NAMES ON DOMINICA

BY

DOUGLAS TAYLOR *)

Dominica was occupied successively by speakers of Arawakan, Cariban, French, and English dialects, all of which have left their mark in place-names, as well as in the names of local flora and fauna. African influence appears to have been minimal in this respect. The Arawakan language of the island's early in- habitants survived that of the Carib invaders (from which, how- ever, many words were borrowed), but the last native speaker died about 1920. Two languages are spoken today: English and a dialect of French Creole. The former, being the language of prestige, is usually employed by the more socio-economically privileged minority, the latter by the peasant majority, few of whom know much English. However, members of the first class often resort to Creole in their more intimate relations; while many among even the poorest peasants may be heard addressing young children in what they believe to be English, and chiding them for speaking "Patois".

One curious result of this situation is that not only local fruits, trees, fishes, birds, e/c., but also many places — probably most of those that have ever been recorded in writing — have two (or more) names, the one em- ployed in Creole and the other in English speech. So, for example, Grande Anse or Portsmouth is the island's second largest town, Charlotteville or New Town is a suburb of the capital Roseau (which has no other name), Cachacrou or Scots Head is a peninsula at the island's southwestern extremity, Cachibona of Clyde is one of its rivers. La Coudraie or Bath Estate one of its citrus plantations. In some cases a rival name has been defeated; Pointe Michel or Dalrymple's Point of late-18th-century maps

*) Author of "Diachronic note on the Carib contribution to Island Carib", /ttterw. /oio-na/ y4»ter. LtngMts/tcs 17, 1951, and (with IRVING ROUSE) "Linguistic and archeological time depth in the West Indies", i&if 2r, 1955. (red.)

— 121 — West-Indische Gids XXXVI

Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 03:57:42PM via free access 122 DOUGLAS TAYLOR is now known only by the former designation, while another village, formerly known as La Soie, has become Wesley to all except the local parish priest! Two more villages, whose names are both written Marigot, are distinguished in speech as [maerigot] (with English phonemes) and [maigo] (with French phonemes and loss of [r]). The Indian place-name, Kulihao, still so called by some of its older inhabitants, is now usually heard as [koliho], and has been diversely re- corded in writing as Coulihao, Coulihaut, Colihaut, Colliho. As a rule, the best preserved names are those whose employment is most restricted or localized. So, in 1650 RAYMOND BRETON recorded the Island-Carib name of a small stream in the northern district as Aóya (three syllables); and three hundred years later, when I crossed it, I was given the same name by a peasant who lived nearby, although its meaning, 'guardian', must have long been forgotten. It was amusing to be told later, by the local school-teacher, that "Aóya is just the Patois corruption of its real name, Roullade." Indian place-names appear to have been mainly descriptive; so, Cacha- crou is certainly a French adaptation of Island-Carib AasiAwrw (that which is) chewed or eroded, as this headland is by the sea, whose root goes to form the verb asaAwn» 'to chew'; while Cachibona most probably derives from the name of a marantaceous plant, cachibou, Island-Carib Aasf&M 'pointed' (Aa-, attributive prefix, tsffcw 'face', or 'point (of a knife, We.)', in reference to the shape of the leaves. Some other place-names whose meanings are quite clear are: Baralsiri, a headland, meaning 'turning point'; Burarati, a cove, 'notched or knobbly'; Séseti, a spring, 'flowing', or 'it flows'; Büluku, a steep torrent, 'plunging', Isulukati, a stream, 'it has crayfish', Tabatonakua, a cove, 'in between'; Pataukati, a provision ground, 'it's flat'; Kulüluti, a steep ravine, 'it's collapsing'; Butari, a piece of flat ground beside a river, 'cassava-griddle' (there used to be one there, I was told); Sibüli, a hamlet, is the name of a species of fish, and also means 'boil (tumor)'; Batibu, a hamlet, 'at (the) huts'; Berekua, a village, 'fart' (sic/). Other, apparently Indian river or place-names, which I shall not attempt to interpret or etymologize here, include (conventional spelling, which is usually French, has been used when such exists and is known to me, otherwise a broadly phonetic transcription is employed): Akaiu, Araturi, Barakua, Battali, Bellibou, Biambouli, Boéry, Buétika, Callibishi, Kasaiu, Kraibo, Kuahari, Kuanara, Kuanari, Kuaria, Kuérek, Kuhara, Colabone, Coulibistri, Coulouacoa, Kusarakua, Kusaraua, Kusü- na, Fibaukati, Frafrati, Hiroula, Layou, Litachi, Macabou, Macouchery, Magua, Malalié (so French, but stress on 2nd syl.), Mamamelou, Mamela- bou, Mayambaccaly, Pagoua (but now pronounced with e rather than a in 1st syl.), Pötöpi, Romanbaty, Salibia, Sarisari, Charounerouille, Sfneku, Sfpiö, Tabieri, Tanama, Toucary, Touloman, Tümaka, Uainika, Uakamu, Uakaresi, Uaraka, Uarisima, Ouayanary, Ouay-ouay, Waywayao, Uéti, Ufkala, Ouyouhao.

