St.David’s Islanders

With an island only 21 square miles and a population of approximately 65,000, it is hard to imagine that there exists a group of people so distinct that they are considered St. David’s Islanders rst and then Bermudians. Although St. David’s is part of the parish of St. George’s, the residents who trace their ancestry back to slavery consider the 503 acres of land its own separate parish. The St. David’s Islanders are known for their own unique cuisine which includes conch (meat from a large sea shell called a conch) stew, conch fritters, mussel pies and shark hash. Two St. David’s icons famous for their cuisine are the late Dennis Lamb and Dolly Pitcher. Dennis owned the famous Dennis’ Hideaway. If his restaurant still existed, it would have de nitely been on the Food Network’s , Diners Drive Ins and Dives circuit. Dolly was famous for her curried mussel pies and sh dinners. Seafood is an integral part of any St. David’s Island menu as the St. David’s Islanders consist of a shing community.

St. David’s Islanders are a special group of people with a strong sense of community and are easily identi ed with surnames such as Lamb, Fox, Pitcher and Foggo. The St. David’s Islanders are descendants of Native American Indians who were brought here as slaves in the 17th Century. For centuries, it was erroneously assumed that their slave ancestors were Mohawk Indians. It was later discovered in the late 20th Century that Mohawks were too war like a nation to have been enslaved. A more thorough research indicates that the St. David’s Islanders are descendants of the Pequot Indians of New England. Their appearance is another thing that separates them from the rest of the island with their blue, green, grey or hazel eyes and straight or curly hair with fair or copper red complexion (some browner as a result of the mixing with Afri- can slaves). There are many who look fair enough to be considered to be of the Caucasian race but don’t embrace that assertion or classi cation. They will tell you quite succinctly and proudly that they are Pequot Indians. In 2002, the rst annual festival was held in St. David’s – The Reconnection Festival and Pow Wow, where visiting members of the Pequot Nation along with the Wampanoag, Nipmuck, Naragansett and Cherokee nations travelled to Bermuda to take part in this spiritual reconnection with their cultural roots ceremony that is mesmerizing, sacred and beautiful. There were several St. David’s Islanders who saw resemblances with people of these native Indian nations, the Pequots, in particular. They also saw similarities in their culture and way of life. In fact, once in costumes, it proved di cult to determine who represented the visiting nations and who represented St. David’s Island.