November 15, 2024 • 33 mins
Whispers of the Past sets the stage for a series that reframes history through voices that have long been in the shadows. We begin our captivating journey into the early history of St. Eustatius, revealing how the island’s unique cultural identity was shaped by natural forces and the lives of women too often omitted from traditional narratives.
Experts discuss how St. Eustatius' volcanic landscape and strategic location fostered a rich tapestry of economic exchange, linguistic diversity, and cultural resilience. By exploring the significance of history from a woman’s perspective and examining the enduring impacts of colonial shifts, this episode unveils the mysteries behind the island’s evolving names and its complex colonial legacy.
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Produced by Simpler Media
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Dr. Anna Hanslin (00:00):
If you look at women's history in the Caribbean, it
forces you outside of that very narrow
Eurocentric box of looking at history as defined
by wars and empires and political changes
that are dominated by white men.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (00:15):
Welcome to Whispers of the Past,
a podcast that takes you on a journey through
history told through the voices often left
in the dark. Here we stand at the crossroad
of historical storytelling and women's
history, shedding a light on
synthesias from a perspective
rarely explored. Our goal is to
(00:37):
approach history through a different kind of lens.
We'll use the concept of a canon.
A canon is a structured, chronological
walk through history that lets us
trace each step in order it happened,
revealing how one event flows into the
next. With this approach, we
(00:58):
begin by laying the groundwork of
introducing Stacia's location,
its early history, and its linguistic
roots. From here, we start with
indigenous history and move forward each
episode into Ostatia's rich
history to the present day.
Due to the gaps in historical records,
(01:20):
we also embrace a concept called
braiding knowledge, combining
insight from regional sources and
lived experiences. You will hear from
historians, heritage experts,
regional scholars, and local residents,
each helping us weave together Stacia's
story as we walk the timeline
(01:42):
together. And at the heart of
this podcast is the reason for our name, Whispers
of the Past. Women's voices were often
silenced and were seldom recorded in
history. And here we listen to those
whispers and bring them to life, the stories
that history has almost forgotten to
mention. Together, let's
(02:04):
uncover these voices to
start our journey. We delve into why it's so important
to tell history from a women's perspective.
>> Ms. Sutekau (02:15):
The world doesn't exist without women,
and it's about time that the
world understood
that we are as powerful
and strong, as intelligent,
and much more
proactive, particularly when it
(02:35):
comes to the education of our children,
the welfares of our family, and the
welfare of our community. Those
are things women have always stood
for and stood up for.
A woman should have the
exact same opportunities as a
man, and she should be given
(02:57):
the same rights and privileges.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (03:03):
Ms. Sutekau, a local resident of St.
Eustatias and one of the founders of the island's
center of Archaeological Research,
reminds us of the essential strength and
role women have played in shaping society.
Reflecting on women's contribution in the past
does more than show us where we've been.
(03:25):
It also illuminates the path ahead.
Historian Dr. Anna Hanslin will take
us deeper into this idea, explaining
how a greater understanding of women's role
throughout history helps us shift our perspective
into the present.
>> Dr. Anna Hanslin (03:42):
I think that, uh, a
greater contemporary understanding of the richness
of women's roles in the past allows
us to really appreciate and
justify a richness of women's roles in the
present. I think that one of the key
reasons we need to look at women in the past
(04:02):
is to empower women in the present and the
future. Because if we think of the past, for
example, as a place where
women were never politically important,
it makes it a lot easier for a
patriarchal society to argue that they should continue
to remain unimportant. You can pick pretty
much any area of human
(04:24):
life and think about the fact that women
traditionally have done it all. They've been doctors, they've
been rulers, they've been diplomats, they've
been merchants, they've been
makers of beautiful and utilitarian things.
And to think that they have only
traditionally been wives and mothers
(04:44):
is something that, I think, um, has led to a
lot of assumptions about what women
can and should do. That has
led to some, a distinct lack of
empowerment and also to recognize the fact
that being a wife and a mother is also a
job. Right. And that it's something that is labor, and that
for far too often in Western capitalist
(05:07):
society, it's not valued because it's not commodified in the
same way that other labor is.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (05:13):
Dr. Anna Hanslin points out that
assumptions about women's roles have
long shaped what we think women can or should
do today. This also speaks to the
importance of telling a, uh, full history.
Dr. Anna Hansling continues, sharing how
women's histories often bring new, overlooked
layers to our understanding of the
(05:34):
Caribbean.
>> Dr. Anna Hanslin (05:37):
That history begins with European contact
and settlement in the Caribbean. We know that's
false and does, uh, severe injustice to
the many indigenous people who lived in the
Caribbean before Europeans made contact
and then settled there. So I
think it's parallel to what happens with
(05:57):
women's history in general. If you look at women's history in
the Caribbean, it forces you
outside of that very narrow Eurocentric box
of looking at history as defined by wars, empires,
and political changes that are dominated by white
men. Focusing on that type of history
which glorifies the
(06:17):
European exploration and what
we for a long time erroneously called discovery of the
Caribbean drives that narrative. That history
is only important if it deals with things like
conquest, economic systems
and political settlement
patterns and wars between nations and
empires. I think that is the type of history that
(06:40):
dominated a Eurocentric viewpoint of the
Caribbean for a very long time. And if you
put women's history into that picture,
it reminds you, first of all, that there is
a history that is outside of the
existence of empires deciding that they want
to nominally say this island now belongs to another empire
rather than the previous one, et cetera. And
(07:02):
St. Eustatius obviously is in many ways
one of the best examples in the Caribbean of that, since it changed
hands among empires so many times. And I think
also it's a good reminder that there is
a really crucial human
history of
indigenous and enslaved people whose
lives are not defined so much by big
(07:25):
imperial structural changes like war and
transfer of deeds, et cetera, but defined by
things like raising children and
caring for people. So histories of medicine, histories of
family, cultural history, you can learn
a lot about people in their past by looking at what they
choose to eat over time and how that
(07:45):
changes and how it stays the same. There is an
emotional valence to something like food history. Right. A
lot of people will have a very emotional response
to a food that they associate with their childhood or a
very emotional response to a, uh, food that reminds
them of their cultural heritage. And I think
that's something people don't usually have quite
(08:05):
the same emotional reaction to learning about a battle that took place on an
island they'd never been to. Right. So I think that
is partly true. I also think, though, that
thinking about women's history in the
context of the larger history of the Caribbean, for
example, reminds us that you can't
separate women from things that have traditionally
been told in a male dominated way, like the
(08:27):
history of commerce and capitalism and histories of war and
empire, because without women,
you don't have successful commerce. Women
are making a lot of the things that men are also making.
