I am Kalinago
We are the direct descendants of the earliest peoples to arrive in Dominica and the Caribbean, journeying from Asia and across the Bering Strait. Once hunter-gatherers, we crossed the islands of the Lesser Antilles from the Orinoco region of South America in our roughly hewn canoes, making homes in caves along the seashore. To survive, and then thrive, we gathered shellfish from the rocky shores and coral reefs, caught fish in the rivers, hunted crabs, birds, and iguanas, and fed ourselves wild yams and fruit.
We were the island's first explorers, trekking through its high mountains and naming it Waitukubuli, meaning “Tall Is Her Body”—a name we still use today. Our families journeyed together in canoes, carrying food and plants. For the indigenous Amerindian people, the forests of Dominica are a treasury of natural materials integral to our daily lives.
With the arrival of European colonizers, the Kalinago People and their way of life fell under threat. Beginning in 1503, Spain issued decrees permitting settlers to capture and enslave indigenous peoples across the Americas and the Caribbean. They renamed our island Dominica. The native populations of smaller, flatter islands were decimated. Yet, we resisted.
By the 1760s, Dominica had become a British colony, and the island was mapped and sold off. We were dispossessed of nearly all our land. Many of us retreated to the secluded east coast, continuing our way of life and preserving our culture against the odds.
The establishment of our communal land, the Kalinago Territory, in 1903 by the British marked a turning point. For the first time, a chief was officially recognized. Since then, 20 chiefs have been appointed, with a brief hiatus between 1930 and 1953 when the British Colonial administration suspended the chief’s office. Despite this, our people continued to honor certain elders as leaders.
Now, we are a community of 3,000 people living in a 3,700-acre space. And a Kalinago revival is underway. A new generation is reconnecting with our distinguished heritage, blending a rich tapestry of traditions. This renewed vitality has been crucial for our community to overcome the severe damage done by Hurricane Maria in 2017. We are developing our region to become stronger than ever. We invite you to join this journey, to visit and immerse yourself in our living culture.
The Kalinago Territory is located on a 3,700-acre space in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Dominica, an hour's drive from the capital, Roseau. It comprises eight villages: Sineku, Mahaut River, Gaulette River, Salybia, Crayfish River, Bataka, Atkinson, and part of Concord, where nearly 3,000 people live.
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