Photos By Michele Belanger-McNair

If only windows could tell what they have seen and heard.

I was looking up at a bedroom window at the White House on Salt Cay one day, shooting pictures of this venerable old home and the now fallen Treasury office next door. As I stood there, I thought: How many women have looked out this window and wondered where their men were? How many children have been born in this bedroom? How many people took their last breath there, as well? What joys, sorrows, rumors and affairs of the heart have been observed through, and by, this window? What futures have been made and ruined in the eyes of this window?

I thought of the Treasury Building, Taylor Hill and its mysteries, the Dunscombe Point Mill windows, Government House, the Mt. Pleasant and its history, as well as many other on-island ruins of lesser distinction or flair. And I had the same thoughts . . . if only these windows could tell me the secrets and events that have gone on before them.

What if a window could tell the history that it has seen? Would not that be one of the most enlightening history lessons of our island, or the world for that matter? Unfortunately, windows cannot speak their history, or what they have witnessed. We can only imagine, research and record.

I immediately embarked on a photo mission to take pictures of Salt Cay’s historic windows, the little known or seen windows, the obscure and the obvious in every light and angle I could imagine. I left the island and went home, only to return again with a new perspective, a new technique and new light or sky.

I played with the idea for several years and then mentioned it to Rosalie Harriott, a descendent of the White House salt barons, when we were both on Salt Cay. I had my grand idea of how the Harriott women must have waited for their men to come home from sea and how it must have worried them so.

Rosalie laughed and said, “Oh, no one waited for their man looking out the windows. The men looked out the windows of the house to watch the island. That’s why there are windows all around the second floor. The salt barons kept track of the island production and workers by roaming around the second floor of the White House, calling out orders from the windows.”

She added, “And the White House verandas, front and rear, with their jalousie windows? Well, that is where the evening’s entertainment was, as a rule. Who was visiting who; who went to church and who did not; who was dating who and who did not come home that night. Nothing got past the White House verandas and all was known on the island.”

But despite this information, every time I look at the windows of the White House and think about the storms and hurricanes that come through, the ships that wallow in the waves over 6,000 foot deep seas, the sinking of something as simple as a barge, I cannot help but think that there must have been at least one woman who stood at those windows and prayed that her husband or son would come home alive and well.

Salt Cay’s windows are more simplistic than you might think. They were made of wood and maybe some screen in the Bermudan tradition. The men went away for months delivering salt all over the world. The young island women worked the ships that passed Salt Cay in a most honorable way: crewing. Why? Because the ships needed crew, the men were gone and work was needed to survive.

The windows of a salt raker’s cottage reflect the true Bermudan influence in the Islands. Bright colored shutters that are either open or closed, depending on if you are home or the weather is here. The window frames are thick-walled stone and cement, seemingly impervious to hurricanes, but apt to succumb to the evils of time, wind, salt and erosion.

At one time, over 1,000 people lived on tiny Salt Cay. Now 80 to 100 call it home, depending on the time of year and who’s visiting who. Salt raker’s homes, now in ruin, dot the land and have become tourist attractions and the dream of more than one new home owner and builder.

The ruins at Dunscombe Point Millworks reflect much of the salt trade that is long gone. Now just the corner of an old stone and cement building near the derelict jetty stands as a reminder of the industry that once provided a large portion of the world’s salt. The mill ground out tons of salt, bagged by salt workers and sent out by lighter to the ships waiting in deep water.

The corner windows that survive now provide a view to the beautiful, multi-hued blue water, making an interesting backdrop for tourist photographs. But you can’t help but wonder how many men working in the mill had time to look out this window and enjoy the view it afforded and the tradewinds it let in to cool the room. These windows stand as mute sentries over the relics of grinders, conveyers and the jetty itself. The small, man-made cove where once salt bags were rinsed and stacked is now a swimming hole for the island’s few children.

Nearby are the remains of the Treasury Building, where Turks Islanders received their pay. At one time this building was connected by a walkway to the White House. Now, it’s a pile of boards waiting to be burned or somehow used. The Treasury Building was the lone structure to fall to the winds of Hurricane Frances in September 2004. Photos are all that remain.

These second floor windows looked out across the salinas and housed the office of the Harriott’s salt company. It is depicted in the movie “Bahama Passage” when Moreno goes to the safe to get money and Leo G. Carroll takes a swing at him. Whether this was a set, or the office itself, I do not know. But I know, from Rosalie, that many of the scenes were shot on the island, in and around the White House.

Then we have the Government House. Bryan Sheedy, whose story-telling is loved dearly, perpetuated a tale that prostitutes lived in the Government House and looked out the second floor windows waiting for the ships to come in. Rosalie Harriott dispelled this quite clearly as far as I am concerned. But the lore of the story still continues. Did they?

The house was the seat of government for the island and home of the District Commissioner. Tea parties were held complete with white gloves and hats for the ladies while the men “mixed” on the playing field at the nearby cricket field. It took a good number of men to play cricket, so the issue of race and color was ignored in the name of sport.

