The Mother Colony of the West Indies by Javella Caines

Also known as Sugar City, this colony has been known for its rich culture and its loving people. From the Indigenous peoples, to Sir Thomas Warner, to Slavery to Independence, this country has all the wonderful delights of a true cultural melting pot.

It was first inhabited by the Arawaks, a peaceful Amerindian tribe that originated from the Orinoco Valley in South America. After constant conflict with the another tribe St.Kitts ended up in the hands of the Caribs. They reined on the island then known as Liamigua, “fertile land”, in the Amerindian language. Their rein however was only for a time.

In 1492, the country was visited by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage. He named it Saint Christopher in his honor and sailed on to Hispaniola (Now called Haiti and Santo Domingo). The Caribs appeared to be a friendly sort although his meeting with them did not last as long as the Spanish settlements as they saw no precious ores on the island.

In 1623, Sir Thomas Warner, a sea merchant saw the island in passing and visualizing its richness and hoping to set up a successful tobacco colony, went back to Britain to request permission to settle there with other British colonists and supplies. In 1624 he colonized the island in the name of Britain. He was then joined by the French in 1625 who, under Pierre D’Esnambuc, occupied the ends of the islands leaving Britain in the middle. They coexisted for sometime with the Caribs who became suspicious of their European colonists. They plotted a massacre which was relayed to Sir Thomas Warner by one named Barbe. The planned massacre ended in a victory for the British and the French.

The British and French had another conflict amongst themselves over the ownership of the island. In 1713, however, the French were expelled from the island. However the tobacco crops continued to exist. During the eighteenth century the Sugar revolution came about. St. Kitts now had another cash crop to keep up the rich colonial society that existed from the coming of the Europeans.

The Sugar revolution saw a change in the demography and population as smaller tobacco plots were joined together to create large sugar plantations. Remnants can be found throughout the islands as remainders of old sugar mills and plantation houses. The Colony now thrived on the monoculture of sugar hence the introduction of Slavery.

The first slaves in the Caribbean were the Amerindians. However, the colonists introduced serfs or Bondservants to the colonies. The bondservants were unprofitable as they were more concerned with drinking spirits and occupying land. They turned to Africa and so the slave trade began. Tribes such as the Ashanti, Igbos, Popos and Ibibos from the Savannah and Forest Empires of West Africa were brought here under dangerous conditions to work.

The conditions for slavery were terrible. The Africans, unlike their predecessors fought much harder for their freedom and better treatment. After years of turmoil and oppression the blacks eventually won their freedom in 1834. they endured an apprenticeship period of six years. They became peddlers and merchants of all sorts. The British government wanted for the Caribbean islands to join under treaties so that they would be able to govern certain aspects. St.Kitts joined with Nevis and Anguilla to form a federation. On September 19th 1983, St.Kitts got its independence from Britain after demonstrating that they are quite capable of managing most of their affairs. They have remained independent ever since in hand with Nevis.