Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine April 2017 | Page 511

Photo Credit: Justin Okoye, JFC Studios
Island hopping some 38.27 miles northward,
the winds traverse the lush fields of Middle and
North Caicos, where tropical fruits and ground
provisions remind us of a rich history, deeply
etched in slavery, and the freedom to sleep at
night with unlocked doors and windows swung
wide open reminiscent of a legacy of trust among
neighours. Not far away are the virgin dots that
have, for decades, punctuated the landscape,
but have now transitioned to an enchanting
escape for the rich and famous, Pine and Parrot
Cay, so named for their richness in bird life and
lush vegetation. The winds culminate on a vast
expanse of land that has transitioned from a
somewhat dusty wasteland to a booming hub for
multiple international flights, and a welcoming
place for thousands of tourists, and home to
several nationalities. We call this breathtakingly
beautiful “best beach in the world” island
Providenciales. This is where the world meets the
Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI).
Discovered in 1492, by Christopher Columbus,
our 'Beautiful By Nature' Turks and Caicos Islands,
a British Overseas Territory, was originally settled
by the Taino Indians who were later joined by
the Bermudians. The cultural influence of the
Bermudians, who came primarily for the purpose
of starting the salt industry, has been strong,
reflected primarily in the architecture that exists
up until today.
Some fifty years ago, the population of the
Turks and Caicos Islands was primarily made
up of indigenous Turks and Caicos Islanders,
along with early setters, who had settled on
eight of the inhabited islands. A small number
of Haitian Nationals settled on Grand Turk
and Providenciales. Each island had certain
peculiarities - food, linguistic intonations and
inflections that made their residents easily
identifiable as having been born and/or raised
on that particular island. Inter-island travel was
done mainly for commercial purposes, however,
students travelled to the capital to attend
Secondary school. As time progressed and the
country trended towards economic prosperity,
the need for skilled labour increased, bringing
with it attendant employment opportunities and
attracting workers from various countries.
In cases where there were large concentrations of
workers from a single country, cultural influences
began to infiltrate the local culture suppressing
the local culture in some aspects, or changing it
in other.