Government House now stands empty and somewhat derelict itself. An effort to restore the building is slowly underway, but time and the likes of Hurricane Frances are daily attacks on this historic building. Quite unlike a salt raker, this is a two-story wood and stone building, much like one sees on Grand Turk. It is a one-of-a-kind place that needs restoration sooner, rather than later.

St. John’s is a beautiful old Anglican church, with gray walls and old, caulked windows trimmed in white with deep, brilliant red shutters. It is a most magnificent church, built in the early 1800s. The church’s graveyard stretches to her old sea wall. The doors open to the graveyard and allow the sea breezes to flow through to the altar.

St. John’s welcomed me, a lapsed Catholic, that first Sunday in September after Hurricane Frances blew over and through Salt Cay and made me so afraid for all my friends on island. I came, I went, I saw, I took, and I gave little in return, if at all. Yet the congregation welcomed me and made me feel at peace with my emotions. Everyone knew I was not a member of the congregation, and most likely I would rarely return. But the lay ministers, Poley Dickenson and Miss Pat Simmons, as well as the entire congregation, made sure I was part of every hymn and every prayer.

As I watched and listened to this ancient ritual, I looked out the windows of St. John’s for the first time, felt the sea breeze come through, and again, wondered how many funerals, baptisms, weddings and hurricane survivals had been celebrated here. If only the windows could tell what the people can no longer say?

St. John’s, as well as Salt Cay Methodist Church (circa 1850) are two of the oldest churches in the Turks & Caicos Islands. They have sheltered, buried, birthed and baptized many salt rakers, salt barons, sailors and visitors.

There is the Benevolent Brotherhood Lodge with its silent bass drum, tattered flag, a young Queen’s picture and signs of concord, peace and fraternity. And, then, there are the two coffins awaiting occupants in a back room Ñ small, wooden coffins made for the Islander of slight build and for a small hole dug in hard, salt-packed earth.

I have passed that crumbling blue building a hundred times, if not once, without stopping to see what it was all about. Now I can’t pass it without stopping and taking a new picture.

The Lodge was reorganized in March 1915. The roster was still on the head table last April. The table by the door sat as if still waiting to sign members in. The pews sit empty. A sign standard for parades is in the corner, the Lodge flag and the bass drum wait for another review and parade. It is as if there was a meeting one month and then, never again. Why? I have yet to find out. Who played the bass drum in parades down Victoria Street? It is finding the right questions to ask any one person. It would be so much simpler to ask a window, “What happened here?”

The Mt. Pleasant Guest House was once a salt raker’s home, built and lived in by the Morgan Family. Rosalie Harriott believes it was built in the 1830s. In the late 1980s, Bryan Sheedy moved from New York and turned it into a guesthouse, dive business, restaurant and bar. This beautiful old home’s dormer windows look out across Victoria Street to Deanne’s Dock and the harbor of Salt Cay. It is the backdrop for a popular phonecard and photograph depicting a horse-drawn buggy.

How many hurricanes has this timeless home seen and survived?
And what of the people who have stayed in the guest house? At one time the Mt. Pleasant was pretty much the only place to stay on Salt Cay if you came to dive. We have met icons of the dive world at this home through the years. You just had no idea who would be there and what you would learn. The bar Bryan Sheedy ran was a raucous place every night of the week as he held court, telling stories and his history of Salt Cay. He was Norman Paperman in the flesh.

Then Taylor Hill . . . who looked out those windows? What was it besides a whale watching station, if anything? Rosalie Harriott has told me that when she saw it as a child, it looked like a military outpost, a place with barracks-type rooms and a Great Room. Plus it has a huge cistern and watershed, an observation of many miles with a 360 degree sweep, and the ability to signal Grand Turk, nine miles north. Is this part of a history we do not know? It reminds me of Shirley Heights above English Harbour in Antigua where they signaled the fleet from the promontory when a stray ship came in sight. This is much the same vantage point.

The view is unparalleled from Taylor Hill and is worth every moment of the climb. The eastern shore is spectacular, as is the beach. Nowhere on the island do you see the mangrove swamps as they appear from the hill. Salt Cay looks like a different place from this vantage point. But, again, what if the windows could speak? What would the eaten out, ravaged windows of Taylor Hill tell us?

Salt Cay and the entire Turks & Caicos Islands’ history is so important, we need to preserve it in photographs, scans of existing photos, oral history projects, stories and writings. Soon, so many of the people who know its history will take it to their graves and we will plunder along with our IPODs, MP3s, DVDs, CDs, VHSs and other alphabet soup devices. We will have blithely ignored the real world around us for immediate entertainment instead.

What happened to asking questions such as: “What is a potcake? Why is a road across the salinas called The Folly? What is that ruin over there? Where did you learn to sail?”

To watch the movie “Bahama Passage” is to take a trip back in time on Salt Cay. When Adrian spots his father’s body lying in the salt pond next to The Folly, you see much of the heart of the island. It shows the White House, inside and out, as well as Deanne’s Dock.

I cannot take enough pictures of Salt Cay to satisfy my imagination, curiosity and desire to preserve this graceful place in the sun. I cannot drink in enough of the stories to quench my thirst for more information from the people who have called Salt Cay home long before I was born.
So, let your imagination run…what would these windows say if windows could speak the history of Salt Cay?

