EYE BAHAMAS Who Is Bahamian

© JIM AUSTIN JIMAGES, 2014.

INTRODUCTION Welcome to EYE, BAHAMAS… Sailing around the Bahamas islands, we were enchanted with their beauty yet knew little about the Bahamian people. To learn more, we made frequent trips back to the islands, seeking out folks who were born in the Bahamas or who had lived there all their lives. Everywhere, people greeted us with charm and grace. Exploring Eye, Bahamas, you can discover who is Bahamian. Here you will meet the people, learn their stories, and hopefully enjoy what they share. Jim & Bentley

The Bahamas motto: WHO “Forward, Upward, Onward, IS BAHAMIAN? Together.” “These islands, vast, beautiful, poorly ruled — our people…they are not, you know, they are not rich. These folks, they have no reason to be happy. But they are. Why?” Rhoda Turnquest shared this question with me on a mailboat trip. One answer, she said, is the religious faith of the Bahamian people. They are exorbitantly grateful for what God has given. Raised to be resilient, they are independent and generous. Her thoughts sparked my curiosity to find out more. With our eyes open, we went onward to a mini-archipelago called the Ragged Islands…

1 GRANDMA’S LOVE Mrs. Leander With an arm around her favorite grandson, Mrs. Leander takes a moment to praise him. The two of them have been on a morning out- ing near her Duncantown home. Mrs. Leander was born and lives on Ragged Island, her favorite place in all of the Bahamas. As we got acquainted, she told me everybody calls her “Big Momma.” Her hometown was named for Duncan Taylor, who worked the successful salt industry until its end in the 1960’s.

2 SKY JUICE WIZARD Edward Lockhart Edward Lockhart starts his engine to give his friends a short ride back to their boat which is anchored off Hog Cay in the Ragged Islands. Edward was born in the Ragged Islands on Buena Vista Cay. He lived there until he was 10 years old before moving away. Then, he often re- turned to stay in his bay side beach house, where he now farms and tends goats and chickens. Edward is a descendent of the island slaves who worked the salt ponds on Ragged Island in the 1700’s. Lockhart’s family has held onto the land rights to Buena Vista Cay for over 300 years. Edward was 73 when we met. To relax with friends after fishing and farming, he treats them to a drink he calls “Sky Juice.” To make the drink, Edward takes a machete and slices open some yellow unripened coconuts he calls “jelly” coco- nuts. Then, he pours the coconut water into a bowl, and adds sweetened condensed milk. “Oh, yeah, and some gin!”

3 LIVING FAITH Verlina Maycock Mrs. Verlina Maycock was born and raised in Duncan- town. When I first met “Verline” she was wearing an Obama T-shirt. She told me she has faith in Barack and in God. Verline is widowed and lives alone. When she suffered a stroke at 85, it left her with pain in her left hip that made walking difficult. As we chatted inside her home, she showed me a large hole in her living room ceiling. Her roof was damaged by a tree in the wind and rain from Hurricane Sandy 15 months earlier. To manage, she gets help from her sons, and was waiting for one of them to repair the roof of her Ragged Island home.

4 GOLF CART SHOPPING Marjorie Wallace & Friends Dressed warmly for the winter winds, two women from Nassau start up their golf cart on Taylor street, the main street in Duncantown. They’ve just finished shop- ping for handmade purses in Marjorie’s home store. Marjo- rie Wallace is behind them on her porch, with Verlina May- cock on the right. After an Ash Wedneday church service and this successful shopping, they drove the cart to meet the mail boat, for a long trip from Ragged Island back to Nassau.

5 COLLEGE BOUND Duncantown Students These three high school students are enjoying their lunch break in the courtyard of Duncantown’s all-age School. They are the eldest of 15 students in the only school on Ragged Island. Miss Wallace (far right) is a sophomore. After high school, she plans to leave home to attend Nassau’s University of the Bahamas. Her grandmother has always supported her education, she told me. Women living in the Bahamas did not get suffrage until 1963, and it was not until 1973 that the Bahamas became independent after 300 years as a British colony. Thanks to the hard-fought battles of generations of courageous women before them, these young women will be able to vote on the future of the Bahamas.

