Cat Island, Bahamas

History

The indigenous Lucayan people called the island Guanima, meaning "middle waters land". The first white settlers were Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, who arrived in 1783. The island may have been named after Arthur Catt, a pirate, or may be a reference to its one-time large population of feral cats.

Historically, the island gained wealth from cotton plantations, but slash and burn farming is now the main way of life for Cat Islanders. An economic crop is Croton eluteria (called also cascarilla) bark, which is gathered and shipped to Italy where it becomes a main ingredient in medicines, scents and Campari.

Until written accounts were found, Cat Island was thought to be Guanahani or San Salvador, the first island Christopher Columbus arrived at in the Americas. In 1926, an Act of Parliament was passed to rename the island Cat Island (and to rename Watling Island, as it was then, San Salvador).

Demographics

According to the 2010 census, the population of Cat Island was 1,522. The main settlements are Dumfries, New Bight, Arthur's Town (capital settlement and childhood home of Sidney Poitier), Orange Creek, and Port Howe.

New Bight Airport and Arthur's Town Airport serve the island.

Notables

• Dada 5000, Bahamian-American mixed martial artist
• Exuma, Bahamian musician
• Sidney Poitier, Bahamian-American actor

Landmarks and attractions

At the top of 63 m Como Hill is Mt. Alvernia Hermitage on Mount Alvernia, the highest point in The Bahamas. This small stone monastery built by hand by the architect hermit, Father Jerome, is at the peak and accessible by a trek up a steep rocky incline.

Just south of the Hermitage are the ruins of Armbrister Plantation.

Armbrister Creek flows into a clear lake called "Boiling Point" or "Boiling Hole" whose tidal conditions cause bubbles and burps, the conditions which lead to folklore of a sea monster below its surface. Rays and baby sharks can be found in the lake. In addition, numerous birds can be found nesting along its mangrove fringe.

Located in Bain Town is another lake. This 20 m wide 3 m deep lake called Mermaid Hole is said in local folklore to be home to a mermaid that lives amongst the 4 bed holes within that lead to caverns and passageways.

One of the major attractions in Cat Island Bahamas is the Big Blue Hole near Orange Creek at Dickies Road. The hole is very deep and it has a strong undercurrents flowing into the sea. Many objects such as dead farm animals tossed into the lake ended up reaching the ocean through its caverns. Local folklore says that a monster that devours horses lived in Big Blue Hole. This folklore is said to still scare local fisherman from venturing too far into this freshwater lake.

Dickie's Road goes east to Griffin Bat Cave, once a hideout for slaves.

Sitting atop a ridge alongside the road in the settlement of Old Bight is St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, built by Father Jerome, with frescos, engravings and sculptures.

In the Port Howe area of Cat Island, are the ruins of an 18th-century plantation at Deveaux House mansion. It was given to Colonel Andrew Deveaux in 1783 for recapturing Nassau from the Spanish.

In Knowles, there is a museum called the Columbus World Centre Museum. In Arthur's Town there is the childhood home of Sir Sidney Poitier, Academy Award winner.

Culture

Cat Island is regarded as the birthplace of rake and scrape music, a traditional Bahamian music genre that features the goombay drum, concertina, and handsaw. The music remains a central part of Cat Island’s festivals and communal gatherings.

Places

• Arthur's Town
• Old Bight
• New Bight

In addition to these, Cat Island is home to a number of smaller settlements, including Smith’s Bay, Bennett’s Harbour, and Tea Bay, as well as local communities such as Port Howe, Devil's Point, and Dumfries. These communities are typically centered around churches, family farms, and coastal access points.

Administrative divisions

• Township of Arthur's Town
• Township of The Bight

References

References

1. "Census population and housing".
3. Ahrens, Wolfgang. (2015). "Naming the Bahamas Islands: History and Folk Etymology". Onomastica Canadiana.
4. Saunders, D. Gail. (1990). "Slave life, slave society and cotton production in the Bahamas". Slavery & Abolition.
5. White, Virginia. (1987). "Medicinal Plants of San Salvador, The Bahamas". Proceedings of the Second Symposium on the Botany of the Bahamas.
6. Richey-Abbey, Laurel. (2012). "Bush medicine in the Family Islands: The medical ethnobotany of Cat Island and Long Island, Bahamas". Miami University.
7. (6 May 1926). "Cat Island and San Salvador or Watlings Island Names Act".
8. [http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/connect/a39dabd3-9444-4ace-a3ee-d47abe273752/CAT+ISLAND+POPULATION+BY+SETTLEMENT+%282010+CENSUS%29.pdf?MOD=AJPERES CAT ISLAND POPULATION BY SETTLEMENT AND TOTAL NUMBER OF OCCUPIED DWELLINGS: 2010 CENSUS]. Bahamas Department of Statistics.
9. "Exuma".
10. "The Hermit of Cat Island : the life of Fra Jerome Hawes". Burns & Oates.
11. Hamilton, Rod. (2014). "Do It Yourself Bonefishing". Derrydale Press.
12. Meyers, Allan D.. (2022). "Engraved Ship Iconography in The Bahamas: Approaches and Insights from Cat Island". Journal of Maritime Archaeology.
13. "Rake and Scrape: The Sound of The Bahamas". Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.
14. "Cat Island (District, Bahamas) – Population Statistics". Bahamas Department of Statistics.
15. (2008-11-22). "The Government of the Bahamas - Family Island Councillors".