Michele Belanger-McNair is an attorney in California in her “real life,” trying to retire from that to do things she enjoys, like writing, photography and travel. She’s been visiting Salt Cay since 1998 and purchased a home on the island in 2000. She says she loves life on Salt Cay because it is a reminder of the simple days of her childhood. Michele maintains a web site with stories and photos detailing her trips to Salt Cay at www.saltcaynews.blogspot.com.

The Royal Reef Resort

By Kathy Borsuk~ Renderings by QR Imaging

North Caicos beach fronting Royal Reef Resort

North Caicos beach fronting Royal Reef ResortEvery so often, an opportunity appears that is too good to pass up. That’s the way Fred Paatz and Mark Hall felt when they first saw the beach just north of Sandy Point, North Caicos. It was a gift from God . . . compelling and almost mirage-like in its simple beauty: glass-smooth turquoise waters rimming a pristine expanse of fine white sand. And the Royal Reef Resort was conceived.

It was the right place at the right time. By all accounts, land values in North Caicos were skyrocketing, as investors overwhelmed by Providenciales’ rampant development looked to catch the next “big wave.” And North Caicos had plenty to offer. Not only were its beaches on par with Grace Bay, but the island’s rolling landscape, lush vegetation and deeply rooted traditions spoke of a Caribbean of yesteryear. The necessary infrastructure — good roads, electricity, telecommunications — was in place and the TCI government supported carefully planned development that would retain the island’s intriguing charm.

Paatz and his partner Mark Hall were convinced and purchased outright a 17+ acre site that encompassed 450 feet of beachfront. With nearly 35 years of development and commercial financing experience between them, the pair was excited about the stunning possibilities for this project. Vibrant and forward-thinking, they knew the Royal Reef must be a five-star property to complement its exclusive location and enchant the upscale clientele it seemed destined to attract. Paatz explains, “We put luxury, privacy and service above all in every aspect of our plans. The Royal Reef will be a self-contained five-star beach resort with all the amenities in place.”

The Royal Reef includes 120 condominiums in eight buildings, with a selection of one-, two-, three-bedroom and penthouse suites. Buildings are grouped in spacious enclaves, surrounded by exuberant landscaping with adjacent private free-form pools. Paatz notes that the site will hold less than half the number of rooms allowed by government planning regulations — a deliberate low-density choice made to protect the Royal Reef’s exclusivity. Beachfront units reflect generous setbacks of natural dune vegetation to ensure that nature remains at the forefront and every suite promises a stunning ocean view.

The heart of the Royal Reef will be a 95-suite boutique hotel, mirroring the buildings’ timeless Tuscan-Caribbean architectural elements. It, too, is surrounded by free-form water features, including a spectacular river-like pool for hotel guests and a reflecting pool leading to the entrance pavilion. (In fact, the Royal Reef Resort boasts of having more pools and water features than any other resort in the Turks & Caicos Islands.)

Royal Reef residents — owners, guests or vacationers — will find no comfort lacking within the gated property. Dining choices will include a beachfront bar and grill, a casual bistro and a fine dining restaurant for that special romantic dinner. Tucked within a secluded garden haven is the 12,000 sq. ft. spa, offering the latest in relaxing and regenerating therapies. With kitchen facilities in each condominium suite, guests will enjoy having a full supermarket, deli and bakery on site. Rounding out the upscale retail options are a clothing boutique, art gallery, jewelry store and dive shop.

Paatz is especially excited about the 220 seat, theatre-style conference hall — the first of its kind in the Turks & Caicos Islands. He says, “The Royal Reef can draw international attention as a site for business meetings and the facility is also a perfect venue for weddings and live entertainment.”

However, the island’s premium blend of sun, sand and sea remains its primary attraction and simply relaxing on the beach or around the pool terrace ranks high on most visitor’s “to do” list. The more active will appreciate the in-house watersports/dive operation, with the latest equipment and advice for enjoying the unexplored North Caicos dive sites and tranquil waters for which the Turks & Caicos are known. Two lighted tennis courts and a fitness facility will keep the sporting crowd satisfied, while tours of North Caicos’ fascinating fishing and farming-based communities will intrigue eco-travellers.

The Royal Reef will have no lack of the small touches that can make a difference to discerning visitors. An on-line concierge program ensures that guests can pre-stock their suites before arrival and that any and all special needs are planned for. Services of private butlers, chefs and nannies will be at the ready. High-tech digital fobs will serve as guests’ “keys” to the Royal Reef, allowing paper-free room charges. Wireless services and international cell phone access will be available resort-wide.

Upon arrival at Providenciales International Airport, once resort guests have cleared immigration and customs, Royal Reef representatives will be waiting to spirit them away like royalty to the resort. Transportation options include a private ferry service via the resort’s motor yacht, private helicopter service for the adventurous or three scheduled 12-minute flights from Provo daily. When the North Caicos airport expansion is complete (estimated 2008), guests will have the additional option of flying directly to North Caicos.

