The Culture & People of St.
Lucia
St.
Lucia's culture has evolved from the intermingling of the many
different groups of people who have participated in its history.
Each has brought different beliefs and traditions, all of which
are reflected in the life of the island today. A visitor is likely
to drive on the British side of the road to an Indian restaurant
in a French town, greeted all along the way in Creole patois.
One of the most accessible
expressions of St. Lucia's rich cultural heritage is its cuisine.
The fertile, volcanic soil of the island yields an enormous supply
of produce, and the island is one of the leading banana exporters
in the Caribbean, with six different varieties available. In
addition to bananas, St. Lucia's abundant tropical fruits include
mangoes, papayas, pineapples, soursops, passionfruit, guavas, and
coconuts. Local chefs combine the island's fresh produce with a
wide variety of equally fresh seafood to create tantalizing
curries, Creole-style entrees, and pepperpot stews. Callaloo soup,
made from a leafy green similar to spinach, is the national dish.
The island's outstanding cuisine has recently gained international
recognition by garnering several gold medals in the regions most
prestigious culinary competitions.
But St. Lucia's culture extends far
beyond the table, as the island has long held a reputation for its
intellectual and artistic talents. St. Lucia has produced two
Nobel Prizewinners: the late Sir W. Arthur Lewis, who won the
Nobel Prize for Economics in 1979, and poet Derek Walcott, who won
the 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature.
To understand as well as enjoy St.
Lucia's culture is largely a matter of gaining some sense of the
various peoples who have contributed to it. The first of these
were the Arawaks and the Caribs, Amerindian peoples indigenous to
the entire Caribbean. They were expert hunters, farmers,
fishermen, and skilled artists. Their primary crops were cassava,
yams, sweet potatoes, all of which still play a central role in
the island's food. The Amerindians were decimated by the arrival
of the Europeans, and only a small number of St. Lucians can still
trace their roots back to this group. Some of the few particular
aspects of Amerindian culture that survive include farina and
cassava bread, fish-pots and other local craft items. Some
villages still practice the ancient art of fishing in dug-out
canoes.
The next group to arrive on the
shores of the island were the Europeans, primarily the British and
the French. Though the Europeans didn't settle St. Lucia in large
numbers, they had an incalculable impact on the island's history
and culture. The British and French influences seem to weigh
equally, despite the fact that the French lost the island in 1814.
To St. Lucia's complex cultural mosaic, the British contributed
their language, educational system, and legal and political
structure. French culture is more evident in the arts--music,
dance, and Creole patois, which stands alongside the official
language of English.
At the same time that
the Europeans were bringing their own cultures to St. Lucia,
African culture was becoming established through the arrival of
slaves for European plantations and, later, indentured labourers.
Their descendants constitute the largest percentage of the
island's population, and their proud heritage has had an enormous
impact on St. Lucia's character as a nation. African traditions
have survived the repressions of slavery and servitude to become
the strongest element in St. Lucian culture today.
After the abolition of slavery,
East Indians came to St. Lucia as indentured servants. Most worked
in the large sugar factories in the Cul-de-Sac, Roseau, and
Mabouya valleys and in Vieux Fort, where there is still a
significant East Indian community. In comparison to other
immigrant groups, their numbers were small. Although their
traditional culture has almost disappeared, the East Indians have
had a notable and lasting influence on the island's fine cuisine.
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