Dutch Speaking Caribbean

Welcome back!!! So glad that you came to join once again. I think you know exactly what we're back for.... that's right! More creolization in the Caribbean! The part of the Caribbean we are targeting today is the Dutch speaking Caribbean. That's right! You see how versatile the Caribbean is when it comes to languages? We practically have it all lol. Now the Dutch speaking Caribbean is made up of six islands in total. These islands are separated in groups based on their names. The groups are "the ABC islands" and "the SSS islands". The ABC islands are Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao whereas the SSS islands are Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten. Their names aren't the only reason why they are grouped together. The ABC islands are made of limestone, similar to a few other islands in the Caribbean including The Bahamas, Barbados and the Turks and Caicos islands. other. The ABC islands have an arid climate, with poor soil and limited access to fresh water. This in a way kind of saved them from exploitation as when the Spanish arrived and realized how limited the islands were, they dubbed them "useless islands" and left (they did take a good portion of the population but that's besides the point). The SSS islands on the other hand are hilly with a wet climate and volcanic soil, similar to Dominica, St Kitts, and St Lucia. Although they can produce crops better than their counterparts, the soil is not the best for agriculture to shine so they heavily rely on tourism for a flourishing economy.

Here we have a map of exactly where these islands are situated in the Caribbean (I know pretty far lol but the Dutch wanted to take as much land as they could get at the time) Image taken from https://www.global-travel.co.uk/images/karte_kl.gif

Now that that little introduction is out of the way we begin with Creolization! Our first topic is actually going to be string bands! According to Tour De Force, this began with Europeans using enslaved workers in the Caribbean to play European dance music at balls for upperclassman. They soon began combining these melodies with the music of their countries. String bands, as the name suggests, included string or percussion instruments which included violins, guitars, banjos and (on occasion) mandolins. They would also add drums native to the Caribbean and types of shaking or scraping instruments.

Here we have an example of a string band from Anguilla. I believe their name is Took and Boys. Image taken from https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fatbheadoffice%2Fposts%2F2417180335202491%2F&psig=AOvVaw2ch092Ves0bfFqe48OaFEx&ust=1679506837253000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjRxqFwoTCODDhNfI7f0CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

Above, we have a string band using various string instruments, drums, shaking and actually wind instruments. I chose this video because you can just feel the caribbean mood in this video. Like, any Caribbean would know the rhythm anywhere. We have different styles that we know distinguish us but we know the general area lol.

Now this blog is going to be a little shorter than normal (I know I don't want to either). Our second and final example is actually a dish from Aruba called Keshi Yena (I probably pronounced that very wrong but that's okay). It is the national dish of Aruba and in Papiamento means "stuffed cheese" and that's exactly what it is. It is made by adding spiced meat, vegetables into a pot of baked cheese. It is described by the locals as "dushi" which means tasty in Papiamento. This word, funny enough is used to describe everything on the island that is seen as beautiful, delicious and just has generally good vibes.

Here we have a picture of the dish itself. Not gonna lie it's giving me pot pie vibes and I'm getting hungry lol. Image taken from http://static.oprah.com/2018/01/Keeshi-Yena-949x534.jpg

Here we have a local and chef explain how to make the dish. I chose this video because it felt a bit more professional and I was 100% he would make this recipe easy and simple to follow. It makes me want to try out the recipe myself lol.

Fare thee well! I believe we have one more blog after this one so stay tuned! Until next time!!

References

Cambers, G. (2005). Caribbean Islands, Coastal Ecology and Geomorphology. In G. Cambers, Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series . Springer, Dordrecht. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3880-1_61

Global Travel. (2010). Welcome to Dutch Caribbean. Retrieved from Global Travel: https://www.global-travel.co.uk/dc-info.htm

K. Simpson, J. B. (2001, July). Volcanic-hazard assessment for St. Kitts, Lesser Antilles. Retrieved from Seismic Research Unit, University of the West Indies: https://www.oas.org/pgdm/hazmap/volcano/stk_volc.htm#:~:text=There%20are%20four%20volcanic%20centers,Martin%2DKaye%2C%201959).

LeGrand C, G. C. (2019). Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean. Retrieved from Vital Source: https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9789769624900

Natalia, G. (2019, January 16). A ‘melting pot’ made of cheese. Retrieved from BBC: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190115-a-melting-pot-made-of-cheese#:~:text=The%20dish%20is%20keshi%20yen%C3%A1,%2C%20means%20'stuffed%20cheese'.

National Geographic . (2020, August). ST LUCIA FACTS! Retrieved from National Geographic Kids: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/geography/countries/saint-lucia-facts/#:~:text=St%20Lucia's%20geography&text=Rising%20from%20the%20waters%20of,and%20is%20now%20considered%20dormant.

The University of the West Indies. (2003). Dominica. Retrieved from The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre: https://uwiseismic.com/island-profiles/dominica/#:~:text=Dominica%20has%20nine%20potentially%20active,corals%20along%20the%20west%20coast.

Y., H. (2023). Get to Know Aruba Through Its Unique Local Dishes. Retrieved from Marriott Bonvoy Traveler: https://traveler.marriott.com/tips-and-trends/what-to-do-hilton-head-island/