Finding Home

Home for us is The Bahamas. An archipelago of islands and cays that has become a popular tourist destination. Its beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters and warm weather makes it a paradise for many visitors. However, before The Bahamas became a tourist playground, it was home to the Lucayans, the first inhabitants of the islands. It was the place where Christopher Columbus first learned about the existence of the Western World. It is where the Eleutheran Adventurers chose to establish and build their company, and it was a choice spot for many famous pirates. It was where many Loyalists chose to flee to and a country that supported slavery for many years. These are only a few highlights in our very rich history. The bits that have been saved and told over the years.

With such a rich history, it may be assumed that there would be lots of support for those who choose to become anthropologists (broadly defined as those who study humanity – origins, development and society), archaeologists (those who study humanity by material remains) or historians. However, the more popular responses from locals to Bahamians pursuing any of these professions is usually….”What will you do with that degree? Do you plan on living outside of The Bahamas? There isn’t anything here for you to find. The Bahamas don’t have anything. You’re a history major, so your going to teach history?” More often than not, pursuits in these fields are discouraged and seen as unnecessary.

Contrary to this belief, these fields are necessary, especially in The Bahamas. Though rich in history, much of it was poorly, if at all documented. We have lost and will continue to lose a lot of our history if we do not have more persons helping to properly record it. The more we know about our history, the better we understand our society and the more pride we can feel in our journey. A history and an appreciation of culture and progress can then be passed on to the next generation.

Finding Home seeks to help counter this loss of knowledge. It is our goal to help to document, preserve and make the public aware of our history and its importance to society. Our team plans to do our best to help to encourage as many persons as we can to learn and share more of our history, but we can not do it all alone. We will need your help and contribution to help preserve our history and heritage. Make the first step today by sharing some of your history on our website or reaching out to us. Be apart of our journey to dig deeper and find out more about our home, The Bahamas.