Joseph Chatoyer

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Joseph Chatoyer
Chatoyer the Chief of the Black Charaibes in St. Vincent with his five Wives., 1796. 03044001 (detail).jpg
Chatoyer the Chief of the Black Charaibes in St. Vincent, 1796
Died(1795-03-14)14 March 1795
Chatoyer in St.Vincent, in an 1801 engraving Chatoyer, the chief of the Black Charaibes in St.Vincent.jpg
Chatoyer in St.Vincent, in an 1801 engraving

Joseph Chatoyer, also known as Satuye (died 14 March 1795), was a Garifuna ( Carib ) chief who led a revolt against the British colonial government of Saint Vincent in 1795. Killed that year, he is now considered a national hero of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and also of Belize and Costa Rica. Vincentian politician Camillo Gonsalves described him in 2011 as his country's "sole national hero". [1]

Contents

History

In 1772, the population rebelled. Led by Chatoyer, the First Carib War forced the British to sign a treaty with them in 1773. This was the first time Britain had been forced to sign an accord with non-white people in the Caribbean since the Maroon treaty of Jamaica in 1739.

By 1795, it became apparent to the local population that Britain had no intention of obeying the treaty. The people of the Caribbean then rose in rebellion and were joined by a group of French radicals, inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution, who saw Britain as a traditional enemy of France. In the Second Carib War, Chatoyer divided the island with his brother Duvalle, who was another chieftain. [2] Duvalle had a Guadeloupean lieutenant by the name of Massoteau. [3] Working his way along the coast, Chatoyer was met by his French supporters at Chateaubelair, and together the forces worked their way to Dorsetshire Hill, from where they would launch their attack on the capital city, Kingstown.

On March 14, a battalion of British soldiers led by General Ralph Abercromby, marched toward Dorsetshire Hill. That night, Chatoyer was killed by Major Alexander Leith. Though the rebellion continued until October 1796 under the leadership of Duvalle, [2] Chatoyer's death led to the desertion of the French supporters and without their aid, the tide of the war turned in favour of the British.

As a national hero of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Chatoyer is recognized with a monument on Dorsetshire Hill, where he died.

Legacy

Although Chatoyer died before the remainder of the rebels were deported to Roatan in Honduras, from where they spread along the Caribbean coast of Central America and became known as the Garifuna people; he is considered to have been a Garifuna warrior. [4]

After a major push led by the National Youth Council of St.Vincent and the Grenadines and other groups, Chatoyer became the nation's first National Hero on March 14, 2002. Since then, March 14th has been celebrated as National Heroes Day, a time when many can remember the struggle against British and French colonialism. [5]

A play based on his life, The Drama of King Shotaway, was written by William Henry Brown, an African American from the West Indies, and Director of the African Theatre. It was the first play written in the United States by a black man. The play was produced by the African Company at the African Grove Theatre in New York City in 1823, but no manuscript survived. [6]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalinago</span> Group of people who live in Venezuela and the Lesser Antilles

The Kalinago, also called Island Caribs or simply Caribs, are an Indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. They may have been related to the Mainland Caribs (Kalina) of South America, but they spoke an unrelated language known as Kalinago or Island Carib. They also spoke a pidgin language associated with the Mainland Caribs.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Carib War</span>

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Duvalle was a Black Carib chief who commanded troops on the leeward side of Saint Vincent after the death of his brother Joseph Chatoyer during the Second Carib War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosita Baltazar</span>

Rosita Baltazar was a Belizean choreographer, dancer, dance instructor and founding assistant director of the Belize National Dance Company. In 2004, she was awarded the Lord Rhaburn Music Award as a dance ambassador and in 2009 she received the Chatoyer Recognition Award from the National Garifuna Council of Belize for her efforts at preserving Garifuna culture.

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Nelcia Robinson-Hazell is a Black Carib poet, community organizer and activist. She has spearheaded the development of policy initiatives throughout the Caribbean on issues regarding gender and indigenous identity. Serving as the president of the National Council of Women of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, she began in the 1980s to change the organization toward political action. Recognizing a need to establish research on the needs of women, she was involved in the creation of both local and regional organizations to analyze and develop information about the socio-economic and political inequalities women faced. She created similar initiatives for indigenous peoples, beginning first in Saint Vincent and then expanding them regionally. Robinson has been involved in international directives including the World Summit for Social Development and the 1995 World Conference on Women, as well as follow-up conferences discussing such issues as poverty, economic empowerment and violence against women. She has served as a civil society representative on the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commissions and as chair of the Commonwealth Women's Network.

Vincentian nationality law is regulated by the Saint Vincent Constitution Order of 1979, as amended; the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Citizenship Act of 1984, and its revisions; and various British Nationality laws. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Vincentian nationality is typically obtained either on the principle of jus soli, i.e. by birth in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; or under the rules of jus sanguinis, i.e. by birth abroad to parents with Vincentian nationality. It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalisation. There is not currently a program in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for persons to acquire nationality through investment in the country. Nationality establishes one's international identity as a member of a sovereign nation. Though it is not synonymous with citizenship, for rights granted under domestic law for domestic purposes, the United Kingdom, and thus the commonwealth, have traditionally used the words interchangeably.

References

  1. Review of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Universal Periodic Review, United Nations Human Rights Council, 10 May 2011
  2. 1 2 Cayetano, Sebastian (1993). Garifuna History, Language & Culture of Belize, Central America & the Caribbean. The Author. p. 23. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  3. Lara, Oruno D. (1998). De L'Oubli à l'Histoire. Paris: Maisonneuve et Larose. p. 82. ISBN   2-86877-138-6.
  4. Colon Jr, Teofilo, "Memorial Mass for GARIFUNA Warrior, Paramount Chief JOSEPH CHATOYER To Take Place In The Bronx on SUNDAY, March 15th 2015 as Part of 2015 GARIFUNA American Heritage Month in New York" Archived 2018-04-14 at the Wayback Machine , Beinggarifuna.com, 14 March 2015.
  5. Fraser, Adrian (2002). Chatoyer (Chatawae) the First National Hero of Saint Vincent and The Grenadines. Kingstown, St.Vincent and the Grenadines: Galaxy Print LTD. p. 7.
  6. Peterson, Bernard, Early Black American Playwrights and Dramatic Writers: A Biographical Directory and Catalog of Plays, Films, and Broadcasting Scripts, Greenwood Publishing, 1990, pp. 37–39.