First People wants Govt to relocate Parliament.

First People wants Govt to relocate Parliament.
By COREY CONNELLY | Trinidad & Tobago's Newsday Sunday, July 14 2013

Carib Queen Jennifer Cassar, second from left, and President of the Santa Rosa First Peoples' Indigenous Community, Ricardo Bharath-Hernandez, second from right, along with other members of the First People descendants, leave the Red House in Port-of-Spain, after performing a Purablaka ceremony to 'appease' the spirits of their ancestors, yesterday.
Author: ROGER JACOB

Members of the Santa Rosa First Peoples’ Indigenous Community have asked the Government to consider relocating the seat of Parliament in Port-of-Spain as a mark of reverence to the remains of their ancestral spirits, says Carib Chief Ricardo Bharath-Hernandez.

However, he said if this is not possible, some attempt should be made during the current re- construction exercise to preserve the remains of the First People’s ancestors, at the site of the Red House, for descendants as well as members of the international community.

Bharath-Hernandez expressed hope that the Red House could further be developed as a heritage site “for the remains that are found there.

“The bones must be dealt with in a special way,” he said.

Bharath-Hernandez was among a group of First Peoples’ descendants who performed what he called a “Purablaka” spiritual ceremony at the Red House, yesterday, “in the name of the departed.”

He said the one-hour long ceremony marked the first phase of a two-part ritual, which is expected to be performed “more extensively” by a Shaman of High Priest of the community in October.

Bharath-Hernandez said the person is likely to be sourced from the mainlands of Venezuela or Suriname.

Acknowledging that the Government has been more sensitive to matters involving the indigenous peoples, the Carib Chief said, however, that the process of drawing greater national attention to their plight was “going slowly.”

“It is not going at a pace we would like and deserve some more meaningful attention,” he said.

Bharath-Hernandez said the Government has already given the First Peoples’ a 25-acre plot of land, along the Blanchisseuse Road, Arima, for the development of an indigenous Amerindian village.

Saying that the land was being surveyed, Bharath-Hernandez said issues relating to comprehensive development plan and cost of the project, still needed to be addressed.

“We do not want handouts from the Government,” he said.

“What we want is an industry so that the people can benefit from it. Not a little bit here and there.”

When completed, Bharath-Hernandez said, the village will contain a cassava and craft factories. Tours are also expected to be conducted at the site.

“All activities will be geared towards sustainable development,” he added.

Asked about the response of the community’s descendants to the First People’s, Bharath- Hernandez said: “It is not as solid as we would like it to be, but once they have something they could identify (Amerindian village) we expect that we would get returns. People feel more empowered when they can identify with something.”

SMOKE OUT TO GIVE SPIRITS PEACE.

SMOKE OUT TO GIVE SPIRITS PEACE.
By JULIEN NEAVES | Trinidad & Tobago's Newsday | Friday, July 12 2013

MEMBERS of the Santa Rosa First People’s Indigenous Community will be performing a spiritual ritual tomorrow at the Red House in Port-of-Spain to “appease the spirits” of bones disturbed during works at the site, Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez disclosed yesterday.

He explained it is the belief of the indigenous peoples that when bones are disturbed, a special ritual has to be performed “to give peace to the spirit of those killed there”.

About seven people, including himself, will participate in the simple ceremony which will involve smoke as a medium of prayer and will take place at about 2 pm. They will also sanctify the site as a sacred burial area.

In October, they plan to hold an all-night ceremony called a “Purablaka”, similar to a wake. It will start from 6 pm with the ceremonial painting of people, go through various phases with different music, prayers and chants, and end the next morning with a procession around the building and a visit to a river or the sea for ritual baths and cleansing. About 30 or 40 people are expected to participate in that ceremony, Hernandez reported in a telephone interview with Newsday.

He said approval for tomorrow’s ceremony was given by officials of the House Cultural Heritage Team, a Cabinet-appointed committee to manage aspects of the historical find.

On March 26, a number of skeletal remains, cultural and historical artifacts were discovered during initial excavation work as part of the restoration of the Red House. The bones date from 430 AD to 1390 AD. The First People believe the remains and artifacts are from their ancestors.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the community called on Government to turn the Red House into a national historical site and consider the permanent removal of Parliament, which has been housed temporarily at the International Waterfront Centre since October 2011.

Minister of National Diversity and Social Integration, Clifton De Coteau, described the request as “a very tall order”. Speaking with the Newsday, in a brief telephone interview, he noted the Red House is a heritage site for many reasons, including that it is the Parliament building.

“And there is a lot of history on that site where the building is situated,” he added. On possibly converting it to a national historical site, De Coteau explained that because the site is on the parliamentary property, the Red House Cultural Heritage Team will assume responsibility for it. Heritage sites fall under his ministry while the buildings are under the purview of the restoration unit of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.

“So that we’ll all have to talk but first of all, I’ll have to talk to Chief Bharath,” he said.

He planned to meet with the Chief of the First People some time next week. Hernandez reported yesterday the community has sent a formal letter to the Red House Cultural Heritage Team, chaired by House Speaker Wade Mark, with the suggestion about the Red House. They have received an acknowledgment and the assurance of a reply. Questioned whether he believed Government would convert the Red House to a national historical site Hernandez replied, “I would want to believe so. I see no reason why it shouldn’t be. Not 100 percent sure of (the) position of those in authority. But we will do all in our power to see that it is made as such.”

Mark yesterday told Newsday he had not received the correspondence, adding he had only recently returned from “another place” — serving as Acting President in the absence of President Anthony Carmona. He noted the request would be reviewed by the committee and at the appropriate time a statement issued.