Culpepper Island

Culpepper Island is a tiny island located just off the east coast of Barbados . The name of the island goes back to a family who lived in this area from around 1650 to around 1830. Politically, it can be attributed to the Saint Philip Parish .

The island is a roughly 40 by 50 meter rock that protrudes almost ten meters from the water. This is north of Cape Ragged Point , which carries one of the four lighthouses of Barbados, the East Point Lighthouse , and directly in front of the Bayfield. It is separated from the main island by a canal that is only about 30 meters wide. You could wade through this at low tide, but because of the unpredictable currents this is extremely dangerous, so that it is urgently advised against. The east coast is characterized by constant rough Atlantic waves. This hits the rugged coast, including that of Culpepper Island.

Culpepper Island is sparsely overgrown and uninhabited. Tales of the Bajans , the inhabitants of Barbados, according to which farmers used to carry sheep to graze on the island, are not really credible, since the island does not appear attractive for this use, neither because of its small size nor because of its extremely sparse vegetation.

On March 12, 2006, the small island acquired an equally small entry in the history book of Barbados. A group of descendants of the pre-European inhabitants of Barbados, the Arawak and Caribs, symbolically occupied the island and claimed it for themselves. From Guyana coming Indios of Lokono-Arawak and Carib-Karifuna declared that they were descendants of tribal princess Marian. She was the daughter of the last tribal chief of the Lokono Arawak, Amorotahe Haubariria ( English Flying Harpy Eagle). This chief of the Arawkas Eagle clan is buried in Westbury Cemetery in Bridgetown . Consequently, they claimed Culpepper Island as their tribal and sovereign territory.

After Pelican Island , which was formerly located off Bridgetown , became part of the mainland of Barbados in the course of the expansion of the deep-sea port in the 1950s , Culpepper Island is now Barbados' only side island . Today the Pelican Village is reminiscent of Pelican Island with the “Pelican Crafts Center”, an attractive shopping and office area right on the harbor in the St. Michael district, Barbados.

Web links

Photos of Ragged Point and Culpepper Island

Coordinates: 13 ° 10 ′  N , 59 ° 27 ′  W