Faces: People, Places, and Cultures articles from October 2001

Faces: People, Places, and Cultures archives from October 2001

Editor's Message.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Dear Reader, Each year, about 3.5 million tourists visit the islands of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. They come from around the world to enjoy the year-round mild temperatures and the sandy beaches. Tourism is the island's main industry...

At a Glance: The Bahamas.(brief notes the people and geography)
October 1, 2001... Official Name: The Commonwealth of the Bahamas Independence: July 10, 1973 Location: 50 miles off the southeast coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean Terrain: Mostly low and flat Area: 5,382 square miles (13,939 square...

Only In ... The Bahamas.(colonies of flamingos on Great Inagua island)
October 1, 2001... The largest colony of flamingos in the world makes its home on the southern Bahamian island of Great Inagua. An estimated 60,000 American or Caribbean flamingos flock to the remote location to feed on the brine shrimp and algae found in Lake...

Welcome to the Bahamas.(brief notes on history and popular culture)
October 1, 2001... The Bahamas is an archipelago of 700 islands that are set like jewels across 100,000 square miles of crystal-clear blue-green water. Scattered throughout the island chain are more than 2,000 rocky islets and cays (pronounced "keys"). Located...

A Vacationer's Paradise.(tourism in Bahamas)
October 1, 2001... The first tourists visited the Bahamas as long ago as the 1720s. By 1874, about 500 people a year vacationed in the Bahamas. In 1929, Pan American, a new airline, began operating daily flights from Miami to Nassau. Even then, the islands...

Through Time: The Bahamas.(important historical events)
October 1, 2001... c. 800 A.D. Seeking refuge from the warring Caribs, the Lucayans arrive in the Bahamas. 1492 On his first voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus comes ashore in the eastern Bahamas. Soon, the Lucayans are taken as slaves. Most die...

NEW PROVIDENCE.(past piracy and pirates on the Bahamas)
October 1, 2001... Paradise for Pirates and Privateers According to an old saying, when a pirate went to sleep, he did not dream that he had died and gone to heaven. No! He dreamed that he had returned to New Providence Island! The 30-year period from...

Minding Your "Do's" & "Don'ts" in the Bahamas.(social customs on the Bahamas islands)
October 1, 2001... To a Bahamian, courtesy and friendly "front porch" hospitality is part of daily life. Because island weather is dry, sunny, and warm virtually all year, most Bahamians spend a lot of time outdoors. After supper, family members often gather on...

Black Cords and Bibles.(customs for christening babies on the Bahamas islands)
October 1, 2001... Christening a Bahamian Baby Many Bahamian parents conduct religious rituals to ensure healthy babies. Most Bahamians are Christians, so formal baptismal ceremonies are important events. Even distant cousins will travel many miles to attend...

Metropolis of the Sea.(coral reefs and animals of the Bahamas islands)
October 1, 2001... Imagine a huge underwater city where the "buildings" are alive, and the builders are a permanent part of the fantastic shapes, colors, and sizes they create. This underwater metropolis exists in the form of a coral reef. It is like a...

Seeking Freedom: Eleuthera Island.
October 1, 2001... Say the word "Bahamas" today and people picture sun and fun. Early travelers to the Bahamas, however, came seeking more than a vacation. They sought religious freedom and the opportunity to live and worship as they pleased. For these Puritans,...

Basket Sewing at Red Bays.
October 1, 2001... It is early in the morning in the isolated village of Red Bays on the island of Andros. Sara and her mother ease their rubber raft through tangled mangrove roots. They search for silver-top palm trees, which grow in three to four feet of ocean...

Goggle Eyes, Grunts, and Johnnycakes.
October 1, 2001... Foods of the Bahamas Imagine eating a fish called "goggle eyes." If you visit the Bahamas, you will probably find it on your lunch or dinner menu. Perhaps "grunt," another popular fish, sounds better to you. Or maybe a "conch burger" seems...

