The descendants of this country’s indigenous people must be treated with respect and not be the brunt of ridicule, says President Anthony Carmona.
He was delivering a lecture “Champions of the First Peoples” at a ceremony commemorating First Peoples Heritage Week on Thursday at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation’s auditorium at Cumberbatch Street, Chaguanas.
Carmona said he received a letter from Ricardo Bharath Hernandez, Chief of the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community, on May 8, and was particularly struck by a portion of the letter that stated that the community would be celebrating its 28th anniversary of being accepted—because of a Cabinet decision and the 16th year of being granted a day of recognition.
“Imagine for a group of people that has been in this country for hundreds of years even thousands. Yes, way before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1498 you are only this year celebrating 28 years of the acceptance of your identity and 16 years of the First People Day of Recognition. That type of maths simply does not add up and when it does it tells a tale of woe and historical obscurity.”
He questioned why the due recognition of the First Peoples did not occur naturally as with other ethnic groups to remain firmly embedded in the consciousness of T&T. Carmona said First Peoples globally are subjected to a level of marginalisation and degradation, having to fight for their identity and for acceptance by the outside world. He said identity is a God-given right that does not need to be legislated.
“The results of man’s inhumanity to man has rendered it necessary to even legislate the identity of our First Peoples.”
Carmona said the first peoples of T&T have struggled to keep their identity while maintaining a deep commitment to the environment. He said he identified with the First Peoples when he announced that his paternal grandfather was a member of Venezuela’s Warahoon tribe and noted that he feels a great bond to the First Peoples.
“I do feel a deep sense of connection and bond to this culture, heritage and I sometimes feel your sense of outrage. I am equally aware of the challenges you encounter to keep your culture alive and relevant.” Carmona said First Peoples are also ridiculed when they wear their cultural garments which are sometimes branded as carnival costumes.
Bharath Hernandez reiterated his call for a one-off public holiday to recognise the contribution of First Peoples. He said it was hoped that a day of recognition would bring a greater awareness to the First Peoples and provide a platform for national recognition.
Chaguanas Mayor Gopaul Boodhan said the Government should give the First People Community the recognition it deserves. Boodhan said the First Peoples and their ancestors contributed immensely to the development of T&T but their efforts are not well recognised. He said the community should also be given some concessions that include freedom from the burden of having to pay property tax.