They're certainly buying. And that's just
one example of how it is
again, even within these, what have traditionally been dominated
by male centric histories. If you look a little deeper
(08:50):
and think about it, you'll understand that women are integral to
those histories too. They just haven't been folded into it
traditionally. And so I think again,
uncovering and appreciating the richness of women's
historical roles in the past really allows us
to think, what is the limit for
women? There's no limit for women besides what patriarchal
(09:10):
systems choose to put on them.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (09:14):
Dr. Anna Hanslin reveals how deeply
women's histories can reshape our understanding
of the Caribbean, reminding us to consider
perspectives often left out of the mainstream
narratives. The broader approach
allows us to connect with the personal, cultural
and everyday lives of those who shape the
(09:34):
region. With the same lens,
we turn to the origin of synthustatia's name,
a name that carries centuries of layered
history. Historian and
Syntustacea's Heritage Inspector Mr.
Richardson will guide us through the mystery
surrounding the island's evolving identity,
from Columbus
(09:55):
misinterpretation to the name that
has defined Statia for centuries.
>> Mr. Richardson (10:03):
It's very interesting because the island wasn't originally
named Centustatius by Christopher Columbus,
um, when he was actually sailing through
the Caribbean in his so called Age
of Rediscovery. Let me just call it
that rediscovery, because there are already people living
here. One of the interesting things is in
1493, I think it was his third voyage
(10:25):
actually, he sailed by St. Eustatius
and he named the island Santa Maria
de la Nive, which is English
for Saint Mary of the Snow.
Where. Why would he name it that? But that's what he
called the island, St. Mary of the Snow. It's quite
interesting because I have looked through many records
in different countries, especially the ones from
(10:48):
Columbus in his journal. I think it's a huge
mystery because why would he name the Island
St. Mary of the Snow? But
then it goes back to his journals and that
while traveling he thought the island was covered
in snow. He thought the quail was
covered in snow because it was all white according to
his description, not in clouds, but the top of the mountain was
(11:11):
white. That made me think of
transforming into today. If I'm on a
ship in 1493, never seeing a volcano with
ash before, could he have mistaken
volcanic ash on the quill at that
time for an eruption that happened maybe a
few centuries earlier, a thousand years earlier? And when you look
(11:31):
at all the layers of soil, especially at the airport area,
because I'm not an archaeologist, I'm, um, an historian, it makes me
wonder, could those two things, you know, have coincided
with each other? And then fast
forward in around
1523, Francis Drake, who
starts using Stacia, he picks up from
a French missionary, we found out that the island's indigenous
(11:53):
name was Aloi. And then you're
going down the line, the island is still being referred to
as Statia or
Estacia, still no saint in front
of it. And the island, the name that Columbus gave the
island, eventually ended up going to Nevis.
So that's where Nevis Nive got its name from. And
then we're stuck with Thasia or East Asia
(12:16):
for a very long time and or Aloi
on many old Spanish maps that you see in Spain
or in Columbus's old ship logs of his
journey, his journals. But anyway, after the
British or the English at the time. Then it
disappears and then it reappears as Santa
Anastasia again. Where did that one
come from? It's not labeled. And then Santa Anastasia
(12:38):
is dropped. And then there's St. Eustatius.
And what's interesting about our name is that most
Caribbean islands, even like St. Martin, has St. Martin's
Day on November 11, which is actually the day of the
saint. Most Caribbean islands, like St. Lucia, et
cetera, in the past, their national feast day at the height of
colonialism was linked to the day of their saints.
(12:58):
But St. Eustatius was never linked to any of those
days because I think St. Eustatius Day is the 24th
of September or the 25th of
September, and our national day is in November. So you see that
the name was just, I don't know, attached to the island, but
then we started being known as, uh, St. Eustatia
Stacia, right up to now. But I tend to
think that the name Statia is actually
(13:21):
interesting because we don't quite know
where it came from because it doesn't come out
of the word Saint Eustachians. It was used before.
So that makes our name quite unique. In the Caribbean, we m
were named after saints, so Santa Maria, St.
Mary of the Snow, that was Columbus's first name. Santa
Anastasia, Saint Eustatius. We were
named after saints. And like I
(13:44):
said, Columbus's journey to the
Caribbean, on the day that he was naming the
islands, like the 6th of January, he was in the area of
Trinidad, so that's why he became La Trinidad. He was
really naming places on the feast day of many
Catholic festivals in Spain when he was
traveling. But on the day when he
comes by Saint Eustatius, it's also not Saint
(14:05):
Eustatius feast day. So it's a whole
mystery of who really gave us their Saint
Eustatius name. And. But eventually it stuck.
And it's quite unique because it's quite long.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (14:16):
From the layers of history embedded in
Cintastatia's name, we turn now to the
island's physical presence, its
geography and location within the
Caribbean. To help us understand
how Synthastacia's unique landscape has
shaped its history, we welcome Dr.
Stelton, an archaeologist who has
(14:37):
worked extensively on Stacia.
>> Dr. Stelton (14:42):
Stacia is basically located, um, right in the middle
of a cluster of islands in the Lesser
Antilian, uh, the arc of Lesser Antilian islands, basically
in the northeastern Caribbean. It's a very interesting
location because it is very close to a
lot of other islands. Right. Whereas stone straw, away from
Ceiba from St. Martin, from Anguilla,
from Saint Barts, from St. Kitts and Nevis, and even Antigua
(15:05):
is not that far.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (15:06):
You know, being part
of this close knit cluster of islands,
Cus occupies a prime
location for both cultural and
economic exchange. Its
proximity to these neighboring islands has long
influenced its identity, impacting
(15:26):
everything from trade routes to cultural connections
over the centuries.
>> Dr. Stelton (15:32):
In the 18th century, it became such an important
trading hub. In the 1970s and 1980s,
a large oil transshipment facility was set up
there. And both of those reasons are very similar
because St. Eustace is located at what is called
a point of minimal deviation. And that means
that it is very close to the location
where a lot of shipping routes intersect. What that means
(15:55):
is that if you, um, are doing business on St. Eustacia,
you're very easily accessible from established shipping
routes.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (16:02):
This strategic location was key not
only during the 18th century when Stacia became
a bustling trading hub, but also in the
20th century because of its deep water
ports, making it an ideal location for
oil transshipment facility.
