a virtual Dominica:

Dominica Heritage

S Salisbury: (E) An estate and a village along the west coast that were named by the British in reference to the city of Salisbury in the county of Wiltshire in the south of England. The original Carib name for the area was Baroui and it is still used in Creole to refer to the place. However, as Dominica became more Anglicized during the 20th century, the name of Salisbury began to appear more often on official documents and maps and by the 1960s it had taken over from the folk name of "Baroui". The original Carib village existed on the flat land near the sea where the cemetery is now located and when graves are dug, small broken pieces of pre-Columbian pottery are still brought to the surface. The early post-emancipation village developed on the narrow stony ridge on the boundary between Salisbury Estate and Grand Savannah Estate. It was for much of the 20th century a settlement of thatched huts made of gaulettes perched on bare stone. The Catholic Church was completed in 1929, being built using cut stone from quarries in the area. The banana industry changed the village from the 1950s and 1960s when feeder roads opened up access to agricultural land in the hills behind. For a time the "banana boats" would anchor at Salisbury, as well as at Roseau and Portsmouth, to collect fruit. When private land at Grand Savannah became available for purchase in the 1980s the village suddenly expanded northwards. The new housing lands were favoured by retired Dominicans who had emigrated to England in the 1950s and returned in the 1980s and this was reflected in the standard of house construction. The estate situated in the valley grew and processed sugar up to the 1880s when Vincent Dupigny owned it. It is now owned by the Vidals. Sibouli: (C) Two types of fish and the name of two places on the island. The scientific name for the two types of fish, which are of the same genus described as Sibouli are: Melichthys piceus and Melichthys niger. The place names exist as parts of the villages of Point Michele and also of Massacre. At Point Michele, Sibouli is the area in the southern section of the village, south of the Roman Catholic Church, in the vicinity of a large dry ravine that crosses the main road. At Massacre, Sibouli is that section of the village on the hill between the Massacre River and Ravine Giraud up a narrow village road that continues as a footpath into the hills. It is thought that the names may apply to the original Carib names for these villages, since the Kalinago/Carib people often gave names to places where there were specific wildlife and natural resources (Tarreau: seabirds, Mahaut: trees for rope). Therefore the use of Sibouli at these two places may refer to the prevalence of Sibouli fish in the sea off of these two areas. Salybia, Salibia: (C) The main community in the Carib Territory forming the administrative centre of the district where the school, health centre, Roman Catholic Church, police station and Carib Council Office is located. It is also the original centre of the first 134 acres of land reserved for the Caribs by the British from 1765 and delineated on the Byres Map of 1776. It lies mainly in a valley that opens onto a rugged wave-swept shoreline is one of the main beaching places for canoes. The Roman Catholic Church was granted 14 acres of the original land in the valley in 1864 by the British government for the establishment of a church, a presbytery and cemetery. The government subsequently used some of this land also for erecting state buildings such as the school and health centre. Salybia was the scene of the "Carib War" in 1930 when a confrontation between Caribs and police related to the seizure of smuggled goods spilled over into a major incident whereby two Caribs were killed, a warship of the Royal Navy, HMS Delhi, was called and flares were fired and searchlights used to frighten the Caribs into submission. A Commission of Enquiry was called to investigate the incident the following year. The name, Salybia, is also found on the east coast of Trinidad and it is believed was introduced from the Orinoco region by the indigenous people. Saint Sauveur: (F) A village situated on the shores of Grand Marigot Bay on the east coast that is partially protected by a coral reef. This provides a sheltered landing place for fishing boats. An Amerindian village existed here from 2000 years ago on the site of the present government school and playing field. Arawakan-speaking travellers from South America settled here. The last group to live in the area was the Kalinago/Caribs and many families in Good Hope, Saint Sauveur and Petite Soufriere are descendants from these first people who mixed with French and Africans who arrived later. The Grand Marigot estate was established here from the 1770s and the foundations and the stone entrance stairway of the old estate house are still standing. However the watermill and sugar factory across the river were destroyed by hurricanes and decay long ago and the village health centre. now stands on the spot. In 1861 it was still called Grand Marigot Estate and was owned by the heirs of William Davies. The village gets its name from the establishment of the Roman Catholic parish of Saint Sauveur (Saint Saviour's) that was founded by Bishop Poirier in 1866. The parish of Saint Sauveur extended from the Rosalie River but included Grand Fond, and went as far north as the Madjini River on the boarders of