Private garages and storage lockers will help part-time owner-residents feel secure when they are away. Should they prefer, placing their suite in the managed-and-marketed vacation rental program can reap a supplementary income year-round.

Although the Royal Reef’s sales office has only been open since February, 2005, by mid-May, Fred Paatz reported over 20% pre-sales. Of these early investors, the majority are condominium owners on Providenciales who are looking for a place “the way Provo used to be.” The up-market clientele includes actors and sports stars, likely drawn from the celebrity hideaway of Parrot Cay, which is just across the channel from Royal Reef. Paatz believes that beachfront suite buyers plan to make the Royal Reef their second or third home, while those purchasing sumptuous ocean view units see it as an investment or retirement haven.

Prices range from $255,000 up to $7.5 million for penthouses, with pre-construction prices deliberately discounted 20% for guaranteed appreciation. However, investment growth is a reality on North Caicos these days. Prices for one acre oceanfront sites in a nearby subdivision leapt from $130,000 to $620,000 in less than three year’s time and are currently sold out.

Besides the scarcity of available beachfront property on North Caicos, “soon-come” improvements should continue to drive property prices skyward. An upscale marina complex is in the works at Sandy Point, destined to attract boaters from near and far. Government plans for the island include a deep water port at Bellefield Landing, which will drastically improve importation of goods and materials to the island. Expansion of the airport, a bridge to Middle Caicos and a potential link road between the Caicos islands and cays are all plans that will make access to and life on North Caicos even more attractive.

Paatz and Hall took great care to assemble a strong team to assist them in the birth of the Royal Reef. DCYSM, Canada’s largest architectural firm, can take credit for the resort’s well-thought-out design — a reflection of their work on over 50 resorts worldwide. Based in the Turks & Caicos since 1978, TDMG Concordia are the contractors, bringing a wealth of experience gleaned from such local projects as Point Grace, The Grandview on Grace Bay, Royal West Indies and Carpe Diem. Groundbreaking is set for August, 2005 regardless of pre-sales. Paatz says that financing is already in place to complete the entire first phase of the project.

Building a five-star resort on an isolated tropical island will involve a number of challenges, for which, Paatz states, he and his team are well-prepared. Until the deep-water harbor is completed, every bit of material for the project must be first imported into Providenciales, trucked to Heaving Down Rock, re-loaded onto a barge, sailed to Bellefield Landing, unloaded and re-trucked to the site. To help streamline the task, Royal Reef has set up a material-staging area and chartered two new barges. On-site generators will provide full power should existing supplies falter. Reverse osmosis water and waste treatment facilities are state-of-the-art.

Although the resort is still at least two years from completion, recruitment is already beginning for what will be the resort’s soul — a well-trained staff. Paatz has spread the word to students at North Caicos’ high school that training programs will be available and plans to expand his search to Europe and North America as necessary. Staff housing is being built on-premise.

North Caicos Islanders have a long history of self-reliance and independence, honed from years of supporting themselves on the bounty of a plentiful sea and a rich harvest of fruits and vegetables grown uniquely on North and Middle Caicos. As island newcomers, Paatz says the Royal Reef Resort development intends to respect this attitude, while opening opportunities to the community as a gesture of thanks for allowing a lucky few to share in their blessings. Royal Reef recently supported an Earth Day clean-up, one of many community-based projects in which they plan to become involved.

TCI residents and aficionados are keeping a watchful eye on the development of North Caicos. It seems destined to serve as a model for the country’s other, still-pristine places of natural beauty. By stepping carefully on their “piece of heaven,” the Royal Reef developers can set a positive precedent for those to follow in their footsteps.

For more information, visit www.royalreefresort.com or call toll-free in North America 866 728 7333 or in Turks & Caicos 649 941 8120. Potential purchasers on-island will be escorted to the development site on board Royal Reef Resort’s private 42 foot luxury motor yacht or helicopter.

In late 2001, the Turks & Caicos Islands Government signed an important and far reaching document. It was called the Environmental Charter. That document outlined our country’s commitment to the environment and conservation efforts on behalf of the people of the Islands. The very first guiding principle recognized that all people need a healthy environment in which to live and work, but also that it is the responsibility of all people to help maintain and sustain it.

We are at a crossroads. The Turks & Caicos Islands, still considered one of the most environmentally aware and ecologically pristine countries in the Caribbean, is developing swiftly. Our population is growing rapidly. And that hurried pace is beginning to threaten the very thing that we have treasured for many years.

The Islands are a treasure house of biological diversity. Many of our plants and animals are found nowhere else in the world. Fortunately, many of the TCI’s most important and sensitive areas have been included within a National Park system that is the envy of our neighbors. The 33 National Parks, Reserves, Sanctuaries and Areas of Historical Interest contain a wealth of natural, historical and spiritual treasures that can sustain our country for generations to come. It is our collective responsibility to preserve them. But the responsibility and the willingness to be the stewards of our natural wonders is not possible without knowledge.

This new section of Times of the Islands is intended to give you that knowledge. Many different groups need to know more about the TCI’s unique environments: teachers and students, civic groups, construction and development companies and, most importantly, our decisionmakers throughout government.

