopez); Great Grandmother Maria
Chichita Lara and Grandfather Pablito Lara, also called Hubert de France. Her
paternal grandmother was also of full Amerindian blood from Guyana while
her mother was also a descendant of the Caribs. Cassar was a member and
Assistant Secretary of the Santa Rosa First Peoples (Carib) Community. She was
a practising Roman Catholic who lived the Amerindian way of life through her
grandparents who observed a staunch indigenous lifestyle through their
involvement with the Santa Rosa Festival. She was a member of the
Cabinet-appointed Amerindian Project Committee for five years. Cassar
represented the Santa Rosa First Peoples Carib Community at the 3rd Indigenous
Leaders’ Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama
in April 2009. In December of that year she participated in a seminar on the
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for the
Caribbean held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. She
had was a cultural activist for over 20 years and was a member of the Regional
Carnival Commission with responsibility for co-ordinating National
Stick-Fighting Competitions. As a career public servant, Cassar joined the
Public Service of T&T in 1971 and served the country for 40 years. She
worked in several government ministries including the Ministries of Education,
Community Development, Culture, Sports, Health and the Judiciary. She was also
a certified Home Health Care professional.”
Please note: Carib
Queen—no quotation marks needed—is not an “affectionate title”. It is a formal
title in the Carib community, as has been the case for a period stretching now
across three centuries.
Government of the
Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, Statement from Prime Minister Keith
Rowley.
“I wish to extend sincerest and heartfelt condolences to The
Santa Rosa First Peoples Community on the passing of the Carib Queen Jennifer
Cassar. As the First People mourn this loss so too do the people of Arima, as
Mrs. Cassar was a symbol of strength, will and power within this community.
Though today we feel sadness having experienced this loss, I feel comforted by
the fact that as Carib Queen Jennifer Cassar was able to experience the
celebration of the First People across Trinidad and Tobago in 2017. This
celebration and recognition of the community showed to all of us the vigour, energy
and excitement that was Jennifer Cassar as she ceremoniously paraded through
the streets in this celebration. Mrs. Cassar was not only the Carib Queen but
also heralded a career in the Public Service of Trinidad and Tobago
and served this country for over forty years. She contributed to the
development of her country through work in Education, Community Development,
Culture, Sport, Health and the Judiciary. Today I take the opportunity to again
express my humblest gratitude to Mrs. Jennifer Cassar for her yeoman service to
the First Peoples Community, to the Borough of Arima and to Trinidad and Tobago. May her life
be an example to those in and outside of the Carib community and may her legacy
be carried with love, light and positivity. May she rest in peace”.
“Mrs. Jennifer Cassar worked tirelessly to sensitise us to
the role and contributions of the First Peoples Community and continuously
strived to preserve and revitalise Amerindian history and traditions. The Carib
Queen was one of the key advocates who lobbied Government to honour a
long-standing call for a one-off holiday to formally recognise her Community’s
presence and contribution to our country. Government granted the request and
the holiday was celebrated on October 13th, 2017 with Queen Cassar leading a
procession through the streets of Arima. She was a member of the
Cabinet-appointed Amerindian Project Committee from 2007 and also a member of
the Regional Carnival Committee of the National Carnival Commission with
responsibility for coordinating National Stick Fighting Competitions”.
President of the Republic
of Trinidad & Tobago,
Paula-Mae Weekes:
“Having worked for forty years in the public sector before her retirement, Ms. Cassar devoted almost her entire life to the service of her country. I have known her since 1996 when I had been working at the Hall of Justice. I quickly became aware of the esteem in which Ms. Cassar was held by members of her team and was struck by the diligence with which she executed her duties. She was fiercely loyal to the judge for whom she was the Executive Secretary for many years and involved herself with many other ancillary functions of the Judiciary until she retired. During her tenure at the Judiciary, Ms. Cassar held a deep concern for the welfare of the First Peoples of Trinidad and Tobago. She had always wholeheartedly embraced her indigenous identity and sought to encourage others to also take pride in their heritage. Her inauguration as Carib Queen in 2011 therefore acknowledged her many years of activism and her standing in the First Peoples’ community. I was pleased to follow her leadership as Carib Queen as she worked tirelessly to improve the unity and solidarity of the indigenous people and to secure greater recognition for their customs and traditions, such as
stick-fighting [sic]”.