what was then called the Carib Quarter. The first priest of the parish, Fr. Ronard (FMI), was installed on 3 March 1872. By 1869 the estate was owned by the Bishop of Roseau and was renamed Saint Sauveur Estate. The church sold off or rented many small plots of land to the people in the area. In 1924 the estate still had 447 acres and was owned by the heirs of A.C. Mondesire; later in the 20th century it belonged to the Shillingford family. Although the name of the parish was French, it was often written as it was pronounced in Creole: San Sauveur, and this spelling has become increasingly accepted, even in official matters. A motorable road reached Saint Sauveur in 1965 and other facilities such as telephones, piped water and the construction of a new school followed soon afterwards. Schelfhaut, Philip: (1850-1921) The fifth bishop of Roseau. Bishop Schelfhaut was born in Belgium and was a member of the Redemptorist Order. He was Bishop of Roseau from 1902 until his death in 1921. He had served as a priest in St. Thomas before arriving here along with other Redemptorists in 1902. This order joined the FMI, Sons of Mary Immaculate that had been serving here since 1872. Much construction of church buildings was accomplished under Schelfhaut: the Bishop’s House, the Roseau Presbytery and the Convent Primary School on the site of the present Dominica Club. Between 1906-1907 the first of the present Convent High School buildings were completed. The St.Gerard’s Hall was constructed in 1910. The Cathedral, started 100 years before, was completed in 1916. In 1907 the bishop commenced the publication of the “Ecclesiastical Bulletin,” a monthly journal of information and instruction for the Catholics of Dominica and the diocese. In 1909 he established the “Dominica Chronicle”, which, after changes in ownership since the 1970s, is still with us today. He spearheaded church organizations such as the Solidarity of the Children of Mary for young women in 1904 and the St.Gerard’s Guild for boys and young men in 1910. The Hall, built in the same year, housed a parish library, games room, skills training workshops, and a stage and auditorium that served as the main community center of the island into the 1970s. The St.Anthony’s Society was set up in 1909. It was Dominica’s first insurance society providing for medical attention, medicine, sickness allowance and burial expenses. Bishop James Moris succeeded Bishop Schelfhaut in 1922. Scott, George: (1722 - 1770) Lieutenant Governor of Dominica from 1764 to 1767 at the time when the island was a unit of the British colony of the South Caribbee Islands. This five-island colony (the Windward Islands and Tobago) had its headquarters in Grenada under the Governorship of Sir Robert Melville. Colonel George Scott of the 40th Regiment was born in New England and provided notable leadership to troops in Canada during the British capture of Louisbourg in 1758 and of Quebec the following year. On June 6 1761 at Roseau, he participated in the capture of Dominica from the French and remained with the army of occupation. He began directing the construction of a military defence system for the island and established the first fort on Cachacrou Point, now still called Scott's Head after the Lieutenant Governor. Scobie, Edward: Academic, author, broadcaster, newspaper editor, politician, Mayor of Roseau. Vivian Edward George Dalrymple was born in Roseau and educated at DGS. He played cricket and football for the island. He left Dominica for England during World War II to join the Royal Air Force and stayed on after demobilization for twenty-three years. As a working journalist in London, where he assumed the surname of Scobie, he became correspondent for the Chicago Defender, Ebony and Jet magazines, all belonging to Johnson Publications of Chicago for which he was the UK correspondent. 1961-1963 he edited Flamingo, a British Pan-African literary magazine. He contributed to several BBC Caribbean programmes as broadcaster and scriptwriter on radio and television. He returned to Dominica in the mid 1960s to take over the editorship of the Dominica Herald in 1965 from Phyllis Shand Allfrey who established her own paper, The Star, that year. Together and with Stanley Boyd, editor of The Chronicle, they led a newspaper editors’ protest at the passing of the Prohibited and Undesirable Publications Act in July 1968. As part of the group of “Freedom Fighters”, this led to the formation of the Dominica Freedom Party. Scobie was elected to senior positions within the party and in 1971 led the DFP to victory in the Roseau Town council elections and became Mayor of Roseau. By 1972, Scobie had become weary of the narrow confines of local politics and the parochial attitudes in Dominica and turned to the US to launch a new career in academia. He taught first as an Associate Professor in the African-American and Political Science Departments at, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He also taught at Princeton University and the City University NY. His major work is the book “Black Britannia: A History of Blacks in Britain”, published by Johnson Press (Chicago and London) in 1972. Secondary Forest: (E) What was once virgin forest on Dominica that has been disturbed by agriculture or the felling of timber at some time during the last five hundred years and which has then been abandoned and taken over by the forest once more. Large tracts of Dominica’s forests are therefore secondary