Times of the Islands has been publishing environmental articles of merit for almost 20 years. Its large national and international circulation puts the Turks & Caicos in front of tens of thousands of readers every quarter. And, importantly, this magazine is saved, re-read and passed along for years. Many of its articles are archived on the Web, giving them a circulation that goes far beyond our borders.

Enjoy the upcoming articles. We’ll be telling you about birds and bats and turtles and caves and beaches and plants and hundreds of other aspects of our unique and beautiful country. We’ll tell you about projects and opportunities that can turn our natural wealth into benefits for our entire society.

Don’t forget: We are the stewards of our wild places and the more we know, the more effective stewards we can be. Knowledge is Power.

Pineapple and coconut are an interesting combination. While the former comes from the Americas, the latter was introduced from Southeast Asia (via the Canary Islands) by the Spanish. The Spanish believed that coconuts had “the most palatable taste of all things one can find on earth.” They also really liked pineapples, which they called “pina” because they resembled pine cones. The Taino called them anana. In a pina colada, we see the perfect melding of Old and New World fruits (when combined, of course, with rum from Southeast Asian sugar cane and historical American ingenuity in distillation).

When you work in the West Indies it is impossible not to associate your favorite memories with fruits. Finding a ripe lime tree near Kew on North Caicos and squeezing its juice into a cold Coke after a hot day’s work. Ice cream made from soursop in Haiti or passion fruit in Puerto Rico. A papaya picked from a trailside tree in the Dominican Republic and drenched in lime juice fresh from a nearby tree. Walking along in Grenada popping genip and sucking all the sweetness from the fibrous seed, which leaves in your mouth what seems like a wad of chewed newspaper (we were told it would ward off thirst). Pineapple for lunch in Haiti, procured with a machete. Eating ripe coco plums on West Caicos or sea grapes in Cuba. The smell of a freshly cut guava . . .

Tropical and subtropical fruits are rarely an acquired taste; most of them are sweet and juicy and easy to love at first bite. People in the islands have an advantage because much of the world doesn’t have immediate access to these fruits (and when they do, the fruits are usually not ripe when they were picked to ensure that they will make it to market).

Spaniards created an amazing mixing of fruits when they arrived in the New World. They brought with them some of the fruits that they had acquired through trade with Africa and Southeast Asia: bitter oranges, sweet oranges, lemons, limes, figs, and dates (although they hadn’t yet recognized the importance of citrus in countering scurvy during long ocean voyages). The Tainos, who they met, had also brought fruit trees with them when they moved from the South American mainland to the islands, and pre-Taino peoples had previously introduced fruits from Central America. Migrating people tend to not leave home without their favorite plants and animals.

Early Spanish descriptions of the fruits of the West Indies were glowing in their praise. Pineapples (Ananas sativus) were “one of the best fruits in the world . . . and also very handsome.” And, after the pineapple was introduced to North America in the 17th century, it was so well received it became a symbol of hospitality.

Avocado (Persea gratissima), which West Indians call “pear” (so as not to confuse it with “avocat” or “abocado,” which mean lawyer in French and Spanish), was reportedly “very good with cheese.” The Spanish also noted that the Taino gave these pear trees no care whatsoever and that God was “the principal gardener.” Soursops (Annona spp.) were described as “large, cone-shaped fruit, with white, delicate-tasting flesh.” Actually, they look like spiky green hedgehogs and can reach a foot in length. The mamey (Mammea americana), which is a Taino word, has not been introduced into the North American market yet, but the Spanish thought they tasted like peaches but better. (Can anything really be better than peaches?)

The Spanish chronicler Oviedo made this insightful statement about guavas (Psidium guajava): “They have many seeds that are bothersome only to those who eat the fruit for the first time.” Foods with such a heavenly taste and smell just might be considered sinful. The Tainos associated guava (guayabo) with the world of the dead. Spirits, called opias, were said to come out at night in the guise of bats and feast on these sweet fruits. The ruler of the world of the dead, Maquetaurie Guayaba, has guava as part of his name.

The richness of the fruit trees of the West Indies is in many instances the result of Taino introductions and management of various tree species. At archaeological sites in Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, the contents of Taino house gardens have been studied by Dr. Lee Newsom of Penn State University. She has identified in these house gardens papaya (Ababaia), guava, soursop (Guanabana), several fruits of the sapotacaea family (star apple, yellow sapote, sapodilla) and panama tree (Sterculia apetala), which is a member of the chocolate family that has edible seeds that can be ground and roasted and made into a beverage. The papaya and panama tree are not native to the West Indies; they were introduced by the ancestors of the Taino who came from South America, although the homeland of the papaya is Central America. The small, green genip (Melicocca bijugata) is another South American introduction.

Sapodilla, yellow sapote, and avocado also are originally from Central America and all were introduced to the West Indies before the South American migration. Yellow sapote (Caimito) is sometimes called “egg fruit” because the flesh has the consistency of a hard boiled egg yolk. Sapodilla has soft, brown flesh that tastes a bit like root beer. Its bark is the source of chicle, an ingredient of chewing gum. The related species, Star apple, has a green or purple skin and a mucus-like texture.