One of Stacia's unique features is its
(16:23):
diverse landscape. Stacia has
three distinct regions.
We have the towering Quill, the volcano
which dominates the southern skyline,
the rugged northern hills, and then the
relatively flat plains that lies in
between. This very terrain
(16:43):
has a profound influence how the island's
history and settlement have evolved over time,
shaping both its natural beauty
and its story. But how
did the unique landscape come to be? And
what role did the volcanic activity play in
forming the island's distinct regions?
>> Dr. Stelton (17:04):
Quite a bit of geological and volcanological research
has been done on Stacia, especially by
Rubel and Smith. Back in the early 2000s, they figured
out that Statia originally
consisted of the northern hills. That's an
extinct volcanic cluster that formed
probably between 1 and 2 million years ago. It is still
relatively young, geologically speaking. That was the original
(17:27):
Statia. There was nothing else around it. It was just
that. Now, what happened sometime between 40
and 50,000 years ago, according to volcanologists, is that
the quills started forming. That starts forming as a submarine
volcano. That submarine volcano grows and keeps growing. It breaks
the surface and it forms a separate island.
So there was a period of time, several tens of thousands of years
(17:47):
ago when there was two Statias.
There was one in the north and one in the south. That was to become the Quill, and
then eventually the Quill. Um, after several periods
of volcanic activity, it grew into what it
is now. And at some point it connected, um, the
northern and the southern and, uh, became one. For such
a small island, it has a few very distinct
(18:07):
regions. You go up into the Quill and, um,
you hike inside the crater, and it's a completely different world. I really
like that, that you have these places. Even though it's such a small island
and you're always around people, there's ways to
escape it.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (18:21):
The unique formation of Sinta Statius tells us a
story both above and below the surface.
Initially, Stacia was a single landmass.
But tens of thousands of years ago, a new
volcanic event began shaping the southern part of
the island. The Quill,
our volcano, emerged from the sea as a
(18:41):
separate island, eventually connecting the
northern hills to create Stacia as we know it
today. Together,
these distinct regions offer incredible
diversity. Beneath the waves,
Sintustasia has its own dramatic
landscape. Sitting on a shallow submarine
bank shared with Tsunkitts and Nevis,
(19:03):
the water around the island ranges from only
40 to 60 meters deep. But
venturing further out, and the seafloor drops
off sharply. The
underwater topography mirrors the island's
striking surface feature,
especially around the Quill, where the terrain rises
up from the depths, creating a dramatic
(19:26):
spectacle both above and below.
But it's not only the island's physical features
that have evolved over time. Its history of
changing hands between colonial powers has left
a unique mark on Stacia's identity,
even down to the names of the mountains,
bays and landmarks. Dr.
(19:47):
Stelton will explain to us how these
shifting names tell a story of their own,
reflecting the island's composite, complex colonial
past and its blend of languages and
culture.
>> Dr. Stelton (20:00):
This is also an interesting kind of thing about
Stacia's history, how certain place names have
been corrupted over the years. So the island
changed hands 22 times in about 180 years
between the Dutch, British and French throughout the colonial
period. So what happens is that initially the
Dutch, they name certain geographical features, such
as bays, mountains and roads
(20:22):
even, and things like that. And the French come in and they give their own
spin on that. Uh, yeah, and then the British come in and they do
the same thing, and then the Dutch come in. So all of these names are
a very interesting mix. So the Dutch, they
initially named the Quill, which they called the
Vilberg, the Fire Mountain. That was the kind of the term in the
17th century for a volcano. They initially called it the
Kyle. So the crater was called the Kyle, which means the
(20:45):
pit, right, the pit of the mountain. And when the British
at some point took over, they thought, oh, Kyle, oh, uh, that's a Quill.
Right. So they just corrupted that into Quill.
Basically the way that they could pronounce it, you see
on some old maps, you'll see the name Kyle. And then again it
changes a few years later to Quill. And that's the name that has.
Yeah, that has stuck. There's numerous examples like that. For
(21:05):
example, the bay where the oil terminal is located. Where you have
the long jetty going out. That used to be Tomoelen
Dijk. That was the Dutch name. And the British, they call it Tumbledown
Dick. I don't know which one is first, actually. They sound very
alike. So one must have been derived from the other, I would
say.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (21:21):
As synthastaceas has changed hands and names
over centuries. The landscape itself was also
transforming, Shaped by both natural
forces and human impact. From the
island's lush tropical forests. To the limited
freshwater resources, Stacia
presented a unique set of challenges for those
(21:41):
who settled here. Dr. Stelton
explains how these environmental factors
not only influenced daily life, but also
dictated the way in which people adapted to the
land.
>> Dr. Stelton (21:57):
So if you, um,
would be sailing by St. Eustatia five,
600 years ago, it would be a very
different island from what it is now. And from what it was
maybe 200 years after.
Um, because the island initially was
probably covered in a very thick tropical
forest. And that has been almost completely cut
(22:19):
away. Mainly in the early period of
colonization. Just to make room for sugarcane and other
cash crops. Humans have had a significant impact
on the vegetation. There is still a little bit of native
vegetation that is. That is preserved, especially
on the crater rim. But I guess terrain impacted the
humans a lot more. The water situation on Stacia is
very interesting. There's a lot of islands around there
(22:42):
that have fresh water sources, such as
sinkheads. Now, in Stacia, that is not the case. Yes, there
are many wells around the island, especially along the
coast, which produce brackish water. The main way that
people got water is collecting rainwater in cistern.
And so that has had a significant impact on the island as well. For
example, think about ships back in the day were coming to Stacia
to trade in those historic ship logs. That a lot of
(23:05):
these ships, they would be getting their water from neighboring St. Kitts, actually,
because there was such an abundance of water there while on
Stacia. Even though there are plenty of large
cisterns, especially in Lower Town as well, that were being
constructed. I think 14 or 15 known
historic cisterns that were in Lowertown. Um,
so obviously they would be supplying not just the island,
but most Likely also some of the ships in port to some
(23:27):
extent. But the fact that these ships go to a neighboring island
to get water shows that there's probably not enough.
It was never an easy island to settle, I think even though people made
it work.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (23:38):
The environmental challenges of
synthestaceas ranged from deforestation
to limited water supplies. This really shaped how
people adapted to life on the island.
Yet, uh, the social landscape was also
evolving, especially as colonial
powers competed for the control of this
small but yet strategic island.