forest. Whole areas, such as the Cabrits, were once cleared of trees and, since the 1850s, the forest has reclaimed the headland. Thousands of acres of abandoned plantation land are now in secondary forest at different stages of re-growth. The first plants to reclaim abandoned land are razor grass, tree ferns and balizier, then Bwa Cano and Bwa Flo, and then a variety of forest trees growing back gradually to mature forest once more. Some 64% of Dominica’s forested lands are actually under private ownership, much of it secondary forest. Seignoret, Sir Clarence Henry Augustus: (1919-2002) President of Dominica, Cabinet Secretary, Civil Servant. Born in Roseau 25 February 1919, son of Mr. Clarence A. Seignoret and Mrs. Violet Seignoret (nee Riviere). Educated at Miss Potter's School, Convent Prep, St. Mary's College in St. Lucia and the Dominica Grammar School. He entered the clerical service in 1936 and began a distinguished career in the Public Service. He served in the Agricultural Department based in the Botanic Gardens and in several other departments in positions such as clerk at the Government Marketing Depot, Excise Officer, Administrative Steward of the Roseau Hospital and Administration Clerk responsible for cases referred by the department of Social Welfare. In 1950 he married Judith Laronde of La Plaine and together they enjoyed a long and happy marriage that bore them two sons, Joey and Gilbert. He became Principal Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Social Services in 1956 when the Ministerial System of government was first introduced. In 1958 he was granted a scholarship to Oxford University to pursue an international public service course. Shortly after his return he became Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Production in 1960. He attended the 1966 Constitutional Conference in London with Chief Minister Edward Le Blanc and others, which agreed on the 1967 Constitution for Associated Statehood with Britain, the first stage towards political independence. He was the first Secretary to the Cabinet from 1967 into the 1970s. From 1966 to 1983 he also acted from time to time in the place of the Administrator, Governor, and after independence in 1978, in place of the President. In 1966, during a visit by Queen Elizabeth II he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Seignoret was sworn in as the 3rd President of Dominica in October 1983 and served two full five-year terms until 25 October 1993. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Dominica on 25 October 1985, Sir Clarence was also awarded the Dominica Award of Honour by the State in 1994 on the completion of his two terms as President. Other honours included the Order of the Liberator granted by Venezuela in 1987 and Knight of Malta in 1992. From the 1960's, in his spare time, he worked a small farm on land near Pont Casee. He died on 5 May 2002. Senhouse: (E) A section of Castle Bruce village that was named after Joseph Senhouse, an English absentee planter who owned the land in the area during the 18th century. He called the estate, Lowther Hall, but as was the custom in Dominica, all the people round about called it after the owner himself. Senhouse only paid a few visits to his estate, living most of the time in Barbados and England. One visit in 1776 is recorded in his diary, which has been published. Sensay Costume: (A) A costume of West African origin worn at Carnival time in Dominica. It is made of frayed rope and other fibrous material such as pounded leaves of the agave, 'langue beff' (Furcraea tuberosa) that grows mainly on the west coast. The material is tied around the body in layers so that it cascades from the head to the feet. A mask is usually worn on the face and cow horns form the headpiece. Sensay costumes are also made of strips of paper, cloth, frayed plastic sacks and dry banana leaves 'pai fig'. They are similar to costumes used in West African tribal ceremonies. The word comes from the Twi language, senseh, which is a type of fowl with curled or ruffled feathers. The costume is named after its resemblance to the fowl, which also has special spiritual properties among the Twi people. Seekwee: (F) A small factory for the production of sugar of a type operated by small farmers, once called peasant proprietors. The word comes from the French, Sucrier, a sugar-making factory. These small seekwees existed all over Dominica. Each comprised a crushing mill turned by cattle that was called a Moulin and a rack of three boilers or taeches, also known as cappas in which the sugar cane juice was boiled until it crystallized. When limes gained prominence in Dominican agriculture, the seekwees were easily adapted to crushing limes and boiling the juice in the taeches so as to concentrate it. Even so these sites were still called seekwees. By the 1960s most of them had collapsed through disuse and then during Hurricane David, 1979, the last surviving ones, which by then were once again being used for crushing cane to make visou, (cane juice) and illicit rum (mountain dew, wabio, zaid) were totally destroyed. Seraphin, Oliver, James "O.J.": Prime Minister, Minister of Government, businessman. Born in Roseau, August 2, 1943. Educated at the Roseau Mixed School and Dominica Grammar School. Did courses with the Carnegie Institute and insurance underwriter courses related to his business in insurance. During this period he pioneered local airline ownership with the establishment