Ishmael Berkel (centre) explaining about St. Eustatius in the days of old on an earlier occasion at Berkel Family Plantation.
A thatched house and live animals at Berkel Family Plantation.
EUSTATIUS–The past comes to life on Berkel Family Plantation today, Thursday, as its custodian Ishmael Berkel will relate and demonstrate what life was like in the first half of the previous century, when residents of St. Eustatius lived off the land. The event starts at 3:00pm.
Berkel had a thatched house reconstructed, such as the ones that were put up in the fields to shelter farmers while out tending to their land. A coal bed was made to demonstrate how coal for cooking and baking was made, and he will also show how that cooking was actually done.
In addition, he will demonstrate how the cow pits were used, and he has live animals to illustrate how they fitted into the whole picture of sustaining yourself and your family when Statia had to depend on itself.
“I decided to do something special on the occasion of Black History Month. I find it important that the youth of today know how their forefathers were able to look after themselves successfully. I divided the afternoon into three parts: what the farmers did in the morning, how their afternoons were, and then what happened in the evening,” Berkel explains.
Kili Kili Band will provide musical entertainment in the intermezzo’s, and fresh local juices will be on sale. Tickets for “A Farmer’s Life” are available at various outlets across the island, such as Gem, Golden Rock Pharmacy, Boardwalk Café, Mansion Hardware, Peso’s, Rivers Enterprise and St. Eustatius Historical Foundation Museum.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/85420-farmer-s-life-to-be-revived-at-berkel-family-plantation
View comments
Hide comments