Heritage Month "Celebrating from whence we've come"
Museum History and Cultural Heritage Quiz 2018
Turks and Caicos Islands celebrated Heritage Month 2018 under the theme” Celebrating from whence we’ve come.” Turks and Caicos National Museum’s third annual History and Cultural Heritage Quiz for Secondary Schools on Thursday October 4th held in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Department of Education was part of that month long celebration.
As the eight schools took their places at their respective tables there was a hushed silence. Each school vying for the Challenge Trophy. Raymond Gardiner High School, last year’s winners were reluctant to let it go and determined to take it right back to North Caicos with them for another year. However, I think the winner prize trip was also at the fore of minds of the contestants because as they settled I heard snippets of conversations, they were all about the first prize trip to Jamaica. This year, the first prize trip will be a three-day trip to Jamaica to visit the UNESCO world heritage sites of Blue and John Crow Mountain, museums, great houses and other historical and cultural heritage sites. The second place winners will spend the day immersed in history and cultural heritage on one of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Mrs. Candianne Williams of the Turks and Caicos National Museum welcomed the Secondary School teams from near and far. The participating teams were from HJ Robinson High School on Grand Turk; Marjorie Basden High School on South Caicos; Raymond Gardiner High School on North Caicos; and Long Bay High School, TCI Middle School, British West Indies Collegiate, Maranatha Academy and Holy Family Academy on Providenciales.
Hon Karen Malcolm, Minister of Education, Culture, Library Services and Youth said that celebrating Heritage Month under the theme ‘Celebrating from whence we’ve come’ is a time to embrace the rich cultural history of the islands. She went on to say that, “it is through our celebrations that we recognize the work done by our forefathers and the rich heritage legacies they have left for our enjoyment”.
The Hon. Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson shared her personal love of history and cultural heritage and underscored how important it is to know our history. She had words of congratulations for the museum, collaborating government departments, and sponsors on the event. She reiterated her government’s support for history and cultural heritage and her presence to lend her support and encouragement to all of the participating teams.
For an hour, they wrote the answers to the questions put to them in quick succession by semifinals quiz master Ms. Talisha Simons, Senior Director, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs at Fortis TCI Limited. Then finally, we learnt that the two schools making it through to the finals were HJ Robinson High School from Grand Turk and Raymond Gardiner High School from North Caicos. Interestingly enough those two schools were also last year’s finalist.
Dr. Michael Pateman, Director of the National Museum made opening remarks at the Quiz Finals. He spoke of the museum commitment to education and community outreach and said that we will be doing more in the future. Mrs. Ruth Forbes Senior Vice President of Corporate Services, Chief Financial Officer of Fortis TCI, corporate sponsor of the event, expressed the company’s continued support for the event and the commitment to the education of our youth and cultural heritage preservation on these islands. Mrs. Cheryl Forman, Chief Executive Officer, Peak Consulting Ltd. was the quizmaster for the keenly competitive and exciting finals.
The judges, Director of Education Mr. Edward Howell, Director of Culture Ms. Ludwina Fulford, Director of the Museum Dr. Michael Pateman and Luc Clerveaux , Assistant Director Law and Enforcement, Department of Environment and Coastal Resources kept the anxious audience abreast of the points at the end of each round. In the end, HJ Robinson High School was the winner. A reversal of last year’s positions. The challenge trophy will now spend the year in Grand Turk.
Thank you to our sponsors Fortis TCI, interCaribbean Airways, TC Reef Fund, Department of Education, Department of Culture; Turks and Caicos Taxi Association; British West Indies Collegiate; quizmasters, judges for the preliminary and final round, facilitators, caterers and support teams from Department of Environment and Coastal Resources and Turks and Caicos National Museum.
Middle Caicos Heritage Month Event
The Turks and Caicos National Museum supported the Turks and Caicos National Trust with information for the informational signage on the Lucayans, the first inhabitants of the Turks and Caicos. This signboard was unveiled at the Middle Caicos Heritage Month event held at the Conch Bar Caves under the theme ‘Celebrating a 1000 + years of history’. Aptly named since there is evidence that the Lucayan occupation of the caves.
Dr. Michael Pateman gave a presentation about the lifestyle of the Lucayans using a specially created exhibit for educational purposes. The Lucayan exhibit kit used for the display is the first of a series of exhibit kits created by the museum on different topics in the coming year. This will enable us to better able to facilitate the school groups that visit our locations. This event audience of primarily students were very interested and had many questions for Dr. Pateman. It was an especially welcomed presentation because some of them were currently studying the Lucayans at school.
School Groups visit the museum for Heritage Month
A visit to the Turks and Caicos National Museum was one of the ways these students celebrated Heritage Month. We were happy to welcome students from Holy Family Academy, Precious Treasures International School, Richmond Hill Preparatory School and Enid Capron Primary School at the museum in Grace Bay, Providenciales.
After a tour of the Caicos Heritage House, one of the students told me that his takeaway from that tour was that nothing was wasted. He was amazed at how they were able to put the little that they had to good use. The heritage tour guide explains how the different parts of the corn including the husks were used back in the day.
We look hope that you will visit us soon so that we can share with you the history and cultural heritage of the Turks and Caicos Islands.