of Dominica Airways. He contested the 1975 general elections, Canefield constituency, with the Dominica Labour Party led by Patrick John, part of the new team following E.O. Le Blanc's retirement. After the landslide victory, Seraphin became Minister of Communications Works and Housing and a JP. He was made Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries and Caricom Affairs, following a Cabinet reshuffle in 1976. In 1979, rising protest action in relation to a number of issues climaxed in violent demonstrations in Roseau during a meeting of the House of Assembly on May 29th from which Seraphin was absent. In the days following the disturbances Seraphin distanced himself from the excessive actions of the DLP leadership and resigned from the government. During the constitutional hiatus that followed, the Committee for National Salvation (CNS) invited Seraphin to lead a government of national unity, popularly called "the interim government". He was sworn in as Prime Minister on June 25th. When Hurricane David hit in August 1979, Seraphin was thrown into dealing with emergency relief and rehabilitation. During this period he was responsible for numerous initiatives and bi-lateral agreements related to aid for Dominica that included visits to Canada, Miami, France, Venezuela, Barbados and he oversaw several foreign affairs agreements. By early 1980 the broad-based nature of the interim government fell apart and he formed the Democratic Labour Party in preparation for elections in June. Seraphin was defeated by a Freedom Party landslide and left active politics to concentrate on tourism and his Floral Gardens resort at Concord. Sinekou: (C) One of the southern most communities in the Carib Territory situated on the ridge between the Mahaut River and Madjini River. The Carib name is associated with the L’Escalier Tete Chien or “snake’s staircase” that is situated on the headland below the village. It is a volcanic landmark that features in the mythic-geography of the Carib/Kalinago people. SIPA: (E) Sunday Island Port Authority was an organization set up in 1968 by a chicken farmer from the US, based in Dominica, called Bruce Robinson. He convinced the DLP government of Edward Le Blanc to pass legislation establishing the authority and to grant the entire Cabrits headland to SIPA for the establishment of a freeport zone controlled by the Authority: Sunday Island (Deep Water Harbour, Residential, Industrial and Tourist Development) Act; No. 3 of 1968. Robinson proposed to cut the Cabrits off from the rest of Dominica by dredging a canal thereby creating “Sunday Island” on which he would build hotels and casinos. A deepwater dock would occupy the canal and an international jet airport would run parallel to the canal from Prince Rupert Bay to Douglas Bay along Bell Hall. Some sheds were constructed and some earth was moved, but Robinson, who had no money himself, could not raise the necessary capital for his scheme and the SIPA legislation was repealed in November 1969. A local group under the name of Valhalla tried to continue some of Robinson’s ideas for the area but this attempt also collapsed soon afterwards. Sisserou: (C) (Amazona imperialis) The larger of the two parrots on Dominica. It is the national bird that features on the national flag, coat of arms and the parliamentary Mace used in the House of Assembly. The bird is the largest of all Amazona parrots, hence the scientific name ‘imperial’. Its feathers are mainly dark green with a splash of red along the wing and a purple head and breast. Up to the 1950s the range of the Sisserou was in the rainforest zone along the entire central mountain range from north to south. But from the 1960s, increased deforestation for agriculture and road building began to reduce its range to the northern forest zone. Destruction during Hurricane David, 1979, dramatically reduced numbers further. Thanks to internationally assisted programmes in co-operation with the Department of Forestry and Wildlife during the 1980s, the Sisserou was saved from extinction and is now protected within the Morne Diablotin National Park. Shabin: (F) One of the old French categories of colour classification dating from early colonial times. A person of mixed African and European descent who has pale brown skin, reddish tinged hair and often freckles and greyish eyes. Shaw, Vernon, Lawdon: President of Dominica, Resident Tutor U.W.I, Cabinet Secretary, Permanent Secretary. Born in Roseau on 13 May 1930. Educated at the Roseau Boy's School, the Dominica Grammar School and Trinity College, University of Oxford, UK. On leaving school entered into a long and distinguished career in the public service beginning as a temporary master at D.G.S in 1948. Later that year he moved into the general service, working in several departments during the next nineteen years: Treasury and Customs, Post Office, Central Housing and Planning, Audit and in the Ministry of Trade and Production. During this period he also acted in as Registrar and Deputy Registrar and Principal Secretary in the first years of the ministerial system of government. When Dominica gained internal self-government as an Associated State of Britain in 1967, Shaw was one of the team of the first Permanent Secretaries, serving initially in the Ministry of Education and Health and later External Affairs before becoming Chief Establishment Officer in 1971. In 1977 he was appointed Secretary to the Cabinet and was reconfirmed