Ajoupa
a magical scene framed by greenery and golden sunlight : off to the right , a crystal waterfall emanating from a blur of forest in the distance tumbles over a shiny black rockbed to flow into the Atlantic Ocean below . To the left , a group of muscular , half-dressed men sits around a long tree trunk , carving out its insides with small axes . Today the group has felled a gommier tree ( not an everyday occurrence ) and is carving it into a canoe . Your guide points out the pile of rocks nearby which will be used to “ stretch ” the inside of the boat and help form its shape .
A dryness in your throat and the shirt sticking to your back mean it ’ s time to leave the model village and head back to the present-day Kalinago community where you ’ re homestaying with a local family in a traditional thatched hut .
15 minutes later your host greets you with a tall glass of coconut water , which you hastily gulp down after she ushers you inside . The relief from the outside heat is instant and the coolness within embraces you in a silent greeting of Mabrika !. You lie down on your mat under a heavy blanket of contented fatigue and let your eyes narrow , shrinking the needles of sunlight overhead . Before long , you have drifted off far away into a fading swirl of steaming coulirou aromas , spirited young voices playing in the river , undulating hills of fresh green stretching to heaven , and the soft whisper in your mind ’ s ear : “ Aitina Kalinago , aitina Kalinago …”
[ This story was first published in our July 2017 issue ]