“The National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago
(NCC) joins with the nation in remembering the life of Jennifer Cassar –
beloved Carib Queen, organiser, and cultural pioneer – who died on July 19,
2018. Cassar is widely lauded as a smiling, kind-hearted leader who worked
alongside her community to organise events such as last year’s grand
celebration for the First Peoples Public Holiday. Additionally, she has been an
invaluable contributor and guiding figure in the Annual Arima Fest
celebrations, Santa Rosa Festival, and First People’s Heritage Week. Cassar
would also have a tremendous impact in an area outside of First Peoples’
empowerment movement. She is also fondly remembered for her work in bringing
Stick Fighting to the fore and her tireless energy in giving the artform the
respect and recognition it so rightly deserves. Remembering Cassar’s legacy and
invaluable contributions, NCC Chairman, Winston ‘Gypsy’ Peters said, ‘We, at
the Commission, are deeply touched by her passing’”.
Power 102 FM, July
19, 2018, Press Release from the Arima Borough Council.
“Mayor Lisa Morris-Julian and the Arima Borough Council are
grieved by the passing of beloved Carib Queen, Jennifer Cassar. The Council
describes the loss as a blow to Arima’s foundation, which is rooted on the
First Peoples’ contributions. The Council laments the loss of a phenomenal
woman of pure Carib descent. However, the council is thankful that she assisted
in extensive work to keep persons of First Peoples’ lineage united and thriving
in the Santa Rosa First Peoples’ Community. It recognizes her decades of labour
which assisted to create a space in the borough where the First Peoples are
acknowledged and respected. The Council recalls fond memories of the late Carib
Queen as a smiling, kind-hearted leader who worked alongside her Community to
organize events such as last year’s grand celebration for the First Peoples
one-off Public Holiday. The Council will miss her contribution to this year’s
Arima Fest celebrations, Santa Rosa Festival and First People’s Heritage Week.
The Arima Borough Council wishes to express sincere condolences to her family,
the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community and all of her loved ones”.
“Education Minister and Arima Member of Parliament Anthony
Garcia also extended condolences on the passing of Cassar….’She contributed to
the development of her country through work in Education, Community
Development, Culture, Sport, Health and the Judiciary. Today I take the
opportunity to again express my humblest gratitude to Mrs. Jennifer Cassar for
her yeoman service to the First Peoples Community, to the Borough of Arima and
to Trinidad and Tobago.
May her life be an example to those in and outside of the Carib community and
may her legacy be carried with love, light and positivity. May she rest in
peace,’ he said”.
Trinidad & Tobago
Newsday, July 20, 2018, by Carol Matroo
“Arima Mayor Lisa Morris-Julien said Cassar was not only
Carib Queen but the ‘Queen of Arima’…. ‘We expected to have Mrs Cassar with us
for a very long time. She was loved by everyone, by her neighbours, by the
entire community. Every Arimian was proud that she was our queen. She was
heavily involved in culture and I credit her for bringing back stick fighting
back to Arima, always trying to ensure that we become the cultural mecca that
we should be,’ Morris-Julian said…. It was Cassar’s dream to establish an
Amerindian village in Blanchisseuse and the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community
was granted 100 acres towards this venture. ‘Government gave them the land and I’m so happy that she
lived to see the one off holiday (last October 13). Her role in the community
could never be underestimated. She was the right hand of the chief (Ricardo
Bharath) and she always took the needs of her people before her own. She was an
excellent mother and wife,’ she said.”
Trinidad & Tobago
Newsday, July 24, 2018, by Carol Matroo
“Her casket will be open for public viewing at the Arima Town
Hall on Friday from 10 am to 12 noon and a
funeral service will be at the Santa Rosa RC Church. A full Amerindian ritual
service will be conducted at the Santa
Rosa Cemetery
‘where her body would be offered back to the elements from which she came.’
Indigenous members from Guyana
and Surname are expected to attend”.
“Viewing of the body will take place at the Arima Town
Hall from 10 a.m. to 12 noon where a condolence
book will be available. After this there will be a procession through the
streets of Arima and then to the Santa Rosa Catholic Church on Woodford Street for
the funeral service. Following the interment at the Catholic Cemetery,
guests will gather at the Santa Rosa First Peoples Centre at Paul Mitchell Street, Arima. Nightly
wakes will be held today and on Tuesday at Koon Koon Street, Malabar, Arima from
7p.m. to 12 p.m. On Wednesday, the wake will be held at the Santa Rosa First
Peoples Community headquarters at Paul
Mitchell street”.
“Carib Chief Ricardo Bharath-Hernandez has described her
passing as a great loss to the Community, especially coming on the eve of the
Santa Rosa De Lima Festival on August 26, the 223rd Anniversary of the
festival. ‘She was indeed a Queen, for our time’”.