(24:00):
With each shift in power, a blend of
culture and languages emerged, leaving a
mark on the community.
Dr. Stelton explores how these colonial
transitions shape the linguistic and
cultural identity of Stacia, a
legacy that endures to this day.
>> Dr. Stelton (24:19):
With the island being conquered several times by the British, and then the
French, and then the Dutch again British, et cetera, et
cetera. Um, you
would expect that there would be, like,
at least a bit of a mix or different languages on the island
historically as well. Um, but what's interesting is
that even though for most of its
colonial period history, Stacia has been
(24:42):
Dutch, especially The last, um, 208 years,
it's been Dutch continuously. And Dutch is
the official language and the language in government.
Right. But on the street, there's not a whole lot of
people who speak Dutch. And even the ones
who do know how to speak Dutch, they usually speak
English anyway, because that's the general language on the island.
Right. And I think that partly has to do with the fact that,
(25:05):
of course, the island changed hands so many times over the years.
Back in the day, a lot of people were trading with the British
colonies, such as St. Kitts and Antigua.
But also nowadays, a lot of station people, they
have their family on those islands, especially in places
like St. Kitts, for example. And so, um,
obviously, as a former British colony and part of the
English Caribbean, they speak English. So I think
(25:28):
all those reasons combined make it so that
officially the language on Stacia is Dutch,
but in reality, everybody just speaks English.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (25:37):
As Dr. Stelton has explained,
Sintostatias was a cultural
crossroad, its identity shaped by the republic.
Repeated shift in colonial rule. But
unlike many European powers of the time,
the Dutch colonial approach was notably
different. See, for the Dutch colonies
were often established not to spread Dutch
(25:58):
culture or religion, but to create
trading hubs. This emphasis on
commerce rather than cultural assimilation
meant that the Dutch allowed diversity of
influence to thrive,
focusing more on economic opportunity
than enforcing a, uh, singular national
(26:18):
identity. This approach left a, uh,
lasting legacy on synthastatius,
creating a cultural fabric that
Blended regional and European influence in
both visible and subtle ways.
In the public sphere, we see the Dutch
influence in the official language and
(26:39):
governmental structures. Yet everyday
life on Synthastatius reflects a
multilingual and multicultural blend
shaped by the practical need to trade and
communicate across colonial lines.
Even religion was often secondary to trade
interest, allowing the Dutch to form
unique alliances and networks within the
(27:01):
Caribbean. Dr.
Morsinks, an archaeologist with over
two decades of experience in the Caribbean,
including Centustacious, explains
how the Dutch prioritized trade over
cultural dominance. And
this influenced not just the language, but the
(27:22):
very foundation of the society on the
island, impacting its economic
systems, cultural practices, and even its
social structures in ways that are still very
evident today.
>> Dr. Morsinks (27:36):
Yeah, I think that the colonial effort
by the Netherlands is very different from
other countries like Spain, France or
England. The Dutch emphasis was
always on trade. The Dutch were targeting these
relatively small islands. Other countries
were really establishing new portions of
that country elsewhere. So they
(27:59):
wanted to engage with these larger islands. They wanted
to incorporate that into their territory.
The background of the colonial effort, I think for the Dutch was
very different from these other European powers.
For example, you can see in
Suriname, um, but also in Stacia that you have one of the
earliest synagogues there,
because these other countries were really
(28:22):
Catholic or the church of
England, and they were really establishing
the countries as well as the religion.
If you look at the history of, for instance of Stacia,
it gets changed so many times. And it's because the
Dutch want to set up this trade network on
this, um, tax free harbor.
(28:44):
But the French and the English are finding their own
fights right in the middle of that. But the
Dutch are just like, let's keep trading. It didn't matter
that much what kind of relation or, uh, background you were as long
as you were trading and making money. The Dutch were happy.
For instance, the French are very proud of their
own culture and their language. And if you're
(29:04):
establishing these other islands as part
of your country, then you do a lot of effort about
cultural education, cultural recordation.
And I think you can still see that the
French islands are very French
at the same time as they are Caribbean, but they're very
French and everything is French. And there's
(29:25):
a lot of emphasis on culture, There's a lot
of emphasis on education, which also
means that a lot of things are just written down
and, ah, more recorded where if your
main emphasis is on trade
and your governors are more focused on ensuring
that there's money to be made than
establishing this hallmark of Dutch
(29:47):
quote unquote culture somewhere else,
then there is less reason to educate
people locally. There's less
emphasis on that. There's also less emphasis on
recordation because you're trying not to establish
a hallmark of Dutch culture, but you're establishing
trade posts to make money.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (30:08):
The Dutch approach to colonialism left a
distinct mark on Stacia, creating an island
of unique cultural dynamics. Unlike, um,
other European powers, the Dutch prioritized
trade, allowing a blend of influence
to flourish. The result was a trading
hub, which created a fusion of languages and
(30:29):
cultures shaped over centuries of
exchange with neighbors near and far.
But what of the island's culture itself?
The island's heritage inspector, Mr.
Richardson, reflects on Stacia's culture
the everyday customs, language, and
memories that have lived on through its
(30:49):
people.
>> Mr. Richardson (30:51):
The culture on Scintustius I would describe
as almost being Phoenix like. I think
it's a culture that continuously
evolves, continuously changes. But I
think there's still a lot of things rooted in the colonial
past. But there's also a lot of things that
people are not yet aware of, that a lot of the things
people do, the way people speak, the way people
(31:14):
pronounce things, is a lot of things, uh, came out
of Africa. You know, it's like the
enslaved ancestors may not have been able to travel with
their belongings, but they did travel with
memory. And memory is very strong. That's
how we, as people, we learn things through memory. And, of course,
out of the memory of the enslaved ancestors, many of
(31:34):
that, many of those things became statistical
culture. So I think stacious cultures are kind
of unawarely
doing stuff that we can explain, or we do not know where
it comes from because it wasn't properly studied.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (31:49):
As we bring our episode to a close, we
stand on the threshold of, uh, Stacia's rich, layered
history. A, uh, history that pulses with
resilience, transformation, and the power of
memory. From colonial shifts to
deep cultural exchanges, the island story
is one of constant reinvention that reflects
(32:09):
both its struggles and triumphs.
These stories are more than just marks left by
empires. They are also the subtle, profound
contribution of women who have built,
preserved, and nourished life here.
Their voices, their whisper
that history has almost forgotten. They called
(32:30):
to us, urging us to see the
island not just as a relic of past
empires, but as a living canvas
where women, families, and
traditions have left its mark.
