Situated in the northeast of Trinidad, in the middle of the East-West Corridor,
Arima was originally settled by Caribs and other Amerindians who called the
area "Naparima." My main objective for visiting Arima was to seek out the last
remnants of Carib culture in Trinidad. My father's family claims Carib ancestry,
so I've always been curious about this part of my heritage. While in Arima I
visited the free Amerindian museum at Cleaver Woods. The building (left) used
for the museum is a reproduction of an Amerindian home called an ajoupa hut.
The reproduction is essentially a false one, as the tour guide explained,
because the original would not have had walls. The hut at Cleaver Woods
requires walls to ensure the safety of the artefacts housed within.
The artefacts include household items and hunting gear used
by Amerindians throughout the Americas. The museum also includes
a modified version of a clay oven, which is still used in many parts of the Trinidadian
countryside. Surprisingly, there were few original artefacts by Trinidadian
or Tobagonian Amerindians. Most of them were from South America, in particular
Venezuela and Columbia.
Another interesting artefact housed in the museum is a warap (left).
I think this may actually be a replica, not an original. My husband had the pleasure
of posing for a picture with the warap (lucky him!). The Amerindians used the
warap to make an alcoholic drink (also called warap) made from cane and a mixture of other ingredients.
As far as I know, they use this device to extract the juice from the cane.
As a person with some Carib ancestry, I also had to visit the statue of Hyarima. The statue is situated in a parklike setting outside of the Arima velodrome. The following inscription appears on the statue:
The last great leader of this nation's indigenous people was Hyarima. He was a Nepuypo -- a sub-tribe of the Carinepogoto (Carib) whose villages were established througout northeast Trinidad.
Hyarima, it is said, could summon hundreds of warriors from the villages that then surrounded Arima, of which he was chief. He was feared and respected by the Spanish, who were attempting to colonise Cairi, which they renamed Trinidad, and by the Dutch who wanted to settle Tobago.
Hyarima joined the Dutch in 1665 to raid Spanish outposts in Trinidad and also those of the Orinoco in 1667. He was involved in the last successful revolt by this island's indigenous people. This took place in December 1699 against the Capuchin Missionaries of San Francisco de los Arenales and the then Governor Don Jose de Leon y Echales in Arena.
Hyarima is quite rightfully considered the greatest known legendary personage by
the Santa Rosa Carib community of Arima, and is considered by them as the first
national hero of Trinidad and Tobago.
Another important statue in Arima is one of the late calypsonian
Lord Kitchener, née Aldwyn Roberts. Lord Kitchener, also known as "The Grandmaster," was
born and bred in Arima and is considered one of the most successful pioneers of calypso,
the native music of Trinidad. Sadly, Lord Kitchener died on February
11, 2000. Fortunately, the statue in Arima was erected on August 13, 1994 when he
was still alive to appreciate it. A full-body statue of The Grandmaster can be seen in
Port-of-Spain. To read a tribute to Lord Kitchener, visit the Calypso Tent.
As an admirer of Dr. Eric Williams, the first Prime Minister
of Trinidad and Tobago, I had to visit Woodford Square whilst in Port of Spain. To
me, Woodford Square, locally known as the "University of Woodford Square," is legendary
because it is the place from which Dr. Williams lectured to the masses about the importance
of national sovereignty, which later led to Trinidad and Tobago's independence from the United Kingdom.
During the 1970s, the square was dubbed "the people's parliament" by members of the
Black Power movement because it was viewed as a place where people could freely
express their various points of view.
Today, Woordford Square remains a veritable "Speaker's Corner," akin to
the one in London's Hyde Park, where anyone can express their opinions and debate
others on various issues. In the southeast corner of the square, a blackboard lists
the day's discussion as well as other important information. On the day I visited, someone
wrote on the blackboard, "We Welcome China's Visiting State Leader Li Ruihuan to Port of Spain."
The day's discussion was why blacks aren't prospering in Trinidad. Apparently, debates from Woodford
Square are broadcast on Power Radio 102FM on Wednesdays at 7:30pm.
This is not a great picture of the National Museum, but I think it is important
to include it on this page because I want people to visit it. Unfortunately,
cameras aren't allowed in the musem so I was not able to take pictures of its interior.
However, if you're looking for a free museum to visit while in Port of Spain, the National
Musem is the place to go. Opened in 1892, the building was originally a science
and art museum named the Royal Victoria Institute, which was constructed to commemorate
the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The building was renamed the National Museum
and Art Gallery in 1962 when Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from the United Kingdom.
Currently, the museum houses exhibits on the various peoples of Trinidad and Tobago,
from the earliest Amerindian settlers, to the African slaves and East Indian indentured servants
that followed them. There are also some interesting exhibits on the history of
Carnival and on the oil industry. Unfortunately, many of these exhibits are in
an advanced state of disrepair. The museum should request an optional
donation from the public, as in the case of the National History Museum in New York.
The Art Gallery is in much better shape and includes a permanent exhibition of Trinidadian
art, ranging from lithographs of old Port of Spain by Michel Cazabon to the work of
contemporary artists such as Carlisle Chang and Leroy Clarke.
Directly opposite the National Museum and Art Gallery is a lovely park, known as Memorial Park, with gorgeous
red flamboyant trees. This umbrella shaped tree (Casesalpiniaceae Delonix Regia) is crowned
with bright red flowers from February to August, or longer.
At the center of the park is a cenotaph (right) which was erected
in honor of the Trinidadians and Tobagonians who fought and died in the First and
Second World Wars. On Remebrance Day, the second Sunday of each November, the
President gathers with a guard of honour and a group of dignataries for a wreath-laying
ceremony at the foot of the cenotaph.
