Culture and History of St Kitts

The earliest written history of St Kitts is in the account of the second voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1493, although he didn't actually bother to land. Apparently he thought the shape of the island resembled St Christopher carrying Christ on his shoulders, but there is some doubt as to whether he named the island after the patron saint of travellers or himself.

In any case the name stuck and over the centuries the island gained the affectionate nickname of St Kitts. The original inhabitants were Carib Indians who called the island Liamuiga which means fertile land. Nowadays the island's dormant volcano which gave St Kitts its productive and volcanic soil goes by the same name. The volcano's legacy can be seen in the lush tropical vegetation and the characteristically black sandy beaches which are found predominantly in the north of the island.

St Kitts has quite the history and has been the scene of many bitter battles between the native Carib Indians, the British and the French. Very early on in his history the entire native population was wiped out in a massacre at Bloody Point.

This left the island to the mercy of the English and the French, and many became very rich from their sugar and tobacco plantations, bringing in African slaves to attend to them which paved the way for St Kitts rich cultural history.

St Kitts is also distinctive in having made room for just about every religious conviction, and it has the oldest Masonic temples in the Caribbean as well as a very old Jewish Temple. Although the early history of St Kitts is somewhat bloody thristy, it is one of the most culturally and historically fascinating Caribbean islands.