Wednesday 3 February 2016

By Deric Lockledge


Between 300AD and 1200AD Barbados' inhabitants were the Arawak Indians. They were driven off the island by invading Carib Indians from Venezuela, who then left Barbados around the time the first Europeans sailed into the region. By the early 1500s, all signs of Amerindian life had vanished.

The first indigenous people were Amerindians who arrived here from Venezuela. Paddling long dugout canoes they crossed oceans and currents that challenge modern sailing vessels. On the north end of Venezuela, a narrow sea channel called the Dragon's mouth acts as a funnel to the Caribbean sea and the nearest Island of Trinidad.

After being a British colony, Barbados moved toward the institutionalisation of an independent nation. 1834 saw the emancipation of slaves, 1944 saw women being allowed their constitutional right to vote and 1951, the year of universal adult suffrage. With the birth of the two-party system and a cabinet government during the 1950's, Barbados was well prepared for independence which was granted on November 30, 1966.

The national banner of Barbados comprises of three equivalent vertical boards - the middle board of gold and the external boards of ultramarine. In the focal point of the banner is the area of the softened trident in a black and yellow stripe.

The blue stripe represents the sky and the yellow/gold stripe symbolizes the sand and the beaches of the island. The right blue stripe stands for the vast sea. The black trident in the middle of the flag represents Barbados independence from the British. Each point of the trident represent the three principles of democracy which are a government of, for and by the Barbados people.

The Trident is an image of the legendary ocean god, Neptune. The broken shaft of the trident signifies Barbados' break from Britain. For the special events, the Flag Company Inc invented beautiful decals and flags for the history support.




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