The Saint Lucia National Trust is intensifying efforts to preserve Choiseul’s endangered craft traditions by encouraging greater participation among children and young Saint Lucians.
Deputy Director Finola Jennings-Clarke highlighted the concern during an Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration, where craftswomen from Choiseul showcased traditional practices influenced by Saint Lucia’s indigenous heritage.
Although Indigenous Peoples’ Day is observed on October 9, the Trust staged the activity over the weekend to encourage wider participation from families and the general public.
The event featured traditional craft displays, games and other family oriented activities. Among the attractions were an Arawak figure resting in a hammock, a reproduction of a petroglyph, a canoe and spear throwing activities inspired by Kalinago and Arawak traditions.
Jennings-Clarke said the craftswomen were invited because of their knowledge of the indigenous influences reflected in the items they produce.
However, she warned that Choiseul’s traditional craft sector is at risk of disappearing as many of its practitioners grow older without enough young people learning the skills required to continue the tradition.
“The Choiseul crafts are very much endangered,” Jennings-Clarke said. “It’s what they call aging out, so the practitioners tend to be much older, and the children tend not to really be following on in the crafts.”
She said the celebration provided an accessible and engaging way to introduce families to Saint Lucia’s indigenous heritage while generating greater appreciation for traditional craftsmanship.
The initiative also forms part of a wider effort by the National Trust to attract younger Saint Lucians to the organisation and its heritage conservation work.
Jennings-Clarke acknowledged that the Trust’s membership currently comprises an older demographic. She explained that membership was previously promoted largely through the benefit of free access to Pigeon Island National Landmark, which attracted many expatriates and other non-Saint Lucian residents.
While the organisation continues to have many Saint Lucian-born members, she said a more deliberate effort is now needed to generate interest among the country’s youth.
“We realize we need to inspire a whole new generation of people and really kind of turn things around,” she said.
Central to that effort is the Trust in Kids programme, which has been under development for approximately two years.
The initiative features an 80 to 90 page activity booklet focusing on Saint Lucia’s history and heritage.
The programme explores the island’s indigenous peoples, natural and built heritage, and individuals who resisted colonialism. It also includes projects designed to help children identify people, places and traditions connected to heritage within their families, schools and communities.
Jennings-Clarke said the National Trust hopes to introduce the programme in schools as part of its strategy to make heritage education more accessible to young people.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration and the proposed school programme form part of the Trust’s broader efforts to ensure that traditional knowledge, including Choiseul’s endangered crafts, is passed on to future generations.