6 SAVVY BUSINESSWOMAN Lorraine Rolle Lorraine Rolle hoists her 3-month-old grandniece near the main entrance to Lorraine’s Cafe, her successful restaurant in Black Point, Exuma. Residents and tourists come to her place for fresh-caught fish and lobster dishes. Working with her husband and her mother, Pyramon, Lorraine runs the family built restaurant. She is always one step ahead; her thriving business was one of the first in Exuma to offer WiFi to its customers. Lorraine’s mother is reknown for her three kinds of home-baked bread. Black Point is a unique Family Island. Every August, residents celebrate with over 2500 friends and family who return to the island for a joyous homecoming. Entering Black Point, before you come to Lorraine’s Cafe, you’ll see a big sign that says: “Get the point ! Black Point ! ”

7 VISION BEYOND SIGHT Steven Armbrister “My friends call me preacher,” Steven said. Born and raised in Duncantown, Reverend Steven Armbrister has lived with limited sight for many years. Recently he lost all his vision. In his 80’s, Steven walks a few blocks to his church. An impassioned speaker, his sermons are widely known for their power and eloquence. Whenever he can, Stephen visits his children and his friends in Nassau on New Providence Island.

8 BORN IN HAITI Shorty Llewellyn Shalti Mr. Shalti stopped to talk on his morning walk in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. As we discussed the Olympics, he told me he enjoys them, and keeps a close watch on Bahamian track-and-field stars. Although born in Haiti, “Shorty” has lived and worked in Rock Sound most of his life.

9 CAT ISLAND GYM CLASS Dressed to Impress In rural areas, all-age schools put several grades together in the same building. School activities are often held close to the water. This 5th grade class had just finished a two-mile run with their gym teacher along a beach on the banks side of New Bight, Cat Island. T-shirts with slogans like “Chick Magnet” were all the rage. When I walked into the New Bight Primary School classroom, all of the students stopped working, stood up and politely said “Hello.” Their principal, Cosette Johnson, told us that politeness and structure were foundations of the school’s philosophy. Bahamian educators teach respect for teachers, elders, parents and visitors, she added. Several Cat Island teach- ers told me about the joy they had teaching kids who really want to learn. There are 210 primary schools in the Bahamas, with an average literacy rate of 95%.

10 FARMERS CAY Younger Pirates Dion and friend Sam “get their pirate on” during the First Friday of February Farmers Cay Festival, called the Five F’s. It reunites families and friends for Bahamian sloop races, cuisine, and dancing.

11 FIVE F’s CHAMPIONS Captain Buzzy Rolle and Crew Captain Buzzy Rolle (kneeling) holds up a First Place trophy for the 2005 Farmer’s Cay Regatta. He is celebrating a victory with his sailing crew. Their sloop, Bul Reg, took first place in the Class C regatta in the Five F’s com- petition. Bul Reg has dominated the Class C races for over five years. Just before this photo was taken. Buzzy and crew were interviewed by KTVS TV from Nassau. Buzzy was born in Georgetown, Exuma and lives there with his wife and children.

12 BEYOND JUNKANOO: Q & A Q: WHAT IS JUNKANOO ? A: Junkanoo is a celebratory procession that incorporates music and dance. Its festivals often satirize politicians, social issues, or any other subject matter of concern to the junkanoo dancers. At right, four “fancy dancers” stop on Bay Street in Nassau to rest from dancing for over eight hours straight. Winners earn prizes and bragging rights in a number of different categories. Q: WHERE IS THE BAHAMAS ? A: The Bahamas lie about 50 miles from Florida. Its islands are surround- ed by water with a billion shades of teal and blue. The term “bahama” comes from the Spanish “bahia mar” or shallow sea. A diverse archipelago of 2387 rocks, 661 cays, and 29 islands, the Bahamas is about the size of Italy in overall area. Q: IS THE BAHAMAS A FREE COUNTRY ? A: Yes. In 2013, the Bahamas celebrated 40 years of independence from British rule. Q: ARE PEOPLE RELIGIOUS ? A: Yes. Mainly a Christian country, the Bahamas has more churches per person than anywhere in the world. People born in the Bahamas “Family” Islands are often raised Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Anglican or Pentacostal.



