Culture+of+Dominca

Culture Dominica is home to a wide range of people. Although it was historically occupied by several native tribes, the Arawaks and Kalinago [|Carib] tribes remained by the time European settlers reached the island. 'Massacre' is a name of a river dedicated to the murders of the Native villagers by French and British settlers, because the river ran red with blood for days. Each (French and British) claimed the island and imported [|slaves] from [|Africa]. The remaining [|Caribs] now live on a 3,700-acre (15 km2) territory on the east coast of the island. They elect their own chief. This mix of cultures is important to Dominica. . Music Music and dance are important facets of Dominica's culture. The annual independence celebrations show an outburst of traditional song and dance preceded since 1997 by weeks of Creole expressions such as "Creole in the Park" and the "World Creole Music Festival". Dominica gained prominence on the international music stage when in 1973, Gordon Henderson founded the group [|Exile One] and an original musical genre which he coined " [|Cadence-lypso] " which paved the way for modern Creole music. Video of [|Cadence-lypso] media type="youtube" key="w4n0428umL8" width="425" height="350" The 11th annual World [|Creole Music] Festival was the first activity held there since its completion on October 27, 2007, part of the island's celebration of independence from Great Britain on November 3. A year-long reunion celebration began in January 2008 marking 30 years of independence.
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media type="youtube" key="oOARK5O-W0s" width="425" height="350" Food Dominican cuisine is similar to that of other Caribbean countries. Common main courses comprise meat (usually chicken, but can be goat, lamb, or beef) covered in sauce. The sauces are either spicy pepper sauces, or concoctions made from local fruit. A huge variety of local fruit, from [|tamarind] to [|passion fruit], are served on the island, usually in juice or sauce form. [|Soursop] is peeled and eaten raw. [|Sorrel], a red flower that only blooms around [|Christmas] , is boiled into a bright [|red] drink. They also have cinnamon trees where they get the cinnamon from branches. Cinnamon is just one of the many spices that can be found on the island.