Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine July 2017 | Page 246

by Shana Jones
Read her blog at www.roamingaviatrix.com
Kalinago
for
a
Day
- Indigenous Dominica -
"DID YOU KNOW" Fact:
Kalinago is the name the original inhabitants called themselves.
Carib, the more popular name, and which means "savage cannibal",
was the name given to them by the Europeans who came to the island.
O
pen your eyes. Needles of golden daylight pierce
tiny spaces in the taboui roof, but dark blueness
is still everywhere. Open your ears. The whistle
of the crickets rises and falls in a rhythm, muted
by roseaux leaves dancing in the wind’s occasional puffs.
The hum of Brother’s and Sister’s breathing floats around
the taboui and settles on you, caressing you back to sleep.
Open your nisiru. The aroma of cassava bread baking in the
ajoupa outside swirls its way to your nostrils, swelling even
more as Mother puts another cake to the fire. Your tongue
relishes its slightly burnt flavour mingled with the mild
freshness of the coulirou that you and Father will catch in
the river today. Father comes soon, so move your nocobou
now. Your bed mat of woven larouma, softened after so
much use, reluctantly peels itself away from the moistness
of your skin as you rise to meet the day.
Taboui
Ajoupa