13 14 PREVIOUS PAGE: CUPIDS CAY IMMIGRANT AT LEFT: Rainbow, Christian Clown Alfred Paul Each year, Rainbow comes Born in Haiti, Alfred Paul is 84, and has lived from the US to help her friend on Cupids Cay most of his life. He came to the (at right) with sales at Bahamas to work in the fishing and sponging Junkanoo in Freeport, Grand industries. Bahama. > A Brief Bahamas History Rainbow told me she performs as a Christian Clown The first Bahamians were the Lucayan to share Christian values and peoples. They created a self-sustaining bal- help inspire the younger ance between the riches of the sea and the generation. scarce land resources. Most of the Bahamas was uninhabited for over a century after the Lucayans perished. English, Africans, Bermudans, and New Englanders sailed to the islands in the mid- 17th century. In all, about 1600 whites and 5700 slaves came to settle in the Bahamas. Known as the “birthplace of the Bahamas,” the Cupids Cay settlement near Governors Harbor dates to 1648. <

15 CUPIDS CAY NATIVE Ella Turnquest Born on Cupids Cay in 1933, Ella Turnquest is a faithful member of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. After her first husband passed away, Ella married and became Ella Turnquest-Delancy. Ella has three grown sons and 12 grandchildren. When I met Ella, she said she was not feeling well at all and was unable to attend church. Due to arthritis in her right knee, she was relying on a wheelchair, and the assistance of her grandson TJ, to get around. Ella’s home on Cupids Cay is only a few yards from the site of the first United States Consulate in the world, built in 1786. 16 NEXT PAGE: Kids kayaking off Cupids Cay, Eleuthera.



17 COOL BOOKS Governors Harbor As these kids read, they are taking part in a library program that supports school literacy. Supervised by children’s librarian Althea Willie, they are seated at the edge of a well-used table on the library’s first floor. Originally a courthouse, the building’s pink exterior stands out from the bay waters. In its unique setting, the Haynes Library offers its 13,000 annual visitors a breath of fresh air; windows on both floors are open to the ocean breezes. The library holds 11,000 volumes, and its second floor is an internet cafe. But books are still cool !

18 OLD ENOUGH TO WALK Precious Precious relaxes in her mother’s arms in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. At age 3, she’s old enough to join Mom for a Walk- A-Thon on the island.

19 LAWS AND LOVE Blanche Wearing a favorite hat, Blanche stops to say good morning, as her church bells summon her to a Sunday ser- vice. We are outside the doors of the Wesley Methodist Church in James Cistern, Eleu- thera. The Methodist church is a center of religious order. Every third Sunday service, conduct laws are read aloud. Taken from the Greek word “Eleutheria,” Eleu- thera means freedom. Two Greek ideas were also borrowed. First, a fulfillment of love when one finally gets home after a long journey. Second, the idea that finding this love can move us to a higher state of being.

20 ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST Lester “Conch Man” Brown “We always try to do our best,” Lester Brown told me. We talked alongside the airport runway, in Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands. Lester was born on Big Wood Cay, part of Andros Island - the island Spaniards called “La Isla del Espiritu Sancto,” or the Island of the Holy Spirit. As a boy, Lester worked with the Andros sawmill industry, cutting pine timber with large hand-saws. He looked out for the safety of others, both in the mill and on Androsian farms, where he worked raising melon, cucumber and pineapple. Raised in the Baptist church, Lester told me he’s never had any anger inside him, adding that people always listen to him. When asked how he gets folks to lis- ten, Lester replied that he throws in a joke or an amusing story to keep folks smiling.

21 VALEDICTORIAN Traliyah R. B. Carey (middle) Traliyah Carey, age 11, was valedictorian of Preston Albury High School in Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera. She reads scripture in the Methodist church and sings in the choir. She was also a Primary School Student of the Year semi-finalist in 2013, and received a thousand dollar scholarship award. She has an older brother and sister. Her older sister is attending college in Jamaica. During a mid-term school holiday, she is pictured taking a break to share a Kit-Kat with her friends Lorean and Larenza Rolle. Recently, Traliyah led a champion Knowledge Bowl team in her primary school. The last contest question was: “The use of solar power to provide elec- tricity to homes and businesses will: a) Conserve fuel used to produce electricity, b) Contribute to a cleaner envi- ronment, c) Lead to more affordable elec- tricity or d) All of the above.” Her team picked the right answer and won the Bowl.

