The Carib Canoe Project
'Gli Gli' is a small, aggressive hawk
revered by ancient Carib warriors
as a totemic symbol of bravery.
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The Carib Canoe Project 'Gli Gli' is a small, aggressive hawk |
Throughout the journey, the project and its crewmembers aims to raise awareness and promote discourse between Carib people and other indigenous groups in the Caribbean and South America. It will also provide a unique opportunity to research aspects of Carib culture now forgotten, such as language, dance, games and traditional medicine.
The Island Caribs encountered by Columbus in December 1493 were descendants of a wave of migrants from the Orinoco Delta, which had gradually moved into the Greater Antilles, assimilating the lands and women of earlier Amerindian cultures. Extensive movement between the islands was known to be undertaken in canoes cut from the same gommier trees (Dacryodes Hexandra) as are used today in Dominica.
European colonial expansion in the region devastated much of the original Carib culture and has reduced the population to today's few small communities on the islands of St. Vincent and Dominica. The latter is home to the largest surviving Island Carib society, numbering approximately 3000 people, who reside on lands reserved for them by Dominican law.
Traditional belief systems have long given way to Christianity, and the ancient languages replaced by French-English Creole, testimony to the waves of foreign influence to which Island Caribs have been subjected. Despite this advanced state of a-culturisation, farming and fishing are still the primary occupations in the Carib Territory, and traditional crafts such as basketry, calabash carving and canoe building also survive.
Three week's work in the rainforest followed: the tree was felled and carved in situ (on site ) using methods typical of contemporary Carib canoe-builders in which the chainsaw is as important as the hand adze ( axe ). Once carved, it took two days for forty people to haul the 35 foot canoe, the largest canoe to have been built in living memory, down to the village of Salybia in the Carib Territory. The next phase of construction involved "opening" the canoe with rocks, water and fire. This happened in early March, after several weeks in which the canoe sat, weighed down with rocks and doused regularly with water. The heat of the sun and the weight of the rocks inside help the wood to warp outwards and downwards.
The process climaxed in a dramatic morning at the end of the month in which fires were lit on either side of the canoe allowing it to open considerably. The next day the "boardage," was applied, raising the sides of the canoe and the first ribs screwed in. At the end of this stage 'Gli Gli' was transformed, with rails measuring approximately four foot in height and a beam of almost six foot.
Artists Jacob Frederick, of Dominica , and Aragorn Dick-Read, of the British Virgin Islands, first concieved of building a traditional Carib gommier canoe in August 1994, and then engaged the Carib Territory's master canoe builder, Etien Charles ('Chalo'), to oversee its construction, which began on the full moon in early December 1995.
Throughout the summer work continued. Canoe builders fitted the canoe with its mast, rudder, oars and seats. Measurements were taken from a traditional Carib sail and a scaled-up version was made for 'Gli Gli' by Quantum Sails in Annapolis, USA.. Other sponsors included: Harris Paints, Dominica and The Paint Factory, Tortola - paint; T and W Machine Shop, Tortola - metal work; Richardsons Rigging, Tortola - rigging; Golden Hind Chandlery and Island Marine Supply, Tortola - tools and materials.
In late November 'Gli Gli' was transported to Marigot, just north of the Carib Territory, where final touches were made in preparation for her launch. A ceremony was held on November 30th, with speeches of support from Carib Chief Hillary Frederick and Venezuelan Ambassador Pedro Camacho. Afterwards the canoe was blessed and anointed with coconut water and gommier smoke, before finally meeting the sea.
It was a satisfying moment for all of those who had worked on her to see 'Gli Gli' catch the wind and sail gracefully out into the Atlantic.
In the week of sea trials that followed, she performed extremely well in a variety of weather conditions and allowed the shortlist of crewmembers a taste of the journey ahead. The team is now confident of the canoe's seaworthiness and eager to begin the voyage.
The "Carmella," a 120 foot Dominican-built trading schooner belonging to Anthony Agar, will act as the support boat for the expedition. This classic West Indian trading schooner is not only ideal for accommodating the film crew and other team members, but will provide a visually stunning partner for the 'Gli Gli' as the expedition sails down islands.
The journey itself will take an estimated two months - one month sailing down the islands, the other, motoring and rowing through the Guyanese rivers. All of the inter-island crossings are expected to take no more than one day, except for the Grenada to Trinidad leg, which will take around 36 hours. Stops at each island will allow rest periods for the crew, but will also provide an opportunity to visit Carib communities and archaeological sites, for meeting the public, the media and schools, as well as for buying supplies and selling Carib craft work.
At this time preparations are being made for 'Gli Gli's' journey to South America. The journey will begin in the early part of 1997. No firm date has yet been set, but the Project is hoping to have raised enough funds to begin the trip before this year's hurricane season.
With the help of Dr. John Hemming of the Royal Geographic Society and Survival for Tribal People in London, we have been able to widen our contacts with Amerindian groups, anthropologists, and others in Northwest Guyana and Orinoco regions. On a research trip to Guyana, Dick-Read and Frederick were greatly assisted by Jennifer Wishart of the Walter Roth Museum. Through her direction they were able to make contact with various Carib and Arawak communities on the Pomeroon River, all of whom are keen to receive the 'Gli Gli' on its arrival.
The entire project is being filmed for television on Sony Digital and Hi8, under the direction of Eugene Jarecki, an independent film-maker from New York. David Fanning, Director of PBS' Frontline Documentary series is acting as Executive Producer, helping to advise and steer the film through the television industry in Europe and the USA.
