Art
Our Danish Connection The Scandinavian country of Denmark was among the European contenders for ownership of Caribbean islands and acquired St. Thomas in 1660, St. John in 1718, and St. Croix, purchased from France in 1733. (See page 48 for historical details.)
A BLACK HISTORY MONTH COMMENTARY by Nina York While the majority of our population of today has enslaved forebears, a large percentage of them had their background on another island in the Caribbean. Nevis, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, and Trinidad were the predominant locations. Their migration to St. Croix was mainly due to the establishment in the 1960’s of the huge refinery on our south shore and the work opportunities that brought.
Denmark left its mark here in many ways that have contributed to a close relationship between Danes and the U.S. Virgin Islands following the 1917 Transfer, bringing thousands of Danish visitors. Examples of this closeness are: • The handsome, still functioning 18th and 19th century architecture – official, commercial and private, built of Danish brick brought as ship ballast. • Ruins of many plantation structures that once produced sugar and rum, particularly former windmills that ground sugar cane. The Mermaid’s Purse Gallery. The amazing pottery of Sara Lee Hayes!
The Mermaid’s Purse r you n! Get ART o
• The presence of four churches of the Danish Lutheran denomination, with special sections for Danish gravesites in two old cemeteries.
Gallery
• Many African heritage and mixed blood families carrying Danish last names, even the use of historic Danish first names for Crucian children.
A Unique, Fun, Soulful Gallery showcasing the original works of Isabelle Picard & Sara Lee Hayes
• A Friends of Denmark organization that enjoys exchange-visit festivals with its sister society in Denmark, the Danish West Indian Society.
2132 Company St. Quin House, Christiansted
340 643 5637
www.themermaidspursegallery.com
• Access on the internet to over 5 million documents in the Danish archives relevant to the Danish West Indies, as our islands were called. • A friendly Crucian population that welcomes and looks out for visiting Danes. If you happen to be a visiting Dane, we bid you Velkommen!
Beautiful St. Croix photographs delivered right to your home!
Visit www.ddstudio.smugmug.com/Travel/StCroix or call us at 310.861.6001 for more details!
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illustrated articles from the pages of this magazine, 2009-2019, documenting in English and Danish the legacy of Denmark’s imprint on our culture. Undercover Books and Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts, $20.
Each island’s population has a characteristic culture that is passed down through generations. This holds true in many cases for families that have migrated here and affects the sense of identity with their new home. Our early indigenous Amerindian population was decimated with the arrival of Columbus and the hardships inflicted on them. This was followed by the colonial power holders establishing enslavement on the workforce brought from Africa. It might be assumed that there was no interest among the power holders in the lives of the enslaved, but that was not the case in the Danish West Indies, of which we were part along with St. Thomas and St. John. Primarily for practical reasons, for paying taxes on each enslaved individual, their owners had to supply details about their lives – their name, age and gender, their religion, their occupation at the plantation, their behavior and more details were recorded on an annual basis, which serves as a kind of census for family research. This has enabled a much clearer data bank, allowing amazing details accessible on the internet about life here, but mostly seen through the eyes of the European white man. Still, the fact that over 5 million documents have been made available online by Denmark, having to do with our island’s history, should speak for itself. Nina York, born in Denmark but a St. Croix resident since 1976, has been a contributor for this publication since 2009 and was its Managing Editor from 1990-2003. She now offers tours for visitors from Denmark and the mainland, does translations, and sells her books, historic maps, and print reproductions. Februar y 22 / March 22 • 39