In the Bahama archipelago, several fruits have been identified in archaeological sites: cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco), hog plum (Spondias lutea), strong bark (Bourreria spp.), and wild lime (Zanthoxylum spp.). Strong bark and wild lime were identified at the Coralie site on Grand Turk. It was lime wood that was used to fashion the canoe paddle currently on display at the Turks & Caicos National Museum. Hog plum grows in clusters of small, yellow fruits with fibrous, juicy pulp and a large seed. The cocoplum, locally called Caicos plum, grows on windward beaches. Its fruits are dark purple and the size of olives and are much loved by iguanas. Iguanas also love tuna (prickly pear: Opuntia sp.), another favorite fruit for the Tainos.

Other types of trees were introduced prehistorically to the Islands because their fruits functioned as something other than food. Achiote (Bixa orellana), originally from lowland South America, has seeds that were ground and made into a bright red dye that the Tainos called bija. This red paste was used to color their skin. The color red was associated with Taino male virility, but bija apparently also repelled mosquitos. Today, achiote is used as a natural food coloring that gives us the lovely yellow color in processed American cheese. Cupey (Clusea rosea) was introduced because it was an important source of resin for the Taino, and Las Casas wrote that the Spanish used it as a substitute for paper.

The genipap (Genipa americana) seems also to have been introduced from South America. Called jagua by the Taino, the fruit was processed into a black dye and used for tattooing, painting, and possibly for dyeing hair. The Turks & Caicos National Museum was originally called Guinep House after the large genipap tree in the front yard.

Fruit trees in the Caribbean are often large trees and the Taino word for shade tree is the same as the word for fruit tree (Yabisi). The Tainos associated the black dye from the jagua fruit with representations of the spirit world. In Taino mythology, it was a cave called “Cacibajagua,” literally Cave of the Jagua, from which the Taino peoples first emerged. The rest of the human race came from a second cave called “Amayaœna,” which glosses as the Cave of No Importance!

Guiro (Calabash: Crescentia cujete, and bottle gourd: Lagenaria siceraria) were among the earliest and most important plants cultivated in the Americas. They were the equivalent of pre-Hispanic canteens and were the main water container among the Tainos. The Tainos had no need to make ceramic water bottles (don’t tell Nalgene) because these gourds provided a ready and reliable container.

Europeans were not the first islanders to make alcoholic concoctions from West Indian fruits. The Island Caribs, who lived in the Lesser Antilles, reportedly made a kind of wine from pineapples.
So continue in the native tradition. Order a fruit salad made from local fruits; it will taste nothing like the fruits you get at home. And the next time you combine rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice, half-and-half and ice in a blender to enjoy a frosty Pina Colada, remember that you are experiencing the best of both worlds.

Dr. Betsy Carlson is an archaeologist with SEARCH, Inc., Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Bill Keegan is Curator of Caribbean Archaeology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

Marine Turtle Project

Turks & Caicos Islanders have eaten turtles for centuries. Archaeological digs around the Islands have revealed that Taino settlers were heavily dependent on turtle meat and eggs long before these Islands were “discovered” by Europeans. These later colonists continued to exploit the rich marine turtle harvest long after the Caribbean tribes had been exterminated and these days, many Belongers and visitors alike enjoy a regular meal of either turtle steak, turtle stew or steamed turtle.

At least three species of marine turtle swim the seas around the Turks & Caicos. The loggerhead turtle is occasionally encountered, but by far the most common species here are the endangered green turtle (the preferred eating-turtle) and the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, which is also harvested for its meat. But there is still a legal harvest of marine turtles in the TCI.

For the last three years, I have been visiting the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) as part of a UK Government-commissioned project known as “Turtles in the Caribbean Overseas Territories” (TCOT). TCOT was a collaborative study coordinated by the University of Exeter in Cornwall and the UK’s Marine Conservation Society, which aimed to assess the status of marine turtles and their exploitation in Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman Islands, Montserrat and TCI. The project involved a coalition of collaborating institutions in the UK and USA, as well as a range of project partners in each Territory. Our main collaborator here in TCI was the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR), and I will always be thankful for the time and resources they dedicated to ensure that the project was a success here.

TCOT’s final report was launched at the end of 2004, and included a suite of comprehensive Territory-specific recommendations to enhance the conservation and management of the turtle populations. Legal turtle harvests still occur in BVI, Cayman, Montserrat and TCI. Anguilla imposed a temporary ban on turtle fishing in 1995 as a result of local concerns about their depleted turtle populations. This moratorium is due to expire at the end of this year amid demands amongst the fishing community to resume the turtle fishery. Bermuda, on the other hand, permanently banned the take of turtles in its waters in 1973.

While the fishermen of BVI, Cayman and Montserrat still legally catch and consume turtles, none of these harvests matches that of the Turks & Caicos. According to TCOT estimates, between 240 and 1,130 green turtles are taken each year, as well as between 180 to 900 hawksbills, making the turtle fishery in TCI one of the largest regulated turtle fisheries in the Caribbean.