in the post on independence on 3 November 1978 as well as being made Ambassador at Large and Inspector of Missions. He retired from the public service in June 1990. He served for two years (1991-1993) as Resident Tutor of the University of the West Indies School of Continuing Studies, Roseau. He was Chairman of the D.B.S Board (1993-1995) and of the Public Service Board of Appeal (1993-1998). He was sworn in as the fifth President of the Commonwealth of Dominica on 2 October 1998. His national awards include the Sisserou Award of Honour, conferred in 1990, and the Dominica Award of Honour, 2001. During the 1960s and 1970s he did courses of further education at Trinity College, Oxford (Development Administration), Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford (Foreign Service) and the Royal Institute of Public Administration (Advanced Public Service Management). He also holds other qualifications in Accounting and Management. He is married to Eudora Shaw (nee Massicott) and they have four children. Shirley, Sir Thomas: Governor of Dominica from 12 November 1774 to September 1778. His father had been Governor of the British colony of Massachusetts and Thomas had been born in the Bahamas. When he was made governor of Dominica the initial colonization of the island was still in progress and Shirley’s primary concern was to build up the defences of the island against the possibility of French attack. He expanded on the early fortifications constructed since 1765 and began major works at the Cabrits, near to Portsmouth based on plans drawn up by Captain James Bruce of the Royal Engineers. He directed the construction of a fort around a small battery of 1765 to guard the entrance to Portsmouth harbour and this was called Fort Shirley. He engaged a famous early American architect, Peter Harrison of Rhode Island, to design the Commandant’s Quarters at the Cabrits and its ruins still stand today. Shirley left Dominica shortly before the French captured the island in 1778, leaving Lieutenant Governor William Stuart to deal with the attack and subsequent surrender of the British. Shirley’s next posting was in Antigua where he continued his fortification building and where Shirley’s Heights, overlooking English Harbour, is now a major tourist attraction. Shillingford (E): A family widespread in Dominica, which has its origins among the 18th century English settlers. There are several places in England named Shillingford. The family arrived here in the 1780s and opened a blacksmith's shop in Newtown, their names appear in certain documents of the time, but they rose to prominence in the 1860s. One, Thomas, bought Peru Temps Estate near Geneva, Grand Bay; the others expanded their property near the Newtown Savannah. Each had several children who were prolific in their relationships and their resultant offspring were widely distributed around the island. One example is that of Thomas Howard Shillingford who invested in shops in each village along the west coast from Layou to Dublanc. Each one was run by a woman with whom he had children, which he duly supported and to whom he bequeathed his properties. The female Shillingfords married into other influential families such as Royer, Garraway, Rawle, Boyd, Trotter, Green, Alleyne and Winston, thus spreading the Shillingfords influence even further. By the 1930s the network of Shillingfords, headed by those such as H.D, A.C.S, had virtually controlled every aspect of Dominican society, from the membership of the legislature, to land holding, the import of trade in food and other merchandise and the export of trade in cassava farine, arrowroot, cocoa and coffee and agro-industry in the production of rum, lime juice, other citrus fruit and bay rum. Although this powerful influence began to decline from the 1960s, with the rise of the Lebanese and political change, this name was spread across the land and is still identified around the Caribbean as " a Dominican Name ". All generations of the family were in the forefront of sports: representing Dominica, particularly in cricket, led by Hughes, Stafford, and Ivan followed in the 1970s by Grayson and Irvin. Sorhaindo: (F) One of the founding families of French settlement in Dominica. The name is Basque in origin and the family originally came from the southern tip of France on the border with Spain in part of what was Navarre, later Gascony and is now Basses-Pyrenees. They emigrated from the city of Bayonne, to St. Pierre, Martinique at the end of the 17th century. Then, like the Anselms, Larondes, Giraudels, Dechausays and others, some members of the family who had moved to Basse-Pointe, Martinique, crossed the sea channel to settle at Pointe Michel in the 1720s. Later, after the British took over Dominica in 1763, the Sorhaindos moved to Delices and Boetica in the area then known as “La Belle Plaine de Boetica”. Caribs were still living there and church records of 1779 show Sorhaindos as godparents of Caribs converted to Christianity. Sorhaindos married into the French Anselm and Giraudel families, as well as into the Creole “en franchises de couleur”, free people of African and Carib descent. Some served as officers and members of the parish militias of Pointe Michel and St. Patrick’s. In the 20th century the family patriarch was Clive Anselm Sorhaindo, a distinguished school principle who served in numerous communities, most notably Vieille Case where he married into the Frederick family. His children became