22 SUPPORTING HER FAMILY Margaret Saunders Margaret Saunders is putting in a ten-hour work day. The mailboat has just docked in Great Harbor, so Margaret is busy loading cases of supplies off the mailboat to stock the shelves of her restaurant, Q and J’s Deli, but she makes time to talk. At 71, Margaret works in her Deli, she sells pastries, sandwiches, and drinks. Her youngest son helps her with the business and logistics. She has 10 grandchildren and five great- grandchildren. Like many other women of her generation, Margaret has worked steadily all her life to raise and educate her children. Margaret was born in Black Point on Little Abaco, north of Nassau. Her deli is on Great Har- bor Cay in the Berry Islands.

23 SONG MAN OF THE SEA Captain C His name is Cephas Maycock. Everyone knows him as Captain C. Inside his restaurant on main street, I asked him about his life. Cephas captained his boat, the Captain C, which was the town and island mailboat from the 1960’s to the 1990’s. He told me with pride that his elder son Mistro attended the Maritime Academy and now pilots the Captain C mailboat. Although Captain C travelled widely and spent many years in Cuba, like Big Momma his love for Duncantown brought him back home. Behind him in this photograph is a painting of Cephas by a Duncantown artist. After we left his Ponderosa bar and restaurant on Taylor street, he gave me a ride to the airport, and I discovered another of Captain C’s talents: he loves to sing. As we drove through Duncantown and on to Southside Bay, Captain C crooned along with songs by Phil Stubbs and Percy Sledge, two well-known Bahamian musicians.

24 FAMILY CHURCH Miss Lone Miss Lone takes her grandchildren to church on a windy Sunday in January. She drives several miles to Alicetown to worship in the Wesley Methodist church. Over- looking Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera, her church is the oldest one in the settlement.

25 BLACK POINT POST Elvie Armbruster Elvie Armbruster is work- ing on accounts at her desk. As the sole postal employee, Elvie greets postal customers with a warm enthusiasm. She also goes out of her way to share the special hospitality offered by Black Point resi- dents. Elvie is an avid reader. When she gets a rare break in between work and raising her children, she enjoys reading a variety of Christian literature.

26 DEAN OF THE CREEK Willard Cleare Willard Claere is the undisputed dean of Orange Creek, Cat Island. A plumber and an excellent fisher- man, he knows how to find snapper and bonefish. Williard has guided many bone fisherman to a successful catch. Here — beside Orange Creek at low tide — he ponders how he will repair his dining room chair.

27 BASEBALL FAN Zari and Rhoda McQueen Sitting next to his great-grandmother Rhoda McQueen, he says: “Me, take my picture!” Alizaria is 3. He seems thrilled to see his image on the back of the cam- era. He says his name is “Zari,” tells me about his Dad, and we talk a little about baseball. He knows a lot more about the game than I do. Rhoda was born and raised in Alicetown on Eleuthera. At age 95, she is the oldest person in the settlement. Mrs. McQueen has worshipped at St. Catherine’s Church for decades. She told me her happiest time was when she was married with a family. These days are harder for her. Now, both her grand-daughter and her daughter must stay with Rhoda to pro- vide care. Mrs. McQueen suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

28 ROLLING WITH THE STONES Hazel Brown Hazel Brown loves to play dominoes. She smiles and jokes in her Seaside Bar, a roadside spot that her late husband built in Smiths Bay. After you grab a beer from her bar fridge, she sits you down to play as many rounds of dominoes as possible, slapping down the tiles with a burst of energy. Continuing the sip-sip (gossip and stories), Hazel points to a poster of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones on the wall. She says that, once, Mick Jagger showed up in his yacht and she and Jagger did some Rake and Scrape’ing*. Hazel swears that she taught Mick some moves. Not drinking alcohol, Hazel sips on a Vita Malt. Hazel is 86, and has worshipped in the Lively Stone Church of God in Knowles for many years. Hazel’s other passion is meeting and welcoming people who come to Cat Island from all over the world. * Rake ‘n’ Scrape is pulsating Bahamian music us- ing a drum, saw and concertina. It is famous on Cat Island.

Acclaimed PDF eBooks EYE BAHAMAS Jim Austin Jimages: JIMAGES PUBLISHING [email protected] Pixels on Passage Jimages.com Emotion in Emotion Photopia 411 Walnut St. Last Light Out: Bahamas Ruins ( to be released) #2569 Green Cove Springs, Find all the Jimages eBooks at Jimages.com Florida 32043—3443 USA Copyright © Jim Austin 2014. Photographer and Publisher l Jim Austin MA Editor l Bentley Smith MD Design l Jimages.com Notice of Rights All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. l l