St. Vincents & the Grenadines
St. Vincents & the Grenadines – This island nation lies in the Eastern Caribbean and consists of 32 islands and cayes. The largest island, St. Vincent (which is only 18 miles long and 11 miles wide) is a lush volcanic island of steep mountain ridges, valleys and waterfalls. Its rugged eastern coast is lined with cliffs and rocky shores while the western coastline dips sharply down into black and gold beaches. To the north, the volcano La Soufrière rises over 4,000 feet. The rich volcanic soil produces an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and spices, such as coconuts, bananas, breadfruit, nutmeg, and arrowroot. English is presently its official language and cricket the favorite sport. With respect to BLAC FOUNDATION interests, St. Vincent is the birthplace of the Garífunas (Garinago), better known as the Black Caribs. In 1797, the Caribs (in the third Carib war) were finally defeated and the bulk of its population deported to the tiny island of Roatán off the coast of Honduras where it eventually multiplied and spread to Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua and elsewhere. This remarkable Black and Indian population still speaks its own maternal tongue and clingss tightly to many elements of its culture. [For more about the Garífuna, see Dr. E. L. Powe’s The Lore of the Caribbean, Part I: the Black Caribs .]