significant contributors to Dominica in medicine, education, politics and economics, among them a President of Dominica, a pioneer obstetrician-gynecologist, and a Minister of Education. Souce: (F) A natural spring of fresh water. Several of these springs occur all over the island and they are indeed the source of all of our rivers. Many place names have been given to areas around these springs. Souce at the junction of the road to Paix Bouche at Dos D’Ane on the north coast road; Souce Mayette on the road to Laudat, and La Souce at Ridgefield Estate near Eggleston are some of these. Since the 1980s spring water has been commercially bottled from a “souce” at Snug Corner Estate. Soucouyan: (F) A spirit character in Dominican folklore. The Creole version of one of the West African night time forest spirits. The soucouyan is a woman who sheds her skin at night and flies around the place in the form of a ball of fire sucking blood from animals and people. The angular branches of the Silk Cotton or Formager trees (Ceiba pentandra), associated with the spirit world throughout the Americas, are believed to be a resting place for soucouyans. If the abandoned skin is found and rubbed with salt, the spirit will have difficulty putting it on when she returns. Later, she can be identified by incurable sores on her legs. This also happens if she is injured while out sucking blood. A calabash of peas placed next to the skin will cause delay, as she will have to count them before returning to human form. If the sun rises before she is finished counting she can be caught. The word comes from the French, to suck. It has been recorded that dancing lights, believed to be soucouyans, have turned out to be small swarms of mating fireflies or 'La Belles'. Sousoon Clayway: (F) A slang name for shiny, gaudy fabric, particularly that with sequins and gold or silver threads woven through it. Used since the 1950s for carnival costumes and queen contestants evening gowns but also used for making more exotic designs for women's party wear. The term is a double entendre as it also makes vulgar reference to female genitalia. Souswell Souwi: (F) The traditional bat costumes worn at Carnival. They are usually made of satin divided into panels of two colours and are often decorated with small mirrors. The costume is hooded, sometimes with bat ears, and a large cape is sewn into the full-length trouser suit to represent wings. Masks were originally worn with the costume and whistles were used. Dancing in long winding lines or simply in groups, the revellers sway with the music to simulate the flight of bats. From the Creole word for the bat: chat souwi and in St. Lucian Creole, solsouwi. Steber, Joseph, Hilton: (1859-1924) Newspaper editor and printery manager, pioneer Dominican nationalist. He was the grandson of a German sailor who bought land and married a local girl. Born at Pointe Michel, educated at the Pointe Michel church school and by various tutors in Dominica, he entered the office and printery of the “Dominican” newspaper at the age of 14, under the editorship of leading politician A.R.C. Lockhart. Four years later he went to Demarara to work for the Royal Gazette. He returned to Dominica in 1884 as sub-editor of the Dominican, by then under the editorship of Theodore Righton. But he was disgusted by Righton's conservative attitude over the reporting of the La Plaine Land Tax Riots of 1893 and left in that year to embark on his own turbulent ownership and editorship of the Dominica Guardian which was to last for over 25 years. "A fearless man with an unbridled pen" according to historian, Joseph Borome, "he was no stranger to libel suits". Steber's ability was admired outside of Dominica: he was offered the job of first editor of the Voice of St. Lucia, editor of the Antigua Standard and the Barbados Bulletin as well as offers from Black-interest newspapers in Boston and New York. But he turned them down flat, as he did government positions, insisting, "My country demands my services"” When Acting Administrator, Reginald St. Johnson, was laying out streets in Balahoo Town (now Pottersville) in 1925, the year after Steber's death, the main street cutting across the community was named Steber Street in his memory. Stevens, Wills, Strathmore: (1905-1977) Minister of Education, Minister of Labour and Social Services, Inspector of Schools, Teacher. Born at Marigot April 16, 1905. Educated at the Marigot Government School and the Rawle Teacher's Institute, Codrington College, Barbados, in 1925. He rose through the ranks of the teaching service to become Inspector of Schools, 1949-1960. He was founder and president of the Marigot Literary Society, 1936 to 1944. Founding member Marigot Village Board (1934). In 1961, he contested and won the seat for the north-eastern district in the Legislative Council, when the Dominica Labour Party led by Edward Le Blanc won its first term in office, and again in 1966. Served as Minister of Labour and Social Services and then Minister of Education and Health. Shortly before the 1970 general elections, Stevens, along with Mabel James and N.A.N. Ducreay, led a revolt against the leadership of Le Blanc and contested the elections against him. Stevens was the only one of the group to retain his seat. He was in opposition until his retirement in 1973, when his son, Pat, succeeded him. W.S. Stevens was a founding member of the Farmers Union. He died in June 1977. Stowe Estate: (E) An estate on