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The arrowroot plant is native to the West Indies and Central America; it belongs to the same family as ginger. It was used by the original inhabitants of the area and it served as food but seems to have first been used for religious and medicinal purposes. The Indians used it in wounds inflicted by poison arrows-hence its name. Jamaica was once a producer and exporter of arrowroot. Nowadays it is used in face powers, glues, confectionery, ice-cream cones and paper and textiles. |
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 In Jamaica, smiles beam from faces in hues ranging from rich coffee to condensed milk-sweetened cocoa. These warm faces bear physical features that are seldom duplicated. There are small noses, proud noses, strong chins, blue eyes and dark ones too, full lips, fine mouths, corkscrew curls and unruly locks. To appreciate these shapes and shades and to understand our rich history and heritage is to think on a global scale. Nearly every race is represented here – African, English, Spanish, Irish, Scottish, Indian, Chinese, German, and Syrian. They came – to conquer, colonize, unwillingly or in search of a better life, settling over time to call this island home. They’ve jumbled and fused, creating the most extraordinary racial and cultural medley, the Jamaican people.
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Handshakes, hugs and hearty hellos, Jamaicans are naturally warm, friendly and entertaining. Often our humour cannot be contained by simple smiles and breaks loose into contagious bouts of laughter and gesticulation. We seldom cry, choosing to laugh instead at whatever comes our way. Reggae pulses through our veins, giving us an innate internal rhythm that fuels our abounding energy and creativity. Our complex past, marked by slavery and the struggle for independence, has made us proud, resilient and strong. We refuse to be restrained, choosing instead to break the boundaries of our small island, gaining worldwide recognition in areas like music and sports. A bobsled team from a tropical island is typical of our enthusiastic spirit.
Jamaicans, although soft-hearted, are sometimes not tactful or overly sensitive, and very often, not politically correct. We always say it like it is. Don’t be offended if on the streets you are called – Browning, Redman, Coolie, Whitey, Blacka, or Miss Chin. It’s the way we acknowledge and make light of our diverse racial heritage.
African and European influences dominate our people. There is Africa everywhere – in the faces of nine out of ten Jamaicans, in our language, food, craft, religions and customs. Europe is here too. The Spanish, English, Irish, Germans and Scots have all left their mark. You’ll see it in our place names, legal, educational and governmental systems, language, architecture and religion. The Chinese, Indians, Lebanese, Syrians and Jewish have pieces of their homelands here as well. They fuel our entrepreneurial spirit while the aromas and flavours of these Eastern cultures waft in our food.
With this eclectic mix, stories of Chinese Scotsmen and Indian Africans are not uncommon in Jamaica. We have transformed the ways, traditions and customs of our foreign ancestors into something so special it could only be Jamaican. We’ve mixed and mingled, breaking down barriers, to become one people out of many, living one love. |
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