By Felicia Newchurch Guardian Student Writer

It's over-rated to hear, "Bahamian people don't know where they come from." Young people are occasionally criticized for mimicking the cultures of other nations, especially America. People say we have lost our culture.

However, is it clear where exactly our culture is derived from? In fact, part of our lifestyle can be traced as far back to the lifestyles of 16th century loyalists and their slaves.

These refugees have indeed left an indelible mark on Bahamian society, which can be seen in the way we live today. Driven out of their homeland as a result of their loyalty to Britain, the Tories (as they were called) had to seek a new way of life in a foreign land. The Bahamas, being a British colony was an ideal location for those afraid of the cold weather in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The arrival of the loyalists brought changes in the government and the social life of the Bahamas. They brought thousands of slaves who bought with them their diverse culture.

The most definite transformation that came about as a result of the loyalists settling in The Bahamas was the sudden growth in population. Before their arrival, there was an estimated 4,000-5,000 inhabitants living here. There were 2,750 living in New Providence, 500 in Harbour Island, 450 in Eleuthera, and 250 all together in Exuma, Long Island and Cat Island. These figures do not represent the number of people that were living in Turks and Caicos. (Paul Albury, History of the Bahamas"

By 1788 the population trebled to 9,800. Free land was one of the major contributing factors to this great influx of loyalists. Forty acres of land was given to each household and an additional 20 acres to each member of the family including the slaves and free blacks.

This growth of the population was unequally distributed regarding race. For the first time blacks outnumbered the whites and represented 2/3 of the population. On average, the southern and central islands of The Bahamas had 91.3% slaves during the period 1775-1807.

In terms of social class, the black slaves had the least. They were great in numbers but had little rights and were the poorest. One step up from the slaves was the freed coloureds. These people earned their freedom by fighting for Britain during the American Revolutionary War.

With the sudden boost in the population, mostly slaves, the white elites passed strict laws to govern the blacks. One such law ruled that by 9:00 p.m., all blacks must clear the streets of Nassau. A bell rang at nine indicating that the time for blacks to roam the streets had expired. The blacks were deprived of a right to assemble out of fear that they may plan a riot and revolt against their masters.

Despite the negativity that accumulated as a result of the loyalist arrival in The Bahamas, there was still a reasonable amount of positive. For the first time in The Bahamas, a newspaper - the Bahama Gazette - was published by author, John Wells. In addition to this, a library utilized the building that was once a jail. This library, the Nassau Public Library is still standing and operating up to this day. A borrowing system was implemented, which raised the literacy rate in The Bahamas, mainly among the whites.

The architectural structure of the colony changed. As provisions became available to the loyalists, Nassau began to build up attractively. The loyalists brought the Georgian style of architecture to the heart of Nassau. Stone was mostly used to build houses and timber was used for the roof, door and window frames. The houses were 2-3 storeys high, with an occasional attic. These rectangular shaped homes were usually trade marked with quoins. Architects today still use this technique.

The loyalists were responsible for the construction of many public buildings that are still standing today. They included a jail, a library, the public buildings in Rawson's Square and churches. A new warehouse was built to store thousands of pounds of cotton. Lord Dunmore supervised the construction of Fort Fincastle and Fort Charlotte. Other buildings Lord Dunmore is responsible for are Dunmore House on West Street and The Hermitage, East Bay Street. Venue House was built for buying and selling slaves and the selling of fresh produce.

The loyalists played a major role in politics when they came to The Bahamas. As already mentioned, they made certain that all blacks be off the streets by 9:00 p.m. and did not assemble in large numbers. Positively, they prohibited flogging of female slaves. Further, to enforce safety, they prohibited building homes with thatch roof to prevent fires.

They formed a party opposing the government and criticized them on several occasions. However they influenced Governor Maxwell to reduced the 24 seats that represented Nassau, Eleuthera and Harbour Island to house the 11 new representatives from Cat Island, Exuma, Long Island, Abaco and Andros. This was the first time these islands were represented in the Hose of Assembly. Of the 11, only 9 were elected in 1785.

The longest-lived House occurred during the years 1785-1794. However, the loyalists reduced the life of parliament to five years.

THE AFRICAN INFLUENCE

Even though Nassau was developing into a little European, colonial town, Over-the Hill area was still undeveloped and poor. Most of the inhabitants here were liberated Africans. They grew vegetables and sold them in the market or used them for cooking. Black settlements included Delancy Town, Adelaide, Fox Hill, Bain Town, Carmichael Road, and Grants Town. They lived in small rectangular huts made of stone. The windows and doorframes were made of wood and the roof was thatched.

The Africans who came to The Bahamas with the loyalists kept their customs alive. It should be noted that a great percentage of our customs like food preparation, beliefs, religion and games are among the customs that can be traced back to the loyalists slaves and the freed coloureds.

One of the most evident African culture that is now unique to the Bahamas is junkanoo. Carnival is a similar custom that is practiced in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. However, there are many distinctions between carnival and Junkanoo.

Junkanoo festival, named after John Canoe, is notably the same custom that was carried out by the slaves. Over the years, it has advanced to bigger costumes, more colours and different instruments.

Religion is also a custom that is evident in Bahamian society today. The Methodist and Baptist sect of religion was bought over by freed blacks but by 1800, whites led the Methodist church.

The first Methodist to come to the Bahamas was a freed slave, Joseph Paul. His small church was made of wood and located on Agusta and Health Field Street. This denomination grew in great numbers. The only time blacks could have congregated in large numbers was during religious ceremonies. However, the worship time was regulated by law. The service carried on much like today's Baptist ceremonies. The upbeat praise and worship, enthusiastic sermons, hand clapping and toe tapping and church rocking atmosphere was typical to the Methodist church in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Doctors seldom visited the Out Islands so the inhabitants had to find other means of health care and remedies. They would usually resort to nature for cure. Catnip was/is used as a prenatal treatment, remedy for colds and worms. Other bush medicines include sage for itching, aloe for pain relief and burns and cerasee to treat the flu and cramps If one would visit one of the Family Islands today, he may come across older people in the society using bush medicines.

There are other cultural influences that can still be noted in The Bahamas today, but are not as evident as the Methodist/Baptist sect of religion and junkanoo. It may not be strange to hear Bahamians say," he get fix." This belief is derived from obeah and voodoo practices that Africans took part in. This is greatly related to superstition. There is evidence that the Africans influenced the way we cook. The use of outside kitchens is still a usual sight on the Family Islands. They also brought with them their storytelling and music customs that are still practiced today. Ring plays, quadrilles, fire dance and jumping dance have stand the test of time and are still a part of our culture. Who can forget the B'Book and B'Rabby stories that were told to us by our grandparents and primary school teachers?

In later years, James Carmichael Smyth improved the conditions of slave settlements, leaving the whites in resentment. He established a school for the African children even though the government did not support this idea. Despite their support, he used £1,000 of his money and constructed a school.

As a nation so greatly influenced by other cultures, our lifestyle is changing everyday. However, it is important that we remember what uniquely distinguishes us from the rest of the world. The arrival of the loyalists to The Bahamas has definitely contributed to our way of life from the religious, social and political aspect. However, there were two very different groups of people who arrived during the late 16th century and early 17th century.

Posted Saturday, January 24, 2004