the south coast of Dominica near Grand Bay, originally 632 acres, owned in the 19th century by William Ellisonde, then later by Edward Bellot and since the early 20th century by the Fadelle family. It was originally a French held estate, taken over by the British after 1763 and named Stowe after a stately home and estate in Buckinghamshire, England. At the time of Emancipation it had 107 slaves and produced 106,500 pounds of sugar and 2500 gallons of rum. The estate buildings included sugar works, powered by water, and a great house overlooking the estate yard. These were constructed over a period dating from the 1770s. The grounds of the estate house also served as a military defence post to guard the only landing place at Grand Bay. A number of cannon were mounted upon a “half-moon battery” in front of the estate house. This battery can still be seen and some of the guns now lie near to the sea. Stuart, William: He was Lieutenant Governor of Dominica from June 1773 to November 1774 and again briefly in 1778. He surrendered the island to the French after their victory on 7 September 1778, signed the Articles of Capitulation on behalf of the British forces and retired to the life of a planter. He was one of the joint owners of Rosalie Estate and one of the main tributaries of the Rosalie River is still called Stuart’s River today. He died in Dominica and is buried in the Anglican cemetery at Newtown. St. Johnston, Sir Reginald: Acting Administrator of Dominica (1925), Governor of the Leeward Islands. As part of his career in the British Colonial Service across the Empire, Reginald St. Johnston was asked to serve in Dominica for six months during 1925 to see what he could do to deal with the economic crisis on the island immediately following the collapse of the lime industry. To balance the budget he made "retrenchments in expenditure" and introduced 22 new tax measures. As a former medical doctor he was also concerned about sanitation. He established a new quarantine station on Morne Daniel and turned the old one near the Roseau River mouth into an infirmary, which survived there until the 1980s. He also laid out proper streets through the unorganized group of huts at what is today Pottersville, and one of these is still called St. Johnston's Avenue today. St. Mary's Academy (S.M.A): The Roman Catholic boy's school opened on the 4th of April 1932 with 13 pupils in the upper room of the St. Gerad's Hall on Turkey Lane, Roseau. Mr. S. J. Lewis was the first headmaster. On January 19th 1934 it was moved to a building on Virgin Lane opposite the Bishop's House. Early principals were Fr. Raymond Proesman (1941), Fr. Gelaude (1948) and Fr. Albert (1948). First island scholar was D.O.N McIntyre (1942), a star product of the school. The Canadian-based Christian Brothers of Ireland took charge of this institution from January 9th 1956. A hostel for boys attending school from country districts was opened in September. The new building, still in use today, was dedicated on October 23rd 1960. In March 1972 students protested, and disturbances resulted from an attempt to institute discipline over dress and hair length. The Canadian Christian Brothers left the island in the midst of the furore. Fr. Kelvin Felix was brought in as principal to restore order and was succeeded in 1975 by brother Egbert Germain. The school was destroyed by Hurricane David in 1979 and was repaired and enlarged into the 1990's. Sylvania: (E) Sylvania Estate is situated on the Imperial Road between Springfield and Pont Casse. It was established by Hesketh Bell, the Administrator of Dominica, (1898-1906) as an experimental estate in the rainforest area. It was part of his scheme to attract British families to invest in agricultural enterprises in the interior of the island. His aim was to use it to demonstrate to these settlers how to grow cocoa, citrus, coffee and other crops. By 1914 his settlement scheme had failed, but Sylvania remained an important citrus estate. In the 1960s it was bought by Bruce Robinson who set up a chicken farm and feed mill. He also launched the unsuccessful Sunday Island Port Authority project in 1968 that was to have been sited at the Cabrits. Today Sylvania is a mixture of agricultural plots and housing. Su-Su (Sou-Sou): (A) A friendly co-operative savings scheme originating from Africa whereby each person in a small group contributes every week or month, as agreed, an equal portion of money. The sum of the group's total contribution goes to one member of the group in rotation, so that every month, week or fortnight one person benefits from a large sum of money that can be put to a particular use. It comes from the Yoruba word esusu, meaning: "a fund were several persons pool their money". In Dominica the practice is more often called a "sub". Although still used, the system was far more widespread before banks openly welcomed small-scale savers and before the Credit Union movement established itself throughout the countryside in the 1950s and 1960s. Sapoti: (F) Sapodilla, (Achras Sapota). A small tree, growing to about 25 feet. Leaves are dark green and shiny. The round, light brown fruit with thin skins are usually produced in pairs. The succulent brownish-orange pulp, which surrounds shiny black seeds, has a pleasant flavour. The light brown colour of the skin of the sapoti fruit, was used as reference to the skin tone of people among the colour-concious Creoles of the past: a person of that skin tone