Weddings, Bahamian-style.
October 1, 2001... Many weddings in the Bahamas are designed to take advantage of the country's beautiful natural settings. It is common to find a bridal party celebrating on one of the small, deserted tropical islands lining the coast, or cruising aboard a...

"Hey Mon, What Happ'nin'?".
October 1, 2001... A Look at Patois The Bahamian islanders, known locally as "Belongers," have their own special way of talking. Known as patois (PAT-wa), their language has a musical, singsong rhythm. Patois is a combination of English, Irish, Scottish, and...

Going to School in the Bahamas.
October 1, 2001... Before the late 1800s, most Bahamian schools were privately run by church officials. The schools were open only to white children from wealthy families and a few academically gifted nonwhites. This left the majority of the population...

Bahamian Funerals.
October 1, 2001... Bahamian funerals are sad occasions, but they are also important social events. Radio and television announcers broadcast funeral arrangements during the news, often reading lists of surviving family members and friends. Newspapers publish long...

THE MEN FROM HEAVEN.
October 1, 2001... A Play About the Meeting of Two Cultures Have you ever wondered exactly what happened when Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World? The following play is the author's version of how the two cultures may have acted when they met in...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2001... A Season to Savor Colorful Ms. Autumn twirls around Sending her leaves falling to the ground. Geese are flying, veering south, Squirrels are stuffing seeds in their mouths. Old Jack Frost comes in a hush, ...

FACE FACTS.
October 1, 2001... AMERICAN FOREFATHER GEORGE WASHINGTON ONCE DESCRIBED THE BAHAMIAN CLIMATE AS "PERPETUAL JUNE."

Coral Reef: A City That Never Sleeps.(Review)
October 1, 2001... Coral Reef: A City That Never Sleeps by Mary M. Cerullo photographs by Jeffrey L. Rotman Thousands of mysterious inhabitants depend on the beautiful and busy world of the coral reefs. This book describes how reefs are formed, using the...

Bahamas.(Review)
October 1, 2001... Bahamas by Patricia E. McCulla Despite a consistently balmy climate, Bahamians have faced varying seasons of both economic toil and comfortable prosperity from the time the first Lucayans pulled fish from the sea. This book, part of the...

The Bahamas.(Review)
October 1, 2001... The Bahamas by Martin and Stephen Hintz The magazine-style format captivates readers with maps, charts, fun facts, and many photographs of Bahamian life, from children playing to street vendors and cab drivers. The images draw readers in,...

Under the Sunday Tree.(Review)
October 1, 2001... Under the Sunday Tree poems by Eloise Greenfield paintings by Amos Ferguson Celebrate the easy pleasures of the Bahamas, where flowers "sing a song of colors" and "two trees arch as one/leaves touching/like family." Ferguson's love for his...

Bahamas: Islands of Song.(Review)
October 1, 2001... From their melodious language to the songs of festivals and celebrations, Bahamian's lives are filled with music. This CD of 23 traditional tunes reflects a lively musical heritage, including courting songs, spirituals, and playful rhyming...

Latitude.
October 1, 2001... Before the 1400s, the South Atlantic was too difficult to sail using traditional knowledge. When new discoveries in science and math made the crossing possible, European explorers then had to lose their fear of the open ocean. Discover how...

Bahamas Culture.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... This is the place to find mouth-watering Bahamian recipes, or sort through the fact and fiction of local legends, such as the Lost City of Atlantis. The site covers an array of information presented in just-right-size chunks. It also includes a...

Think About It ...
October 1, 2001... In "Metropolis of the Sea," you read that the Bahamian coral reefs are in danger of being destroyed. Research coral reefs around the world and find out if they face the same dangers as the Bahamian reefs. Make a list of actions that can be...

The Nassau Guardian.
October 1, 2001... Today's Bahamas headlines, from weather to sports to social events, are available in The Nassau Guardian. The on-line version as uncluttered and sticks to the business of news, including links to local editions covering Eleuthera, Andros,...

One Last Face!
October 1, 2001... Our journey to the Bahamas ends with a friendly smile.