The impacts of this harvest are unknown because in recent years there has been virtually no management or monitoring of the turtle fishery. However, TCOT surveys suggested that the nesting populations of green and hawksbill turtles have significantly declined in the last few decades. Several local participants in TCOT interviews recalled how, as children, they would regularly accompany their fathers to the beach, where nesting turtles were flipped and butchered and the eggs dug up on Providenciales, Salt Cay and Grand Turk. Nesting female turtles are rarely encountered on these islands now, and any turtle nesting activity we recorded during TCOT tended to be on remote cays and beaches. Sadly, it seems that historical exploitation has wiped out nesting populations from the most populated islands, leaving a few remaining females to nest on inaccessible and undeveloped beaches.

These nesting populations are largely unrelated to the aggregations of foraging turtles found in relative abundance on the Caicos Banks. TCOT surveys indicate that these turtles are mainly juveniles, and our genetic studies suggest that these young turtles may have originally hatched out on large nesting beaches in other turtle nesting areas around the Caribbean, such as those found in Costa Rica, Mexico and the USA. Some may have even originated from the beaches on Ascension Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

The good news is that nesting populations in these countries are protected and well monitored and their numbers appear to be increasing. If this is the case, then it is possible that the numbers of juvenile turtles settling on the Caicos Banks to feed may also be increasing, but because TCI has not carried out any long-term research, we do not know the population trends in these turtles.

However, it is clear from TCOT surveys that juvenile green and hawksbill turtles occur in TCI’s waters in regionally important numbers, especially in Protected Areas. It is possible that, if these large foraging populations are increasing in TCI’s waters, then they may be able to sustain a limited and rigorously managed harvest.

The lack of baseline knowledge leads to one of the key recommendations made by the TCOT project. The Turks & Caicos Islands should carry out rigorous, long-term scientific research on its turtle populations if the country is serious about protecting its nesting turtles and managing its turtle fishery in a responsible and contemporary manner. Not only should there be systematic research into TCI’s turtles, but the legislation regulating the turtle harvest should also be amended in line with findings from recent research.

For example, current legislation prohibits the “take of any turtle on any beach or at any place above low water mark” and prohibits the collection of “laid” turtle eggs. But as soon as nesting females leave the beach and enter the surf they are fair game to the turtle fishermen. In fact, only turtles less than 20 pounds in weight are protected by the current Fisheries Protection Regulations 1998. But it is now widely accepted that the survival of populations of long-lived, slow-growing species such as turtles depends heavily on the survival of the large sub-adults and adults rather than the smaller, immature individuals.

Turtles are thought to mature at between 30 and 50 years of age, and it is believed that only 1 in 1,000 turtle eggs survives to become a mature, reproductively active adult. Therefore, these reproductive adults that have somehow, against the odds, survived the gamut of natural threats are particularly valuable to the population because they produce the eggs that hatch into the baby turtles that will one day maintain the population.

Furthermore, there is no closed season in TCI. The Fisheries Protection Regulations therefore provide very little protection to reproductive adults, which can be hunted at sea throughout the year, even during the nesting season. No wonder, then, that given the present legislation, the historical exploitation of nesting females and their eggs, and the extent of today’s harvest, TCI’s nesting populations appear to have significantly declined in the last few decades.

The message from the TCOT project is clear. If TCI is to seriously consider the future of its turtle populations, then the legislation and fishing practices should be radically changed to protect the sub-adult and adult turtles. Research into the country’s foraging aggregations, and the fishery that targets them must be enhanced so that we can begin to understand how best to manage this natural resource. If TCI acts now, then future generations of Turks & Caicos Islanders will be able to enjoy seeing turtles swimming in the sea, as well as be able to enjoy locally caught turtle stew.

But responsible management of the turtle fishery alone will not save TCI’s turtles. Throughout the Caribbean, there is growing pressure to develop turtle nesting beaches for tourism and TCI is no exception. Insensitive tourism development on nesting beaches will damage the beach structure, scare off nesting adults and result in fewer hatchlings making it to the sea.

TCOT did not fully record the extent of turtle nesting in TCI, and more research is needed, but thankfully, most of the nesting we did record occurred within the country’s excellent network of National Parks, Sanctuaries and Nature Reserves. The management of these Protected Areas is key to the survival of TCI’s nesting and foraging turtle populations. It is essential that the integrity of the Protected Area network is maintained in order to protect marine turtles, their habitat and the wealth of natural resources that lie within them. It is these resources that make the Turks & Caicos Islands “beautiful by nature” and lie at the heart of the country’s future prosperity.

The Islands need to manage their turtle fishery and protect their adult turtles now. Implementing protective measures without delay will assure the presence of these magnificent animals for this and future generations to come.

To find out more about the TCOT project and its recommendations regarding TCI’s turtles, go to www.seaturtle.org/mtrg/projects/tcot and download our final report. If you have further queries, e-mail the author at peter@mcsuk.org.

