Article by Theresa Storm.
Are you looking for some unique gift ideas to take home from your next Caribbean holiday? Not the same old trinkets, mass manufactured in some far off country, that you find everywhere. But rather, authentic West Indian souvenirs, handmade or homegrown.
Here we highlight five Caribbean destinations that are known for a specific handicraft or product(s), followed by some places within the destination to find them.
Madras Fabric (from Saint Lucia)
Celebrating Creole Day using Madras fabric: photo courtesy of Anse Chastanet
Saint Lucia’s national dress, the Wob Dwiyet, is as colourful as the lush island itself. The French Creole dress made of checkered plaid madras fabric, typically in bold reds, yellows, oranges, blues or greens, features a skirt or “jip”. The outfits are tailor-fashioned for Jounen Kweyol (Creole Day) in October and other national celebrations. While you cannot usually buy an outfit off the rack, except sometimes for children at the Vendors Arcade in Castries and a few other craft facilities around the island, madras fabric makes its way into plenty of vivid take-home items. Souvenir dolls attired in madras dresses are popular, as are purses, household items, and table and bed linens. You’ll also find madras cloth woven into straw baskets and other handicrafts.
Where to buy: in the capital of Castries at the Castries Market; the Choiseul Craft Centre run by the Choiseul Arts, Craft & Tourism Heritage Association; and the Piti Piton Boutique at Anse Chastanet Resort. A.F. Valmont & Co. and Stardust sell madras material.
Caymanite (from Cayman Islands)
Caymanite can have a wide range of colours: photo courtesy of Cayman Islands Dept. of Tourism
Indigenous to The Cayman Islands, Caymanite is a semi-precious stone, polished and crafted by talented Caymanian artists into beautiful art and jewelry. Caymanite’s colours range from white to cream, yellow to red, and gray to black. Formed two to five million years ago, the stone is found only on the east end of Grand Cayman and on Cayman Brac. Visit the permanent Caymanite display at the Cayman Islands National Museum for a look before shopping. The extensive collection includes raw specimens, cut and finished stones, and jewelry and sculptures by notable artisans.
Where to buy: on Grand Cayman, try the Cayman Islands National Museum shop, the Cayman Craft Market, Kirk Freeport, Pure Art Gallery & Gifts, 24K-Mon Jewellers, or any of the jewelry shops in Grand Cayman’s large hotels (i.e. Westin, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton); in Little Cayman, visit The Gladys B. Howard Visitors Centre and Gift Shop run by the National Trust.
Royal Aruba Aloe (from Aruba)
Harvesting aloe vera; photo courtesy of Royal Aruba Aloe
Although not indigenous to the island, aloe vera thrives in Aruba’s hot, dry climate. One hundred years ago, it was the island’s most profitable export. Nicknamed ‘Island of Aloes’, even Aruba’s coat of arms features an aloe plant. Royal Aruba Aloe, founded in 1890, was one of the first companies in the world to produce cosmetic products from aloe vera gel and it is still a global leader. Aruba Aloe uses 100 per cent pure island-grown aloe gel to make a variety of lotions, suntan creams, hair care products and fragrances, beautifully packaged for gifts. Take a free tour of the Aruba Aloe Museum & Factory, where you will learn about the healing plant’s story and can see products being made (every 15 minutes daily). Or tour the Museum independently and watch the 11-minute audiovisual presentation.
Where to buy: Available at the factory’s gleaming onsite gift shop in Hato or at one of their 18 other stores throughout Aruba, and at numerous island shops, supermarkets and “boticas”.
Exotic Spices (from Grenada)
You can smell the spices from Grenada as soon as you get off the plane!
Lush and mountainous, the “Isle of Spice” was birthed by volcanoes. A quintessential tropical paradise, the trees here are laden with intoxicating spices: nutmeg and mace, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa, bay leaves, ginger and vanilla among them. To learn how spices get from the tree to the table, tour the historic spice estates and processing stations. The aromatic tour through the De La Grenade Nutmeg Garden is a great introduction to Grenada’s spices and their historical, traditional and medicinal uses, as well as a plethora of herbs, fruits and flowering plants. Next door at De La Grenade Industries, fruit and spices are manufactured into fine syrups, marmalades, jams and jellies. Sample them at the end of the tour, along with the signature La Grenade liqueur. At the Grenada Nutmeg Museum, learn more about the isle’s “black gold” including nutmeg cultivation, processing techniques and why Grenada is the world’s second-largest producer.
Where to buy: baskets brimming with fresh dried spices and a bevy of food and alcohol products made with spices can be found at St. George’s Market Square, the Grenada Spice Market (Grand Anse Craft & Spice Market), Belmont Estate’s gift shop, Laura’s Herb & Spice Garden, and the House of Chocolate (in St. George’s).
Balata Crafts (from Guyana)
Balata crafts are on display at Indigenous Craft; photo courtesy of Guyana Chronicle and the Guyana Tourism Authority
Tropical Guyana lies tucked in northeast South America. In the heart of this little-known country, more Caribbean than Latin, the Amazon Basin meets the Guiana Shield, harbouring one of the world’s four remaining large tracts of untouched tropical rainforest. Here grows the balata (or bulletwood) tree, which is native to northern South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Coveted latex is extracted from it, which the Indigenous Makushi of the southwest Rupununi region, bordering the Brazilian Amazon, sculpt into hand-crafted figurines or ornaments. Striking and colourful balata crafts usually depict local wildlife like jaguars, anteaters or toucans or scenes of daily Amerindian life. Not only are they beautiful and lightweight, but they’re also deeply tied to Guyana’s culture and biodiversity. Your purchase supports a traditional, but dying, art form.
Where to buy: in the capital Georgetown at Stabroek Market, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Gift Shop, and Craft Plus Too in the Hibiscus Craft Plaza; in the Rupununi, at Rupununi Adventures Craft Shop and Kabaun Designs in Lethem, and at Nappi Balata Artisans in Nappi village; the Kaieteur Falls Souvenir Shop; and tourist lodges throughout the country.
Article and photography Theresa Storm.
A four-month-long solo island-hopping adventure through the Caribbean 28 years ago ignited Theresa’s passion for the tropics, culture, nature and trying new adventures.
Back home in Calgary, her increasingly restless, itchy feet soon led to a career writing about travel worldwide. She loves escaping winter for warmer climes, especially to the Caribbean, which has long felt like her real home.
As an award-winning travel writer and photographer, she’s penned scores of articles for magazines, newspapers and e-zines, and contributed to books including Caribbean Escapes and the first edition of DK Eyewitness Caribbean.
Her articles and photographs have been published in magazines including Bon Vivant, Extraordinary Experiences and Vacations (Ensemble Travel Group), Wanderlust (U.K.), Avenue Calgary, WestJet (WestJet Airline’s in-flight), Morning Calm (Korean Air’s in-flight), LUXE Magazine Canada, AAA publications, Cruise & Travel Lifestyles, Dreamscapes and Today’s Parent.
She is a two-time winner of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Canadian Travel Writer of the Year award and twice won CTO’s best photograph with a feature article and best online feature. She also was honoured with the Travel Media Association of Canada’s excellence in Caribbean travel writing award.
