Culture of the Virgin Islands
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Virgin Islander culture represents the various peoples that have inhabited the present-day U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands throughout history. Although both territories are politically separate, they maintain close cultural ties.
Like much of the English speaking Caribbean, Virgin Islander culture is syncretic, deriving chiefly from West African, European and American influences. Though the Danish controlled the present-day U.S. Virgin Islands for many years, the dominant language has been an English-based Creole since the 19th century, and the islands remain much more receptive to English language popular culture than any other. The Dutch, the French and the Danish also contributed elements to the island's culture, as have immigrants from the Arab world, India and other Caribbean islands. The single largest influence on modern Virgin Islander culture, however, comes from the Africans enslaved to work in canefields from the 17th to the mid-19th century. These African slaves brought with them traditions from across a wide swathe of Africa, including what is now Nigeria, Senegal, both Congos, Gambia and Ghana.[1]
Virgin Islands culture continues to undergo creolization, the result of inter-Caribbean migration and cultural contact with other islands in the region, as well as the United States. Migration has altered the social landscape of both countries to the extent that in the British Virgin Islands, half of the population is of foreign origin and in the U.S. Virgin Islands, most native-born residents can trace their ancestry to other Caribbean islands.
Cuisine
Funji pronounced (fun-gee) cornmeal cooked boiled and cooked to a thick consistency, okra included. Mostly eaten with saltfish. Callaloo- soup made from callaloo bush/leaf. Meat and okra added boiled to a thick stew consistnecy. Lindee or Lindy- juice frozen in a cup flavors vary Pate- patty with various meats including beef and saltfish. Fruits consumed in the islands include: sour apple, mango, papaya, soursap, jojo, sea grapes, tamarinds( can be made in a sweet stew or rolled in sweet balls)and goose berries (small green sour fruit, smaller than a grape. Mainly stewed together with sugar for a sweet snack). Johnny cake (originally known as 'journey cake') is a popular pastry. Another popular dish is roti, which is curried vegetables and meat wrapped in a paper-thin dough and served with rice and beans. Restaurant often cater to tourists, serving a combination of North American dishes with tropical twists as well as local cuisine. An example of this is the addition of mango and carribean spices to salmon (which cannot be caught in tropical waters). Traditional food tends to be spicy and hearty. Much of the foods are imported due to the poor soil quality, little available farm land, and a taste for foreign foods.
Music
Language
The official language of both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands is English. However, Virgin Islands Creole is spoken in informal situations.
Sports
Americanization in the U.S. Virgin Islands has led to the preponderance of American sports such as baseball, American football and basketball, while more traditionally West Indian sports such as cricket and soccer are also played. Americanization in sports can be seen in the British Virgin Islands, as well. For example, basketball is much more widely played than cricket, one of the most popular sports in the Anglophone Caribbean.
Although cricket is not as popular in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as it is in the British West Indies, it is possible the sport will take off in due time in the territory, as Sir Allen Stanford, owner of the 20/20 cricket tournament in Antigua, has made plans to relocate the tournament's headquarters to St. Croix.
Although dependent territories, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands have their own independent national sports teams and compete in regional and international athletic events.
Literature
There has been a development of a Virgin Islands literature, although little studied. Literature is written in both standard English and the local Virgin Islands dialect.
Dance
In contemporary Virgin Islands society, there are various dance traditions, given its history of migration. The dance most commonly associated with indigenous Virgin Islander culture is the quadrille, which is also performed in many other Caribbean islands. Other dances include bachata, meringue and salsa, which were brought to the islands by immigrants from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Theatre
Religion
Christianity is the leading religion with a large Roman Catholic contingent along with various Protestant denominations. Like many other Caribbean islands, there is a significant Rastafari presence. A very small number of Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and other eastern religions people live on the islands.
See also
References
- ^ Sheehy, pp 968-974