The footage gathered so far focuses not only on the canoe's construction, but also on everyday aspects of contemporary Dominican Carib life. Much of the filming has been undertaken by Frederick, providing a unique, insider's view of life in the Carib Territory. A select reel of the first two phases of the project - from chopping the tree to sailing the 'Gli Gli'- is now available.
As well as documenting the journey and widening awareness of Carib culture, the film will also serve as a tool for researchinto the surviving Carib language and traditions, which the expedition will encounter along the way. The first select reel has already been shown in schools in the Carib Territory, and future footage will continue to be used in the same way.
The 'Gli Gli' project has receive a grant for 10,000 pounds from the C.T. Robinson Trust to partially fund the expedition and to aid research into the Carib culture. Although this money ensures the canoe's departure, we are still seeking additional funds. A major drive is now underway to find funding for the expedition from both corporate and individual sponsors.
The primary costs of the expedition will be: the charter of Carmella as an essential support boat, supplying the crew and vessel for the journey, ensuring there is a medical emergency fund available should it be needed, and return flights for crew members from Guyana back to Dominica.
A 'Gli Gli' account has been set up to receive donations, which will be overseen by Peat Marwick, Chartered Accountants in the BVI. Donations in kind are also being sought for provisions and essential expedition equipment.
Co-Director Jacob Frederick, a Carib artist from Salybia, Carib Territory. Frederick has always been an artist and a thinker. A strong sense of his Carib identity is central to both his paintings and sculptures - which often depict aspects of Carib life today and ancient Carib mythology.
"We are the last of our race," Frederick explained. "Our identity is disappearing so fast that we can't afford to waste a single moment." He has long been acting on this motivation - through his art, which has been exhibited in Dominica and Tortola; politics - he has twice been elected to the Territory's ruling Carib Council; the Carib cultural group, Karifuna, and in the home, where he singlehandedly raises his six children.
Co-Director Aragorn Dick-Read, an artist from Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Dick-Read was born in the BVI, though he studied Tribal and Twentieth Century art for three years at the University of East Anglia, England. His work, mostly copper and steel sculpture, has been exhibited in London, New York and Tortola. His work is inspired by his close affinity to the natural environment and his extensive travels through Europe, the Americas, Southern Africa, Thailand, Nepal and Papua New Guinea.
Film Director Eugene Jarecki , an independent filmmaker of both dramatic and documentary subjects, trained at Princeton and New York Universities. Jarecki is also the Managing Director of Think Tank, a New York-based company specializing in creative work for film, television, and multimedia products. As a writer, director, and producer of dramatic films, music videos, documentaries, commercials, and stage productions, Jarecki has been recognized with honors from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Sundance Institute, the Aspen Film Festival, and the New York Independent Feature Project.
Artistic Director Garnett Joseph, of the Karifuna Cultural Group, and leading member of WAIKADA, the Carib Development Agency. Garnett has been working over the past eighteen years with the Karifuna Cultural Group - which is dedicated to reviving and maintaining the Carib culture. During the Gli Gli journey he will research and document Carib songs and dances that have survived on other islands and amongst Carib groups on the mainland. He will also be researching the Carib language in the hopes of finding Carib speaking individuals who would be capable of coming to Dominica to teach the language.
Historian and Documenture Alex Dick-Read, a freelance writer from the British Virgin Islands who specializes in Carribean affairs. Having studied away from his native BVI for a number of years, first Social History at Bristol University, England, and then newspaper journalism at City University, London. Dick-Read has since moved back to the BVI where he is now a freelance writer, specialising in Caribbean affairs. His work appears in media worldwide, including the Guardian and Independent newspapers and the BBC in London, US and Caribbean media, and is regularly syndicated by Reuters International, as well as other agencies such as Inter Press Service and Associated Press.
Project assistant Federica Feliziani, TV producer for Datanord Multimedia, an independent production company working for Italian TV channels in Milan, Italy. In the past Feliziani has been a photographer and art director. She is assisting the 'Gli Gli' project with research, fundraising and making contacts with the Italian Television market.
Project Assistant Gordon Allum, an artist and sculptor from London, England. Allum is known mostly for his metal sculpture, which has been exhibited in London, Berlin and Paris. His projects encompass work for theatre, opera, film and television and he has collaborated with Dick-Read on a number of other artistic ventures.
Technical Advisor Clay Mills, a shipwright, sailor, and artist/musician. Mills built multi-hull sailing catamarans on the Island of St. Croix before moving to Tortola where he is now a charter boat captain. Hailing from Oregon with a rodeo upbringing, Mills has a creative writing degree, a boatbuilding degree, and is qualified to drive M-1 Main Battle Tanks.
Executive Producer David Fanning, a producer and writer. In 1980 Fanning produced and co-wrote "Death of a Princess," perhaps the most well known of his documentaries. In 1982 he developed the award-winning PBS documentary series "Frontline" which is still running 13 seasons and over 300 films later. He has won numerous awards, including Emmys, for his work in the documentary field over the years. On hearing of the 'Gli Gli' project he was keen to become involved and has now taken on the role of Executive Producer.
Production Consultant Lowell Bergman, executive producer for CBS's "60 Minutes," and an investigative journalist. Bergman has offered to act as a production consultant for the project.
The following organizations have offered their full support for the 'Gli Gli' Expedition which they believe will be of great benefit to the Carib People.
For inquiries or further information please contact us by:
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