The cultural village
Traditional houses and crafts.
Hans Hillewaert — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dirk.heldmaier — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dirk.heldmaier — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dirk.heldmaier — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dirk.heldmaier — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dirk.heldmaier — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Kalinago Territory is an area on Dominica's rugged Atlantic coast, home to the Kalinago, the island's first people who lived here before Europeans arrived. Green hills slope down to the sea, with rocky coves and small villages, over about 15 square kilometres. The territory was formally created in 1903 in a remote, mountainous area, and stayed cut off from the rest of the island for most of the 20th century. Today it has its own chief and local council. The Kalinago keep their old crafts alive, best known for baskets woven from plant fibres and canoes carved from tree trunks. At the Kalinago Barana Autê cultural village you see traditional thatched houses and watch basket-making, cooking and dance. A path above the sea leads to a small waterfall tumbling between rocks. Basket and craft sellers line the road. Ask before photographing people. The territory is 26 km in a straight line north-east of Roseau, on a winding mountain road. Walking through the villages is free, while the cultural village charges entry. Buying crafts straight from their makers supports local people.
Traditional houses and crafts.
Woven from plant fibres.
Rocky coves and a waterfall.
Atlantic coast of Dominica, Saint David parish
Ask permission first.
Buy crafts directly from their makers.