Thank you for beginning this journey with us.
In our walk forward, we look back to the
indigenous communities of Stacia, and we
(32:52):
meet the women whose wisdom, strength,
and leadership were woven deeply into their
communities. These were the first
voices of the land who set the stage
for all that was to come.
If you look at women's history in the Caribbean, it
forces you outside of that very narrow
Eurocentric box of looking at history as defined
by wars and empires and political changes
that are dominated by white men.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (00:15):
Welcome to Whispers of the Past,
a podcast that takes you on a journey through
history told through the voices often left
in the dark. Here we stand at the crossroad
of historical storytelling and women's
history, shedding a light on
synthesias from a perspective
rarely explored. Our goal is to
(00:37):
approach history through a different kind of lens.
We'll use the concept of a canon.
A canon is a structured, chronological
walk through history that lets us
trace each step in order it happened,
revealing how one event flows into the
next. With this approach, we
(00:58):
begin by laying the groundwork of
introducing Stacia's location,
its early history, and its linguistic
roots. From here, we start with
indigenous history and move forward each
episode into Ostatia's rich
history to the present day.
Due to the gaps in historical records,
(01:20):
we also embrace a concept called
braiding knowledge, combining
insight from regional sources and
lived experiences. You will hear from
historians, heritage experts,
regional scholars, and local residents,
each helping us weave together Stacia's
story as we walk the timeline
(01:42):
together. And at the heart of
this podcast is the reason for our name, Whispers
of the Past. Women's voices were often
silenced and were seldom recorded in
history. And here we listen to those
whispers and bring them to life, the stories
that history has almost forgotten to
mention. Together, let's
(02:04):
uncover these voices to
start our journey. We delve into why it's so important
to tell history from a women's perspective.
>> Ms. Sutekau (02:15):
The world doesn't exist without women,
and it's about time that the
world understood
that we are as powerful
and strong, as intelligent,
and much more
proactive, particularly when it
(02:35):
comes to the education of our children,
the welfares of our family, and the
welfare of our community. Those
are things women have always stood
for and stood up for.
A woman should have the
exact same opportunities as a
man, and she should be given
(02:57):
the same rights and privileges.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (03:03):
Ms. Sutekau, a local resident of St.
Eustatias and one of the founders of the island's
center of Archaeological Research,
reminds us of the essential strength and
role women have played in shaping society.
Reflecting on women's contribution in the past
does more than show us where we've been.
(03:25):
It also illuminates the path ahead.
Historian Dr. Anna Hanslin will take
us deeper into this idea, explaining
how a greater understanding of women's role
throughout history helps us shift our perspective
into the present.
>> Dr. Anna Hanslin (03:42):
I think that, uh, a
greater contemporary understanding of the richness
of women's roles in the past allows
us to really appreciate and
justify a richness of women's roles in the
present. I think that one of the key
reasons we need to look at women in the past
(04:02):
is to empower women in the present and the
future. Because if we think of the past, for
example, as a place where
women were never politically important,
it makes it a lot easier for a
patriarchal society to argue that they should continue
to remain unimportant. You can pick pretty
much any area of human
(04:24):
life and think about the fact that women
traditionally have done it all. They've been doctors, they've
been rulers, they've been diplomats, they've
been merchants, they've been
makers of beautiful and utilitarian things.
And to think that they have only
traditionally been wives and mothers
(04:44):
is something that, I think, um, has led to a
lot of assumptions about what women
can and should do. That has
led to some, a distinct lack of
empowerment and also to recognize the fact
that being a wife and a mother is also a
job. Right. And that it's something that is labor, and that
for far too often in Western capitalist
(05:07):
society, it's not valued because it's not commodified in the
same way that other labor is.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (05:13):
Dr. Anna Hanslin points out that
assumptions about women's roles have
long shaped what we think women can or should
do today. This also speaks to the
importance of telling a, uh, full history.
Dr. Anna Hansling continues, sharing how
women's histories often bring new, overlooked
layers to our understanding of the
(05:34):
Caribbean.
>> Dr. Anna Hanslin (05:37):
That history begins with European contact
and settlement in the Caribbean. We know that's
false and does, uh, severe injustice to
the many indigenous people who lived in the
Caribbean before Europeans made contact
and then settled there. So I
think it's parallel to what happens with
(05:57):
women's history in general. If you look at women's history in
the Caribbean, it forces you
outside of that very narrow Eurocentric box
of looking at history as defined by wars, empires,
and political changes that are dominated by white
men. Focusing on that type of history
which glorifies the
(06:17):
European exploration and what
we for a long time erroneously called discovery of the
Caribbean drives that narrative. That history
is only important if it deals with things like
conquest, economic systems
and political settlement
patterns and wars between nations and
empires. I think that is the type of history that
(06:40):
dominated a Eurocentric viewpoint of the
Caribbean for a very long time. And if you
put women's history into that picture,
it reminds you, first of all, that there is
a history that is outside of the
existence of empires deciding that they want
to nominally say this island now belongs to another empire
rather than the previous one, et cetera. And
(07:02):
St. Eustatius obviously is in many ways
one of the best examples in the Caribbean of that, since it changed
hands among empires so many times. And I think
also it's a good reminder that there is
a really crucial human
history of
indigenous and enslaved people whose
lives are not defined so much by big
(07:25):
imperial structural changes like war and
transfer of deeds, et cetera, but defined by
things like raising children and
caring for people. So histories of medicine, histories of
family, cultural history, you can learn
a lot about people in their past by looking at what they
choose to eat over time and how that
(07:45):
changes and how it stays the same. There is an
emotional valence to something like food history. Right. A
lot of people will have a very emotional response
to a food that they associate with their childhood or a
very emotional response to a, uh, food that reminds
them of their cultural heritage. And I think
that's something people don't usually have quite
(08:05):
the same emotional reaction to learning about a battle that took place on an
island they'd never been to. Right. So I think that
is partly true. I also think, though, that
thinking about women's history in the
context of the larger history of the Caribbean, for
example, reminds us that you can't
separate women from things that have traditionally
been told in a male dominated way, like the
(08:27):
history of commerce and capitalism and histories of war and
empire, because without women,
you don't have successful commerce. Women
are making a lot of the things that men are also making.
