Montserrat

First inhabited by the Tainos c.500 BCE, Montserrat’s culture and history has been shaped throughout the years by various settlers and events.

The Tainos named the pear-shaped island Alliouagana, which means “Land of the Prickly Bush.” They lived in village settlements around the island including, Trants, Little Bay, Windward Bluff, Old Fort Point and Dagenham where they left their mark in the form of artifacts, some of which can be found in the National Museum.

On his second voyage in 1493 Christopher Columbus sighted the island and named it Montserrat after the famous monastery near Barcelona, Spain. Many of the first Europeans who settled on the island in 1632 were Irish Indentured servants, while the Africans came as slaves who worked plantations that produced mainly sugar, sea-island cotton and lime. The Africans left their customs and traditions which have been blended with some Irish customs.

The island became known fondly as the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbean” due to the striking resemblance of its cliffs and shorelines, as well as the historical ties to Ireland.

The Irish featured prominently in Montserrat’s history, leaving its mark on place names and of course, surnames. The national emblem is an Irish Shamrock and the coat of arms of the Montserrat Flag reveals Erin (the female figure with a harp and cross).

History buffs can learn more by visiting the Montserrat National Trust an institution at the forefront of preserving the cultural, historic and archaeological heritage of the Island.

NATURAL HISTORY
In 1995, life in Montserrat was changed forever when the once dormant Soufrière Hills Volcano erupted for the first time in almost 400 years. Two-thirds of the southern part of the island, including our capital, Plymouth, was devastated and much of it remains buried beneath thick layers of ash and mud. More than half of our population has since migrated to North America and the UK.

Today, the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) monitors all activity of Soufrière Hills and, together with the University of East Anglia and partners, champions the Mountain A Glow project. This chronicles the history of the volcano and life in Montserrat before and after the eruptions, in addition to providing first-hand accounts from residents who lived through the experience.

The population is largely of African ancestry (black), with small numbers of people of European descent (white) and of mixed descent. The official language is English, but most Montserratians also speak a Creole language similar to that spoken in Jamaica. The main religious denominations are Christian: Anglicanism, Methodism, Pentecostalism, Roman Catholicism, and Seventh-day Adventism.

Prior to the mid-1990s, Montserrat’s population was relatively stable because of emigration and a low birth rate. Plymouth and its environs were the main centres of settlement. The island’s population exceeded 10,000 in the early 1990s, but during the volcano crisis more than two-thirds of Montserratians departed for the United Kingdom, neighbouring Antigua, and other parts of the Caribbean region. Some had returned by the late 1990s; however, renewed eruptions discouraged resettlement, and access to the southern two-thirds of the island has since been restricted. There are about a dozen small settlements in the western and northern coastal regions, including Look Out, Brades, St. John’s, St. Peter’s, and Davy Hill.

Montserratian society is a mixture of African, Irish, and British traditions, although North American culture has become a major influence. Traditional rites, such as the jumbie dance, a manifestation of folk religion, had nearly disappeared by the late 20th century. The dance once took place following Christian rituals (e.g., baptisms or weddings) or in times of crisis. Jumbie music helped produce a trancelike state in the worshipers who sought cures for ills or the lifting of an obeah (obia) spell, a traditional form of witchcraft. Folk instruments included flutes, triangles, and flat goatskin-covered drums. Folk music has declined partly because of imported musical styles such as calypso, reggae, soca, and pop. Carnival, which was brought to Montserrat in 1962, is held between Boxing Day (December 26) and New Year’s (Jump-up) Day (January 1). St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is an official holiday; locally, it commemorates a slave revolt and Montserratian heroes, and festivities surrounding it generally continue for a week.

Prior to the economic upheaval caused by the eruptions, Montserratians enjoyed a relatively high standard of living, including dependable housing and imported consumer goods; many also took holidays abroad, often to the United States. Older, rural residents still have more traditional lifestyles based on family, land, and church. Extended families and connections with family members overseas remain important for all Montserratians. The island’s cuisine is best known for “goat water,” a thick goat-meat stew that is the national dish.

In 1977 Beatles producer George Martin opened a music-recording studio on the island. It was frequented by rock luminaries, including Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, and Elton John, and was in operation until 1989, when it was badly damaged by Hurricane Hugo. Martin later raised funds to build the Montserrat Cultural Centre, a multiuse performing arts centre that opened in Little Bay in 2006. Cable and satellite television services are available, and radio programming is popular, particularly through ZJB Radio Montserrat, the government-owned radio station. The main newspaper, the Montserrat Reporter is published weekly; its online edition is updated more frequently.