If you
are visiting Grand Turk, a must is the
National Museum there, which unveils a
wealth of history of the Turks and
Caicos, both land based and seafaring.
The first known inhabitants of the Turks and
Caicos were Taino Indians who were
eventually replaced by another Indian
people, the Lucayans. The islands, in
part, get their name from the Lucayan term
“caya hico” meaning string of islands,
as well as the indigenous Turks Head
"fez" cactus. The Turks and
Caicos Islands are also known for having
been the first land on which Christopher
Columbus set foot in 1492, after his
crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. By the
middle of the 16th Century, however, the
Lucayan Indians too had disappeared, victims
of Spanish enslavement and imported disease.
Unfortunately, the islands quickly
became unpopulated and attracted the
attention of the French buccaneers. Up
to the 17th century, the Caicos Islands
became a hideout and haven for such infamous
pirates as Blondel, Captain Dulaien,
Francois L'Olonnais, Calico Jack Rackham,
Anne Bonny, and Mary Read.
The
17th century saw the arrival of settlers
from Bermuda and British Loyalists fleeing
the American Revolution. They
established themselves on Grand Turk, Salt
Cay and South Caicos and used slaves to rake
salt and work the rich cotton and sisal
plantations. After being controlled by
the Spanish, French and British, Turks and
Caicos became federated with the Bahamas
Islands in 1799. This union lasted for
about 50 years and soon after, links with
Jamaica were well developed. In 1976, the
Turks and Caicos became a British Crown
colony. At that time they were granted
a new constitution and government with a
governor appointed by the Queen of England.
The 1976 elections were won by the PDM, the
People's Democratic Movement, who sought to
negotiate for independence if they were
re-elected in 1980. But the other main
political party, the Progressive National
Party (PNP), won the 1980 elections and
plans for independence were set aside.
The parties have alternatively been in power
over the last 25 years, with the PNP
currently the governing party. Once
again, there is talk of Independence.