They're certainly buying. And that's just
one example of how it is
again, even within these, what have traditionally been dominated
by male centric histories. If you look a little deeper
(08:50):
and think about it, you'll understand that women are integral to
those histories too. They just haven't been folded into it
traditionally. And so I think again,
uncovering and appreciating the richness of women's
historical roles in the past really allows us
to think, what is the limit for
women? There's no limit for women besides what patriarchal
(09:10):
systems choose to put on them.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (09:14):
Dr. Anna Hanslin reveals how deeply
women's histories can reshape our understanding
of the Caribbean, reminding us to consider
perspectives often left out of the mainstream
narratives. The broader approach
allows us to connect with the personal, cultural
and everyday lives of those who shape the
(09:34):
region. With the same lens,
we turn to the origin of synthustatia's name,
a name that carries centuries of layered
history. Historian and
Syntustacea's Heritage Inspector Mr.
Richardson will guide us through the mystery
surrounding the island's evolving identity,
from Columbus
(09:55):
misinterpretation to the name that
has defined Statia for centuries.
>> Mr. Richardson (10:03):
It's very interesting because the island wasn't originally
named Centustatius by Christopher Columbus,
um, when he was actually sailing through
the Caribbean in his so called Age
of Rediscovery. Let me just call it
that rediscovery, because there are already people living
here. One of the interesting things is in
1493, I think it was his third voyage
(10:25):
actually, he sailed by St. Eustatius
and he named the island Santa Maria
de la Nive, which is English
for Saint Mary of the Snow.
Where. Why would he name it that? But that's what he
called the island, St. Mary of the Snow. It's quite
interesting because I have looked through many records
in different countries, especially the ones from
(10:48):
Columbus in his journal. I think it's a huge
mystery because why would he name the Island
St. Mary of the Snow? But
then it goes back to his journals and that
while traveling he thought the island was covered
in snow. He thought the quail was
covered in snow because it was all white according to
his description, not in clouds, but the top of the mountain was
(11:11):
white. That made me think of
transforming into today. If I'm on a
ship in 1493, never seeing a volcano with
ash before, could he have mistaken
volcanic ash on the quill at that
time for an eruption that happened maybe a
few centuries earlier, a thousand years earlier? And when you look
(11:31):
at all the layers of soil, especially at the airport area,
because I'm not an archaeologist, I'm, um, an historian, it makes me
wonder, could those two things, you know, have coincided
with each other? And then fast
forward in around
1523, Francis Drake, who
starts using Stacia, he picks up from
a French missionary, we found out that the island's indigenous
(11:53):
name was Aloi. And then you're
going down the line, the island is still being referred to
as Statia or
Estacia, still no saint in front
of it. And the island, the name that Columbus gave the
island, eventually ended up going to Nevis.
So that's where Nevis Nive got its name from. And
then we're stuck with Thasia or East Asia
(12:16):
for a very long time and or Aloi
on many old Spanish maps that you see in Spain
or in Columbus's old ship logs of his
journey, his journals. But anyway, after the
British or the English at the time. Then it
disappears and then it reappears as Santa
Anastasia again. Where did that one
come from? It's not labeled. And then Santa Anastasia
(12:38):
is dropped. And then there's St. Eustatius.
And what's interesting about our name is that most
Caribbean islands, even like St. Martin, has St. Martin's
Day on November 11, which is actually the day of the
saint. Most Caribbean islands, like St. Lucia, et
cetera, in the past, their national feast day at the height of
colonialism was linked to the day of their saints.
(12:58):
But St. Eustatius was never linked to any of those
days because I think St. Eustatius Day is the 24th
of September or the 25th of
September, and our national day is in November. So you see that
the name was just, I don't know, attached to the island, but
then we started being known as, uh, St. Eustatia
Stacia, right up to now. But I tend to
think that the name Statia is actually
(13:21):
interesting because we don't quite know
where it came from because it doesn't come out
of the word Saint Eustachians. It was used before.
So that makes our name quite unique. In the Caribbean, we m
were named after saints, so Santa Maria, St.
Mary of the Snow, that was Columbus's first name. Santa
Anastasia, Saint Eustatius. We were
named after saints. And like I
(13:44):
said, Columbus's journey to the
Caribbean, on the day that he was naming the
islands, like the 6th of January, he was in the area of
Trinidad, so that's why he became La Trinidad. He was
really naming places on the feast day of many
Catholic festivals in Spain when he was
traveling. But on the day when he
comes by Saint Eustatius, it's also not Saint
(14:05):
Eustatius feast day. So it's a whole
mystery of who really gave us their Saint
Eustatius name. And. But eventually it stuck.
And it's quite unique because it's quite long.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (14:16):
From the layers of history embedded in
Cintastatia's name, we turn now to the
island's physical presence, its
geography and location within the
Caribbean. To help us understand
how Synthastacia's unique landscape has
shaped its history, we welcome Dr.
Stelton, an archaeologist who has
(14:37):
worked extensively on Stacia.
>> Dr. Stelton (14:42):
Stacia is basically located, um, right in the middle
of a cluster of islands in the Lesser
Antilian, uh, the arc of Lesser Antilian islands, basically
in the northeastern Caribbean. It's a very interesting
location because it is very close to a
lot of other islands. Right. Whereas stone straw, away from
Ceiba from St. Martin, from Anguilla,
from Saint Barts, from St. Kitts and Nevis, and even Antigua
(15:05):
is not that far.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (15:06):
You know, being part
of this close knit cluster of islands,
Cus occupies a prime
location for both cultural and
economic exchange. Its
proximity to these neighboring islands has long
influenced its identity, impacting
(15:26):
everything from trade routes to cultural connections
over the centuries.
>> Dr. Stelton (15:32):
In the 18th century, it became such an important
trading hub. In the 1970s and 1980s,
a large oil transshipment facility was set up
there. And both of those reasons are very similar
because St. Eustace is located at what is called
a point of minimal deviation. And that means
that it is very close to the location
where a lot of shipping routes intersect. What that means
(15:55):
is that if you, um, are doing business on St. Eustacia,
you're very easily accessible from established shipping
routes.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (16:02):
This strategic location was key not
only during the 18th century when Stacia became
a bustling trading hub, but also in the
20th century because of its deep water
ports, making it an ideal location for
oil transshipment facility.
One of Stacia's unique features is its
(16:23):
diverse landscape. Stacia has
three distinct regions.
We have the towering Quill, the volcano
which dominates the southern skyline,
the rugged northern hills, and then the
relatively flat plains that lies in
between. This very terrain
(16:43):
has a profound influence how the island's
history and settlement have evolved over time,
shaping both its natural beauty
and its story. But how
did the unique landscape come to be? And
what role did the volcanic activity play in
forming the island's distinct regions?
