Santa Rosa First Peoples honour ancestors at Red House

As part of the First Peoples Heritage Week, the chief of the Santa Rosa First Peoples, Ricardo Bharath Hernandez, hosted a remembrance event at the Red House on October 16.

The event was centered around the monument outside the Red House where 60 of the country's First Peoples were reburied in 2019 after their remains were removed during the 2013 Red House restoration.

Traditional songs and drumming echoed throughout the ceremony and participants were invited by the chief to lay a flower around the monument as an offering to their ancestors.

During his speech, Hernandez spoke on the efforts of the First Peoples community in attaining proper recognition of its culture and heritage and reparations for the community.

"As we continue our celebration of the First Peoples Heritage Week of activities, we pause to remember October 19, 2019, a truly historic day in the life of our country, an occasion when the government agreed to allow the First Peoples to rebury the indigenous, human remains with the appropriate ceremonies, embracing the indigenous tradition.

"Since then every year we continue to remember our ancestors...In 2013, in a letter to the then chairman of the Red House, historical cultural heritage team, the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community outlined certain requirements for the treatment of the archaeological finds of human remains and pottery at this Red House site.

"The extent of the findings were detailed in the report prepared by archaeologist Dr Basil Reid which clarifies and clearly identifies the significant number of remains to be that of our indigenous people's community.

"As a consequence, the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community continued to advocate that these remains should be afforded the respect of an appropriate burial according to our rituals, customs and traditions.

"The result of this advocacy was an agreement by the government to the reburial of the remains and an appropriate monument to be designed and erected on the sides of the Red House, the site where we are today.

"And we are here today to pay respect to our ancestors, according to our various indigenous traditions. We also pay respect to the government for taking another step towards the meaningful recognition, which we see. The government adhered to an important provision of the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples.

"It is a tribute in recognition of the contribution and sacrifices of our First Peoples to build a foundation of our homeland Caeri and fought to defend it against the colonisers. In this area of reparations, all these acts are part of reparations."

Also speaking at the event was the Minister of Planning and Development Pennelope Beckles.

"I want to acknowledge the work of the chief and the Santa Rosa First Peoples in their advocacy, to ensure the continuation of the recognition of our First Peoples.

"What is important for all of us is to understand the significance of not just the day of recognition but the significance of the advocacy, to ensure that TT, the region and the world recognises their existence."

She spoke about a meeting in Ottawa, Canada where the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recognised the First Peoples of TT.

"Part of that first meeting is now dedicated to the indigenous people and TT was one of the First Peoples that was acknowledged and celebrated. And there I was very proud to see that they used the Santa Rosa First Peoples' banner with the picture of the chief...

"The work that the Santa Rosa First Peoples have been doing over the years, has not been in vain. I know that they are still advocating for more, but I would like to say that for someone who started almost three decades ago as a counselor in the borough corporation, I have seen the work that they have done and I think that tremendous credit has to be given to them."

Victor Hugo Morales Melendez, Mexico's ambassador to TT also spoke at the event, calling the event an important ceremony for the heritage, culture and traditions of the First Peoples.

"I met with this ceremony with all the respect to preserve our really, really proud heritage."

The First Peoples Heritage Week continues till October 19 with activities at the Heritage Village site on October 18 and pan fiesta at the Arima velodrome on the final day. ­

With reporting by Mya Quamie