A name change from the Carib Reserve to Kalinago Territory has received approval from Parliament.
The Carib Territory Amendment Act which was brought to Parliament by Kalinago Affairs Minister, Casius Darroux, was passed with the support of The United Workers Party parliamentary opposition.
Speaking at the First Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Parliament on Friday, Darroux said the name change will represent the image of the Kalinago people in a more affirmative way, “ to reflect a better indigenous identity, to dispel the historic negative connotations linked with the word Carib…”
“It is a new day for us, it is a new day in the history of the Kalinago people as the first inhabitants of the country. This bill that has been passed through Parliament to be amended. It is going to bring a lot of thought provoking ideas that we are going to develop for the betterment of the Kalinago people,” the first time parliamentarian and cabinet minister stated.
According to Darroux, since the arrival of Columbus, the Kalinago people have been “littered” with degrading connotations, “one of oppression which is a reminder that history has failed to recognize the sacrifices of my people and the appreciation of us as the first settlers of the land,” adding, “this does not foster any sense of ethnic pride among the indigenous people.”
Darroux describes Kalinago as the true reflection of a dynamic symbol of resistance to colonization and more so, “a symbol of unity, survival and strength which has the power to unify diverse people.”
The minister’s plans for development of the Kalinago Territory include new accommodations for the Kalinago Village Council, the commissioning of a resource centre which, according to him, “is going to be completed very soon and we will be having the opening for that” and resurfacing of the Kalinago Territory road networks.
