Flower of the Santa Rosa festival
The Santa Rosa de Lima statue is borne aloft, as the religious/cultural procession makes a stop at the Arima dial, last Sunday. Photo by Anthony Harris
By Michelle Loubon
Resplendent in red with a tinge of gold, flagsman Peter Diaz led the
annual Santa Rosa de Lima festival through the streets of Arima, last Sunday.
The
sun shone fiercely, as the streets sprang to life, with cross bearers and altar
servers, Carib queen Valentina Medina, flanked by her attendants.
As
they sung hymns and chanted the “Our Father”, the Carib community and other
participants clutched tropical blooms like anthuriums, ginger lilies and roses.
Even the men like Fr Christian Pereira and Medina’s husband Bertie donned red
corsages, and bits of yellow and pink ribbon.
All
eyes turned to the Statue of Santa Rosa, decked with rows of beautiful roses and
a bouquet of red roses, perfected by whites, pinks and yellows. The skills of
floral designer, Camille Stephenson, were brought to fruition.
“The throne and the flowers are a very intricate part of our
ceremony. Over 1,500 flowers were used. I brought down flowers to make the head
bouquet bigger. It’s the same design but I enhanced it. I know the names of 155
roses of the top of my head. The work is something in their (Carib women) heart
and such passion they put into it.”
The feisty 54-year-old descendant of
Carib-Spanish grandparents — Ventura Castillano on her mother’s side, and
Priscilla Lopez on her father’s side — Stephenson was also responsible for
setting up the Children of Guayaco (loincloth) in memory of her late mother
Natalia Gabriel “Rose” Lashley.
Back at the Carib Community Centre, Paul Mitchell Street, Arima,
pretty pink roses decorated the place mats. Roses bordered the “Legend of Santa
Rosa” inscribed on a blackboard. It explained why the “flower of romance” is the
accepted symbol of the festival.
A
snippet read: “When the huntsmen returned to the forest where they had found her
(Rosa) they found a necklace and a crown of roses in the necklace, now lost. It
was said to have miraculous powers and was worn by the queen of the tribe as a
sign of sovereignty.”
While Stephenson has lived abroad for the last 38 years, she
currently resides in Texas with her husband Ronald who is reading for his PhD in
environmental geography. The couple has two sons Dominique and Pierre.
She
added: “My true love is flowers and children.”
She
inherited her love and education about flowers from her mother who kept flower
gardens at St Ann’s. Later on, Stephenson owned a flower shop in Wisconsin where
she lived for 18 years.
Stephenson added: “I prefer roses in a garden but I love hanging
heliconias. I love anthurium lilies but I hate what they call them in the States
‘little boy flowers’.
Different cultures use different flowers. I like the bulbs, crocuses and
peonies. There are different seasons... different feelings. It’s an emotional
thing.”
Children of the loincloth
Stephenson was also instrumental in
setting up the “Children of the Guayaco” (loincloth) group. She is passionately
devoted to preserving Carib heritage and educating the younger generation about
Amerindian culture. She echoes the sentiments of the Carib community that “we
were here first but we are referred to as ‘other’”.
The
21-member group visited sites like Arena (San Rafael), where the massacre of the
Capuchin monks took place. They also stopped off at St Joseph — the first
capital.
Stephenson said: “We did our first tour of Arena and then St
Joseph. I explained to them its history. I explained to them what happened in
Arena happened. We have to get stronger or else we will die. We said a prayer
for those who wronged us. I told them it is history and it cannot be changed.”
Even her 15-month-old grandson, Conner, has his necklaces from the
Carib community and his T-shirt that says “Important parts of me are Trini”.
While Stephenson was born in San Fernando, she grew up in
Port-of-Spain and Arima. Between her home on El Carmen Street, Arima, “where she
would go down to the river” and holidaying at the Heights of Aripo, she
developed a love for rural life. She has since emerged as a custodian of the
environment — doing videos on coral reefs in the Caymans Islands.
Later on, while living “in the bush,” in Tobago, she developed a
training programme for tour guides on “Falls of the Argyle”, Nature Park.
Even though she has travelled extensively throughout the Caribbean,
Europe and South America, she said: “I look forward to returning to the festival
and coming back home. There is something special about here... particularly
people in Arima, Sangre Grande and Biche. There is a certain warmth which brings
me back.”
Guyanese, Trinis rescue ‘First Nation’ culture
Guyanese craftswomen: Ingrid Calistro (left) and Lucille Barker hard
at work on their crafts.
Photo by Michelle Loubon
By Michelle Loubon
Baskets, hammocks, grass skirts, straw mats, floor mats and jewel boxes were on display as the Carib community launched a permanent exhibition of indigenous arts and crafts at the Carib Community Centre, Paul Mitchell Street, Arima, Thursday. The event coincided with annual Santa Rosa de Lima and Independence celebrations.
Co-ordinator for the Crafts, Languages and Indigenous Foods,
Hyacinth Ruffino said it was “necessary to resuscitate the culture and the
indigenous way of life”.
Ruffino, 62, who is Guyanese, and possesses a “pepper pot mouth”
insists she is Arawak and belongs to the “first nation”.
She
said: “I find your culture is dying out fast and that is my reason for being in
commune with Ricardo “Bharath” Hernandez (president of the Carib community).
“I do appreciate the things he is trying to hold on to for the benefit of
the future generation.”
Her
home team is comprised of Neville Govia, Ruby Savoury, Ingrid Calistro and
Lucille Barker. She is also a member of the Hinterland Welfare Support Group.
Relaxing at the Carib Community Centre, Paul Mitchell Street, Arima,
Ruffino said “while Trinidad has a handful, they have about 40,000”.
She
said the main source of income for some tribes and villages is craft-making,
which is usually done by women folk, while the men do wood-cutting and farming.
Ruffino said one of the main problems they encounter is a steady market,
since most of them depend on the tourists. It is also a time consuming exercise,
since tirite or moriche has to be fetched from the swamp. Not to mention, “it
takes about seven days to make one basket.”
As
the Amerindian community there looks forward to celebrating Indigenous Month
from today, Ruffino, said.
“We
are united in one common cause. We are all fighting for land. We want to
resuscitate the culture. Give the people the land they are asking for in
Trinidad too, and they won’t be in anybody’s way.”