Baliceaux is a small, privately owned[1] Caribbean island and is one of the Grenadines chain of islands which lie between the larger islands of Saint Vincent and Grenada. Politically, it is part of the nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.[2]

History

Discovered by Spanish navigators during the fifteenth century, this island of 1,35 km² has a long and interesting history. It got prominence during wars 1769–1795 within the Caribbean region. Island highest point Gun Hill, almost 126 meters above sea level, served as an observation station for soldiers between 1772–1797. In the 1790s, the British army banished about 5,000 Black Caribs to Baliceaux following the defeat of the rebellion of Carib Chief Joseph Chatoyer in Saint Vincent. Due to starvation, disease, and sickness from exposure to the elements on the undeveloped island, more than half of the Garifuna people died on Baliceaux. Unsuccessful in their first attempt to eradicate the Garifuna population by way of exile to the barren island, The British exiled approximately 2,500 survivors to the island of Roatan, Honduras.[3] Their descendants live today as the Garifuna people in Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the United States.

The graves and remains of those who died on Baliceaux have never been officially marked or excavated;[2] the island is essentially a graveyard. Due to this sensitive history and the obvious physical challenges, the development of the island is unpopular and unlikely.

To commemorate these events every year in March Pilgrimage to Balliceaux is held. It coincides with National Hero's Day in St. Vincent.[4][5] The privately-owned was offered for sale in 2023,[6] with an asking price of US$30m; the prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines intended in 2025 to acquire the island for the nation. In March 2025, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, announced in parliament that the government had acquired Baliceaux due to its historical and cultural significance to the Garifuna people. He stated that the former owners would be given 'fair compensation within a reasonable time'.[7]"

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Don't sell Baliceaux, acquire it – Garifuna Foundation". Searchlight. 17 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Baliceaux Island (St Vincent)". www.sea-seek.com. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ Bennett, Steve (2013-11-19). "Uncommon Caribbean - Tracing the Roots of Garifuna Settlement Day Back to Balliceaux in the Grenadines". Uncommon Caribbean. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  5. ^ Duncan, Natricia; McTair, Demion (2025-01-13). "Once a site of horror, a tiny Caribbean island could become a Garifuna shrine". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
  6. ^ Frishberg, Hannah (6 March 2023). "Uninhabited private Caribbean island lists for $30M". New York Post. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023.
  7. ^ McTair, Demion; Duncan, Natricia (6 March 2025). "St Vincent and the Grenadines buys island central to Garifuna culture". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 March 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.


Allikas: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baliceaux
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