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Let us all solve the problem of our island : LA GONAVE Home...

Jwphilippe At Yahoo.com - May 16 2011, 12:41 PM

Let us all solve the problem of our island :

LA GONAVE

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History of La Gonave

At the time of the arrival of the Spanish on the island of Hispaniola (the island now occupied by Haiti and the Dominican Republic), La Gonave was a paradise.

The entire island was covered with vegetation which included many valuable tree species.

It rained a lot and there were lots of birds.

Mangrove thickets protected the coast and the sea harbored an abundance of fish. The Spanish, during the early years of exploration of the Caribbean, dropped off pigs and other domesticated animals as they visited the various islands.

The purpose of leaving the animals was to create a food source for subsequent Spanish explorers.

These animals flourished due to an ample source of plant matter on which to feed.

It is estimated that, at the time of arrival of the Spanish on Hispaniola, the native population was approximately one million.

As the Spanish began to send some of the natives to Europe and began to enslave them and commit other atrocities against them, some fled to La Gonave.

It was the last refuge for many as the native population of Hispaniola was rapidly wiped out. Eventually the natives on La Gonave perished but bones and other evidence of their existence were collected by Catholic nuns who much later arrived on the island.

These artifacts can be seen in Anse-a-Galets.

In the early 1600s, French buccaneers arrived on the island.

These white people did not build any houses; instead, they stayed in caves.

Under French control, piracy was eventually wiped out ending the history of the buccaneers on the island.

After independence from the French had been achieved, the French left the island and former black slaves discovered the natural wealth of the island and began to claim the land. They began to cultivate bananas, yams, mangos, sweet potatoes, manioc, maize and other crops.

Animals that had been introduced by the Spanish were a source of food. In addition, some of the animals were slaughtered and the meat sold in Port-au-Prince.

Word spread about the abundance that existed on La Gonave and more people came and settled.

Many types of crops were being produced and the sea was a wonderful source of food.

When the United States occupied Haiti for the first time from 1915-1934, a U.S. police station was established on the island in the town of Anse-a-Galets.

The Americans discovered on La Gonave a strong social system.

The estimated 12,000 inhabitants of the island at the time were divided into ten

Duvalier and Aristide Invited To Michel Martelly Presidential Inauguration

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We are the animals that destroying everything our...

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