In 1994, a chance encounter in Dominica sparked an extraordinary cultural endeavor. Aragorn Dick-Read, a Tortola-born artist, met Jacob Frederick, a Carib artist and activist, on a bus. Their shared passion for Carib art and history blossomed into a friendship that would soon ignite a remarkable adventure: the Gli Gli – Carib Canoe Project.
Jacob harbored a lifelong dream: to construct a large dugout canoe using traditional Carib methods and retrace the ancestral voyages from the Orinoco basin in South America to the Southern Caribbean. Centuries of colonial impact had fragmented the Carib tribe across the region. Jacob envisioned uniting these dispersed communities, at least symbolically, to bolster their cultural survival. For Aragorn, a scholar of tribal arts and culture, this vision presented a unique opportunity to collaborate directly with the Carib people. Thus, the Gli Gli project was conceived, named after the Gli Gli, or sparrow hawk, a revered Carib totem symbolizing bravery.
Securing permission from the Carib Chief and Council, they enlisted Etien Charles, known as “Chalo,” the master canoe builder of the Caribs, to oversee the construction. Their first task was to locate two massive gommier trees deep within Dominica’s rainforest – one for the canoe hull and another for the boardage, the substantial planks needed to raise the sides of the ocean-worthy canoe.
December 1995 marked the felling of the first tree in the heart of the Carib Territory’s rainforest. A team of skilled craftsmen, wielding adzes and saws, meticulously transformed the raw gommier log into the hull of a sleek, traditional canoe. Three weeks later, forty men united for a strenuous two-day effort, dragging the roughly shaped vessel down the steep forest slopes to the village of Salybia, still perched a thousand feet above the coastline.
In Salybia, the canoe’s hull was carefully “opened out” using fire and heavy stones. Ribs were added to strengthen the structure, and the boardage was attached, increasing the canoe’s freeboard for ocean voyages. Measuring 35 feet in length with a 6 ½ foot beam, this Gli Gli canoe became the largest built in Dominica within living memory. In late November 1996, Gli Gli was transported to the port of Marigot. There, it received traditional Carib blessings – encircled by gommier smoke and sprinkled with coconut milk – before its ceremonial launch.
By May 1997, sufficient funding was secured, and preparations were complete for the historic voyage southward. A carefully selected crew, predominantly Carib, embarked on this journey. The beautiful Dominican schooner ‘Carmela’ accompanied Gli Gli, serving as a ‘mother ship’ for the expedition across the open waters.
Prior arrangements ensured celebratory receptions with Carib and Arawak communities on every island south of Dominica, along their route to the Orinoco Delta in Venezuela. Navigating the delta, the voyage continued up the Barima and Pomeroon rivers, venturing deep into the Guyanese interior.
On Monday, July 7th, Gli Gli triumphantly arrived in Guyana, greeted by jubilant local Amerindians and numerous official celebrations.
The Gli Gli expedition’s objective transcended record-breaking or detailed historical reenactment. Its core mission was to rekindle a sense of community and brotherhood that had diminished among the scattered Carib and Arawak populations of the region. In this profound aim, the Gli Gli expedition achieved resounding success. Hopes are now set on a future endeavor, resources permitting, for a second expedition westward from Dominica. This new canoe, to be named ‘Sisserou’ (another local bird name), would aim to connect with the remaining Amerindian communities in the Greater Antilles and Central America.
