Amerindian adventurers travelling northwards along the Lesser Antillean island chain from the continent of South America were the original settlers on St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and they named the island 'Hairoun', which translates to 'Land of the Blessed'.

The archaeological evidence found on the islands suggests they settled in St. Vincent from around 150AD onwards, and that it was several groups of Amerindians who arrived here, each displacing one another and creating a unique identity distinct from their mainland relatives. The European colonialists named them Island Caribs, a term which is often shortened to Caribs- and a term you will hear frequently when reading about Caribbean history. Like many other islands in the Caribbean, St. Vincent & the Grenadines were sighted during the voyages of Columbus in the late 15th century but they did not land, and it was not until the early 1700s that Europeans attempted to occupy these islands. 

An accidental population influx came in 1635 when a Dutch ship sank off St. Vincent and the West African slaves who were passengers liberated themselves and ran ashore, merging with island's Amerindian inhabitants. It was then that a new ethnic group known as Black Caribs or Garifuna, was born.

Despite the centuries-long efforts from the Carib to prevent Europeans to settle on St Vincent, the French managed to create the island's first European settlement, Barrouaille, in 1719. However, battles and struggles for power led the island to be ceded to the British, under the 1783 Treaty of Paris. although it wasn’t long before the Black Caribs, led by defiant national hero Paramount Chief Joseph Chatoyer, and supported by the French, took on the British. 

After just over a year, their uprising was put to an end and resulted in almost 5,000 Black Caribs being exiled to the tiny island of Baliceaux off the coast of Bequia. Not long afterwards, those who were lucky enough to survive the ordeal of exile were forced onto ships that were eventually bound for the island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras. This was a time of slavery, and the French and British alike used African slaves to work in their plantations of sugar, coffee, indigo, tobacco, cotton and cocoa until full emancipation in 1838. After emancipation, the economy went into a period of decline with many landowners abandoning their estates and leaving the land to be cultivated by the liberated slaves. 

Life on the island was made even harder following two eruptions of the La Soufriere volcano in 1812 and 1902 which destroyed much of the island, and killing many people. In 1979 it erupted again but this time, thankfully there were no fatalities; that year also became the year in which St Vincent & The Grenadines gained full independence from Britain. 

To find out more about the history on the island, and to see some of the artifacts from Amerindian groups, make sure to visit the National Trust Museum in the Carnegie Building, Kingstown.

The legacies and influences of Amerindian, European, East Indian and West African heritage have all played a role in influencing the culture of the islands; this is evident in the language, dress, food, music and the friendly people. To celebrate the fusion of culture and the combination of past and present is the Carnival (or ‘Vincy Mas’) which takes place in June There are plenty of colourful costume parades, dancing, queen shows and calypso competitions.