was referred to as having, or being a "La peau sapoti". Sari-Sari: (C) A river and waterfall near La Plaine. The waterfall shoots over an eroded cliff face onto huge jagged boulders below. It is reached by walking from the back of La Plaine village and up the Sari-Sari River valley. It is one of the many Carib place names that are found near La Plaine, others being, Koulirou Ravine, Tabery and Ouanari. Sorhaindo, Crispin, Anselm: (1931 -) President of Dominica, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Vice-president and a Director of the Caribbean Development Bank, Financial Secretary of Dominica, Clerk of the Executive and Legislative Councils. Crispin Sorhaindo was born at Vieille Case, Dominica on 23 May, 1931. He was educated at the Vieille Case Government School where his father Clive A. Sorhaindo was Principal. He attended the Dominica Grammar School and later, after some years in the public service, the Overseas Service Course at Trinity College, University of Oxford (1956-1957) as well as the Royal Institute of Public Administration, Public Finance Course (1963-1964). From 1950 to 1973 he served in various posts in the public service including Clerk of the Executive and Legislative Councils, which preceded the establishment of the House of Assembly. He was Chief Establishment Officer, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Finance, and Financial Secretary. Earlier in his career he was a member of the Music Lovers Government Band. From 1973 to 1988 he worked with the Caribbean Development Bank based in Barbados as Bank Secretary, Director and Vice-president during that period. On his return to Dominica in 1988, he accepted the position of Speaker of the Dominica House of Assembly (1989-1993) and then was elected President of Dominica, serving one term (1993-1998). At the same time as being in these positions he served the country in numerous other capacities, most notably as secretary, in 1963, of the Civil Service Commission on the Proposed East Caribbean Federation, hoping to form a nation of "the little eight" that remained out of the collapsed West Indies Federation (1958-1962). Also a pioneer member and chairman of the local AID Bank, National Provident Fund, later Social Security, Port Authority, National Commercial Bank of Dominica and Eastern Caribbean Securities Regulatory Commission (ECSRC) among others. He was a delegate at the London conference in 1966 that created Dominica as a self-governing Associated State of Britain (1967-1978). He is a committed regionalist and has wide experience in all of the recent attempts, and successes, at various types of Caribbean integration, representing Dominica at the early conferences leading to the establishment of Carifta, the Caribbean Free Trade Area and CARICOM, the Caribbean Common Market that succeeded it, as well as those meetings that laid the foundations for the establishment of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). He is a devout Roman Catholic and has served the church in many capacities as a member, chairman and president of committees and boards particularly those to help the aged and develop the social and welfare activities of the church such as the Social Centre, Help Age International and R.E.A.C.H. In recognition of these services he received the Papal award of Knight Commander of the Order of St. Sylvester in 1993. For service to the State he was awarded the OBE in 1969, the Venezuelan naval medal Almirante Luis Brion in 1998 and the Dominica Award of Honour in 2001. He is married to Ruby (nee Allport) and they have six children. South City: (E) A popular name for the community of Grand Bay. It emerged during the 1970s, part of the increased North American influence on place names at the time, which is also evident in 'Harlem' for Newtown and areas such as 'Brooklyn' at Soufriere. Swinging Stars: (E) Dominica's longest surviving and most popular dance band. It began in the early 1950s among a group of boys at the Dominica Grammar School, members of the school's Cadet Corps band who got together to play at house parties and formed the Swinging Teens, which later evolved into the Swinging Stars. Their first public outing was the inaugural ball of the Jaycees held at Rockaway in 1959. The early line up was Peter Bellot on sax, Toni Bellot on Piano, Michael Didier on clarinet, Eddie Martin and Jim Garraway on guitar, Newton Garraway on trumpet, Edmund Letang on drums, Eden Bowers on a one string bass and Angus Edwards on the maracas. Singers were Barbara Bully and Tilly Alexander. After a break for most of 1961, when several band members studied for their final school exams, the mature Swinging Stars, with new additions and rhythms, launched itself at the Aquatic Club on Christmas morning 1961, the date it now marks as its anniversary. In the 1960s it expanded its range, membership and repertoire and began its long service of playing backup for calypsonians and carnival shows. Norman Letang and others such as Bing Casimir have been stalwarts who have guided the band through over four decades. In the 1970s, the Stars had two band houses, Green Grotto (formerly the Union Club), which burned down, and the purpose-built New Grotto, now the Home for the Homeless. It has traveled widely, representing the island in the Caribbean and North America where it is a traditional favourite for Dominicans living abroad. It has to its credit over 17 discs in the form of LP records, 45s and CDs. next page