It’s been more than one year since Conservative Member of Parliament Peter Goldring introduced a motion in the Canadian House of Commons calling for discussions to explore the possibility of a union between the Turks & Caicos Islands and Canada. While there has been some progress made, the two nations are still half a world away from any sort of formal alliance.

Despite numerous false starts, Canadians have long been interested in aligning with the Turks & Caicos Islands, dating back to 1917 when Prime Minister Robert Borden first suggested the idea of a union while cruising in the region. Nearly 20 years ago, two Turks & Caicos businessmen, Ralph Higgs and Delton Jones, joined Conservative MP Dan McKenzie to address the Progressive Conservative Caucus Sub-Committee on External Affairs. They produced a survey revealing that more than 90% of Islanders favoured an association with Canada.

At the time, committee Chair David Daubney concluded it would be inappropriate for Canada to unilaterally institute formal talks with the Turks & Caicos Islands during its upcoming election, and discussions subsided until Goldring introduced a motion in 2003 to once again investigate the possibility of forming a union between the two countries. However, two decades of inactivity have cooled most Islanders’ interest in aligning with Canada. “Understandably, it’s not at the 90% level it was reported to be at before. There’s been a lot that happened since then with the economic development that has come to the country,” said Goldring. “Still, it could be a very broad-based relationship. It’s far more than the sun and sand that had been discussed 20, 30 years ago.”

Canada’s federal election in June 2004 redirected Goldring’s efforts. He was appointed the Conservative Party’s Foreign Affairs Critic for the Caribbean on September 1, a position that expands his area of operation to all the Caribbean rim countries. He recently traveled to Barbados, Granada, St. Lucia, and Dominica on an eastern Caribbean exploratory trip to meet with both residents and government officials. “What I’m finding is that there is a real, viable interest throughout the Caribbean, certainly from the northern part where the Turks & Caicos are, as well as the southern part, toward South America, to be more actively engaged,” said Goldring.

Goldring reintroduced a motion in the House of Commons on December 15, 2004 calling for the Canadian government to begin exploratory discussions with the Turks & Caicos Islands to see if there is enough social and economic will for a union with Canada. Goldring is working with fellow politicians to prepare an application for a sub-committee to the Foreign Affairs Committee to the Caribbean. If the application is approved, the sub-committee hopes to take a group of cross-party parliamentarians to the Islands this fall to speak with the Islanders themselves.

How the Islanders will receive the delegation from Canada is another matter. The Turks & Caicos Islands are no longer the sleepy archipelago of 20 years ago. Now one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the Caribbean, the Islands saw an increase in airlift of nearly 25% last year, with an additional 1,000 air seats per week and non-stop scheduled service from many destinations worldwide, including Atlanta, New York, Miami, London, and Toronto. In January 2004, Carnival Cruise Lines and the Turks & Caicos Islands government announced an agreement to construct a $35 million cruise ship terminal on Grand Turk. The terminal will bring an economic boost to Grand Turk by diversifying the island’s tourism product when it is completed in 2006. In early 2005, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company announced the opening of a resort on West Caicos, with subsequent residential development on the protected island to follow. The Islands’ recent economic strides have left many Islanders wondering how they would benefit from an association with Canada.

“Obviously, the Turks & Caicos are really moving ahead economically themselves. The cruise port will certainly help Grand Turk, but they still need to bring along the other islands. That’s where the real weight of Canada’s influence could be put: the infrastructure development of the other islands,” said Goldring. “It’s one thing to have the deep-water port at Grand Turk, but it would really benefit the entire country if they had a deep-water port in the Caicos chain, connected by causeways between the major islands.”

Goldring claims an association with Canada would benefit both countries economically, allowing the Islands to move away from a predominantly tourism-based economy. Many Islanders, he says, want their children to experience an assortment of other professions much more varied than the tourism industry. “Many of their children now are educated in North America and end up staying there, because the education they have doesn’t lend itself to opportunities on the Islands,” said Goldring. “These are things I think would be good for the country’s overall society, as well as the economy.”

Another benefit Canada could offer Turks & Caicos Islanders is added security. Goldring mentions the concerns of many Islanders over the recent political turmoil in Haiti and says a relationship with Canada could help ease security and immigration anxieties. “One of the concerns that is very close to the Turks & Caicos is the issue of Haiti,” said Goldring. “If there was a relationship, there could be a humanitarian base of people ready to react to difficulty that might be in the Turks & Caicos themselves, but also in neighboring areas.”

Although Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin has yet to respond to an invitation by TCI Chief Minister Honourable Dr. Michael Misick to visit the Turks & Caicos Islands, Goldring vows to continue pushing the issue in parliament. “It’s more being one to keep it on the forefront,” said Goldring. “I think the important thing is to plan on having a real dialogue with the Islanders themselves to be sure they’re part of the consultation and, if they have concerns, which I’m sure they do, to face them directly and have a discussion.”

Steve Rennie is an Ottawa-based freelance writer whose byline appeared in print more than 100 times last year. He recently completed a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in English at the University of Ottawa, and will begin Carleton University’s Master of Journalism program this fall. He is particularly interested in the Caribbean region, and has closely studied Canada’s relationship with the Turks and Caicos Islands.