Creole contains a number of names for local flora and fauna that are of Island-Carib ancestry; these are given in French orthography. Balisier, from Island-Carib ba/irt, is the name of two species of //e/icowia known as "wild plantain" in local English; larouman, from Island-Carib wanima, is that of the marantaceous plant, /scAwost/>Acm arouma, from which baskets

Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 03:57:42PM via free access NAMES ON DOMINICA 123 and 'hfbichet' (sifters) are made; latanier, from Island-Carib Aa/dta, is a fan-palm; Creole zicaque. from Island-Carib (A)t'ADublanc, La Coudraie (despite its also meaning 'hazelnut grove'), Robert, Rosalie, and St. Aromant are still plantations bearing the names (so far as Creole speakers are concern- ed) of their first, long dead owners; while Laudat, Loubière, and Pichelin are villages that grew up around the now defunct estates of Messrs. LAUDAT, DE L'OUBIÈRE, and JEAN-BAPTISTE BARON — <2i< "Pichelin". Indeed, nearly all the present inhabitants of Laudat claim descent from that enterprising gentleman, who is said to have arrived from Martinique alone, and to have settled on the high plateau overlooking both Caribbean and Atlantic where the village named for him now stands. Mountains may be named for their prevailing colour — so Morne Jaune, Morne Vert, for the birds that frequent or once frequented them — so Morne aux Frégates (for the frigate-bird) ajid Morne Diablotin (for a species of petrel now probably extinct), for a species of tree found on their slopes — so Morne Bois Diable (a Ltcama), a natural feature or striking appearance — so Morne la Fontaine, Morne Brulé, Morne Canot, Trois Pitons, or for a nationality, as in the cases of Morne Espagnol and Morne Anglais. The same is true, by and large, of other natural features of the landscape; so. La riviere Claire is noted for its good water, while the streams known as Dleau (i.e. 'water', from French rfe /Vaw) Gommier, Dleau Manioc, Dleau

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Morne Lorrain, take their names from adjacent vegetation and hill. Pointe Ronde, Pointe Crabier, Pointe C'raibe, and Pointe Mulatre take theirs, the first from its shape, the second from the crabier or Gaulin bird (a large heron), and the last two from some early inhabitants of the place. As might be expected, both villages called Soufrière are situated near volcanic sulphur springs; Grand Fond lies in a deep hollow, and Grande Anse on a landlocked harbour; Dos d'Ane bestrides a ridge, and La Plaine straggles along a comparatively flat coastal stretch. Mahaut (Maho) is the name of a village, and of several species of trees whose bark serves as rope; Massacre commemorates the one-time destruction of a native- Indian settlement by the English. Vieille Case is situated upon or near one of the oldest known Carib settlements in the island; but whether or not the name refers to this fact I cannot say. Marigot is a French word em- ployed, in Africa and America, to designate low-lying ground subject to inundation, or a river mouth which loses itself underground. The Gueule du Lion is a large cave half way up a cliff, and La Sorcière a rocky pinnacle from which, tradition has it, the Caribs used to cast faithless wives into the sea. Such names as La Rivière de l'Or and La Riviere Belle Fille may refer to one-time fact or fancy, while "Perdu Temps" and recently named Fan CM (Creole, from French /emfre cu) refer humoristically to past mis- haps. The name Cavalier is all that remains to mark the spot where once a drunken horseman and his mount ended their days by falling over the precipice; it would at least seem logical to suppose that Rasade, a hamlet lower down on the same hillside, was the place of their undoing. Perhaps only one who has climbed it can fully appreciate the aptness of the name of Morne Paix-Bouche (Mount Hush-Mouth). Names bestowed upon their plantations by English and other recent settlers are, for the most part, nostaligic or pretentious: Bath, Belfast, Blenheim, Castle Bruce, Castle Comfort, Clark Hall, Copt Hall, Geneva, Hampstead, Londonderry, Melville Hall, Moore Park, Ryegate, Trafalgar. Robert is known in English as South Chiltern, Fantaisie as Lisdara, Perrot — the older form of French Pierrot — has recently been re-baptized New Florida, and Dleau Morne Lorrain — "Norway"!

The above gives but a small sampling of names still current on the is- land of Dominica — udi-WAufcM/t 'tall her-body', as the Island-Carib called it. Many of them — and among the most interesting — are known only to those who have spent their lives in the immediate neighbourhood of the features they designate, and have never been recorded. These will soon be forgotten, for the general world unrest has now reached even this tiny and secluded island. Dominica, B. W. I. •

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