>> Dr. Stelton (17:04):
Quite a bit of geological and volcanological research
has been done on Stacia, especially by
Rubel and Smith. Back in the early 2000s, they figured
out that Statia originally
consisted of the northern hills. That's an
extinct volcanic cluster that formed
probably between 1 and 2 million years ago. It is still
relatively young, geologically speaking. That was the original
(17:27):
Statia. There was nothing else around it. It was just
that. Now, what happened sometime between 40
and 50,000 years ago, according to volcanologists, is that
the quills started forming. That starts forming as a submarine
volcano. That submarine volcano grows and keeps growing. It breaks
the surface and it forms a separate island.
So there was a period of time, several tens of thousands of years
(17:47):
ago when there was two Statias.
There was one in the north and one in the south. That was to become the Quill, and
then eventually the Quill. Um, after several periods
of volcanic activity, it grew into what it
is now. And at some point it connected, um, the
northern and the southern and, uh, became one. For such
a small island, it has a few very distinct
(18:07):
regions. You go up into the Quill and, um,
you hike inside the crater, and it's a completely different world. I really
like that, that you have these places. Even though it's such a small island
and you're always around people, there's ways to
escape it.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (18:21):
The unique formation of Sinta Statius tells us a
story both above and below the surface.
Initially, Stacia was a single landmass.
But tens of thousands of years ago, a new
volcanic event began shaping the southern part of
the island. The Quill,
our volcano, emerged from the sea as a
(18:41):
separate island, eventually connecting the
northern hills to create Stacia as we know it
today. Together,
these distinct regions offer incredible
diversity. Beneath the waves,
Sintustasia has its own dramatic
landscape. Sitting on a shallow submarine
bank shared with Tsunkitts and Nevis,
(19:03):
the water around the island ranges from only
40 to 60 meters deep. But
venturing further out, and the seafloor drops
off sharply. The
underwater topography mirrors the island's
striking surface feature,
especially around the Quill, where the terrain rises
up from the depths, creating a dramatic
(19:26):
spectacle both above and below.
But it's not only the island's physical features
that have evolved over time. Its history of
changing hands between colonial powers has left
a unique mark on Stacia's identity,
even down to the names of the mountains,
bays and landmarks. Dr.
(19:47):
Stelton will explain to us how these
shifting names tell a story of their own,
reflecting the island's composite, complex colonial
past and its blend of languages and
culture.
>> Dr. Stelton (20:00):
This is also an interesting kind of thing about
Stacia's history, how certain place names have
been corrupted over the years. So the island
changed hands 22 times in about 180 years
between the Dutch, British and French throughout the colonial
period. So what happens is that initially the
Dutch, they name certain geographical features, such
as bays, mountains and roads
(20:22):
even, and things like that. And the French come in and they give their own
spin on that. Uh, yeah, and then the British come in and they do
the same thing, and then the Dutch come in. So all of these names are
a very interesting mix. So the Dutch, they
initially named the Quill, which they called the
Vilberg, the Fire Mountain. That was the kind of the term in the
17th century for a volcano. They initially called it the
Kyle. So the crater was called the Kyle, which means the
(20:45):
pit, right, the pit of the mountain. And when the British
at some point took over, they thought, oh, Kyle, oh, uh, that's a Quill.
Right. So they just corrupted that into Quill.
Basically the way that they could pronounce it, you see
on some old maps, you'll see the name Kyle. And then again it
changes a few years later to Quill. And that's the name that has.
Yeah, that has stuck. There's numerous examples like that. For
(21:05):
example, the bay where the oil terminal is located. Where you have
the long jetty going out. That used to be Tomoelen
Dijk. That was the Dutch name. And the British, they call it Tumbledown
Dick. I don't know which one is first, actually. They sound very
alike. So one must have been derived from the other, I would
say.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (21:21):
As synthastaceas has changed hands and names
over centuries. The landscape itself was also
transforming, Shaped by both natural
forces and human impact. From the
island's lush tropical forests. To the limited
freshwater resources, Stacia
presented a unique set of challenges for those
(21:41):
who settled here. Dr. Stelton
explains how these environmental factors
not only influenced daily life, but also
dictated the way in which people adapted to the
land.
>> Dr. Stelton (21:57):
So if you, um,
would be sailing by St. Eustatia five,
600 years ago, it would be a very
different island from what it is now. And from what it was
maybe 200 years after.
Um, because the island initially was
probably covered in a very thick tropical
forest. And that has been almost completely cut
(22:19):
away. Mainly in the early period of
colonization. Just to make room for sugarcane and other
cash crops. Humans have had a significant impact
on the vegetation. There is still a little bit of native
vegetation that is. That is preserved, especially
on the crater rim. But I guess terrain impacted the
humans a lot more. The water situation on Stacia is
very interesting. There's a lot of islands around there
(22:42):
that have fresh water sources, such as
sinkheads. Now, in Stacia, that is not the case. Yes, there
are many wells around the island, especially along the
coast, which produce brackish water. The main way that
people got water is collecting rainwater in cistern.
And so that has had a significant impact on the island as well. For
example, think about ships back in the day were coming to Stacia
to trade in those historic ship logs. That a lot of
(23:05):
these ships, they would be getting their water from neighboring St. Kitts, actually,
because there was such an abundance of water there while on
Stacia. Even though there are plenty of large
cisterns, especially in Lower Town as well, that were being
constructed. I think 14 or 15 known
historic cisterns that were in Lowertown. Um,
so obviously they would be supplying not just the island,
but most Likely also some of the ships in port to some
(23:27):
extent. But the fact that these ships go to a neighboring island
to get water shows that there's probably not enough.
It was never an easy island to settle, I think even though people made
it work.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (23:38):
The environmental challenges of
synthestaceas ranged from deforestation
to limited water supplies. This really shaped how
people adapted to life on the island.
Yet, uh, the social landscape was also
evolving, especially as colonial
powers competed for the control of this
small but yet strategic island.
(24:00):
With each shift in power, a blend of
culture and languages emerged, leaving a
mark on the community.
Dr. Stelton explores how these colonial
transitions shape the linguistic and
cultural identity of Stacia, a
legacy that endures to this day.
