Yet We Survive

The Kalinago people of Dominica: our lives in words and pictures

This book tells the story of the Kalinago people of Dominica in the eastern Caribbean. They are among the last survivors of the indigenous peoples of the region who were there when Christopher Columbus arrived 500 years ago. Their ancestors were largely wiped out after the European encounter. Nowadays they live in a corner of Dominica as farmers and fishermen, taxi drivers and teachers; they make baskets and build canoes and preserve what is left of their rich cultural legacy.

Using their own words and pictures, this book offers an extraordinary insight into the Kalinago people as they see themselves today: at work and play, shopping, schools, religion, the differences between women’s and men’s lives. It illustrates who they are, how they live, how they see their future.

As an educational resource, this book would be relevant for pupils at KS2 or year 7 in England and Wales, at S1 and primary 7 in Scotland (ages 7-11). Teachers’ notes are available which link the book in with the following subject areas:

• Language
• Social subjects – in particular issues of cultural identity, encounters, journeys, slavery, colonialism
• History
• Geography
• Expressive arts – art, craft, home economics, drama, music
• ICT – for research and presentation
• Global citizenship – understanding of other places and peoples, and issues which affect us at both a local and a global level
• Enterprise – taking responsibility for real situations, with each pupil having a role to play.

A story book written and illustrated by school children in Dominica, ‘The Snake King of the Kalinago’ is also available from the same publisher, price £3.99.

 

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