>> Dr. Stelton (24:19):
With the island being conquered several times by the British, and then the
French, and then the Dutch again British, et cetera, et
cetera. Um, you
would expect that there would be, like,
at least a bit of a mix or different languages on the island
historically as well. Um, but what's interesting is
that even though for most of its
colonial period history, Stacia has been
(24:42):
Dutch, especially The last, um, 208 years,
it's been Dutch continuously. And Dutch is
the official language and the language in government.
Right. But on the street, there's not a whole lot of
people who speak Dutch. And even the ones
who do know how to speak Dutch, they usually speak
English anyway, because that's the general language on the island.
Right. And I think that partly has to do with the fact that,
(25:05):
of course, the island changed hands so many times over the years.
Back in the day, a lot of people were trading with the British
colonies, such as St. Kitts and Antigua.
But also nowadays, a lot of station people, they
have their family on those islands, especially in places
like St. Kitts, for example. And so, um,
obviously, as a former British colony and part of the
English Caribbean, they speak English. So I think
(25:28):
all those reasons combined make it so that
officially the language on Stacia is Dutch,
but in reality, everybody just speaks English.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (25:37):
As Dr. Stelton has explained,
Sintostatias was a cultural
crossroad, its identity shaped by the republic.
Repeated shift in colonial rule. But
unlike many European powers of the time,
the Dutch colonial approach was notably
different. See, for the Dutch colonies
were often established not to spread Dutch
(25:58):
culture or religion, but to create
trading hubs. This emphasis on
commerce rather than cultural assimilation
meant that the Dutch allowed diversity of
influence to thrive,
focusing more on economic opportunity
than enforcing a, uh, singular national
(26:18):
identity. This approach left a, uh,
lasting legacy on synthastatius,
creating a cultural fabric that
Blended regional and European influence in
both visible and subtle ways.
In the public sphere, we see the Dutch
influence in the official language and
(26:39):
governmental structures. Yet everyday
life on Synthastatius reflects a
multilingual and multicultural blend
shaped by the practical need to trade and
communicate across colonial lines.
Even religion was often secondary to trade
interest, allowing the Dutch to form
unique alliances and networks within the
(27:01):
Caribbean. Dr.
Morsinks, an archaeologist with over
two decades of experience in the Caribbean,
including Centustacious, explains
how the Dutch prioritized trade over
cultural dominance. And
this influenced not just the language, but the
(27:22):
very foundation of the society on the
island, impacting its economic
systems, cultural practices, and even its
social structures in ways that are still very
evident today.
>> Dr. Morsinks (27:36):
Yeah, I think that the colonial effort
by the Netherlands is very different from
other countries like Spain, France or
England. The Dutch emphasis was
always on trade. The Dutch were targeting these
relatively small islands. Other countries
were really establishing new portions of
that country elsewhere. So they
(27:59):
wanted to engage with these larger islands. They wanted
to incorporate that into their territory.
The background of the colonial effort, I think for the Dutch was
very different from these other European powers.
For example, you can see in
Suriname, um, but also in Stacia that you have one of the
earliest synagogues there,
because these other countries were really
(28:22):
Catholic or the church of
England, and they were really establishing
the countries as well as the religion.
If you look at the history of, for instance of Stacia,
it gets changed so many times. And it's because the
Dutch want to set up this trade network on
this, um, tax free harbor.
(28:44):
But the French and the English are finding their own
fights right in the middle of that. But the
Dutch are just like, let's keep trading. It didn't matter
that much what kind of relation or, uh, background you were as long
as you were trading and making money. The Dutch were happy.
For instance, the French are very proud of their
own culture and their language. And if you're
(29:04):
establishing these other islands as part
of your country, then you do a lot of effort about
cultural education, cultural recordation.
And I think you can still see that the
French islands are very French
at the same time as they are Caribbean, but they're very
French and everything is French. And there's
(29:25):
a lot of emphasis on culture, There's a lot
of emphasis on education, which also
means that a lot of things are just written down
and, ah, more recorded where if your
main emphasis is on trade
and your governors are more focused on ensuring
that there's money to be made than
establishing this hallmark of Dutch
(29:47):
quote unquote culture somewhere else,
then there is less reason to educate
people locally. There's less
emphasis on that. There's also less emphasis on
recordation because you're trying not to establish
a hallmark of Dutch culture, but you're establishing
trade posts to make money.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (30:08):
The Dutch approach to colonialism left a
distinct mark on Stacia, creating an island
of unique cultural dynamics. Unlike, um,
other European powers, the Dutch prioritized
trade, allowing a blend of influence
to flourish. The result was a trading
hub, which created a fusion of languages and
(30:29):
cultures shaped over centuries of
exchange with neighbors near and far.
But what of the island's culture itself?
The island's heritage inspector, Mr.
Richardson, reflects on Stacia's culture
the everyday customs, language, and
memories that have lived on through its
(30:49):
people.
>> Mr. Richardson (30:51):
The culture on Scintustius I would describe
as almost being Phoenix like. I think
it's a culture that continuously
evolves, continuously changes. But I
think there's still a lot of things rooted in the colonial
past. But there's also a lot of things that
people are not yet aware of, that a lot of the things
people do, the way people speak, the way people
(31:14):
pronounce things, is a lot of things, uh, came out
of Africa. You know, it's like the
enslaved ancestors may not have been able to travel with
their belongings, but they did travel with
memory. And memory is very strong. That's
how we, as people, we learn things through memory. And, of course,
out of the memory of the enslaved ancestors, many of
(31:34):
that, many of those things became statistical
culture. So I think stacious cultures are kind
of unawarely
doing stuff that we can explain, or we do not know where
it comes from because it wasn't properly studied.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (31:49):
As we bring our episode to a close, we
stand on the threshold of, uh, Stacia's rich, layered
history. A, uh, history that pulses with
resilience, transformation, and the power of
memory. From colonial shifts to
deep cultural exchanges, the island story
is one of constant reinvention that reflects
(32:09):
both its struggles and triumphs.
These stories are more than just marks left by
empires. They are also the subtle, profound
contribution of women who have built,
preserved, and nourished life here.
Their voices, their whisper
that history has almost forgotten. They called
(32:30):
to us, urging us to see the
island not just as a relic of past
empires, but as a living canvas
where women, families, and
traditions have left its mark.
Thank you for beginning this journey with us.
In our walk forward, we look back to the
indigenous communities of Stacia, and we
(32:52):
meet the women whose wisdom, strength,
and leadership were woven deeply into their
communities. These were the first
voices of the land who set the stage
for all that was to come.
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