St. Eustatius - All across the six islands of the Dutch Caribbean and in Surinam, the first of July is celebrated as Emancipation Day: commemorating that day in 1863 when slavery was abolished in the Dutch West Indies. In St. Eustatius, it is often referred to simply as ‘July Day’ – as in the local song that hails back to that day and that has come down to us from generation to generation (in different variations):
“Happy, happy July Day,
I glad I live to see the day.
Happy, happy July Day,
Humbug won’t come humbug me,
Happy, happy July Day.”
In the Simon Doncker House Historical Museum is an exhibition, ‘Days of Slavery on St. Eustatius,’ that tells the story of enslavement, the slave trade, slavery and resistance, and abolition on St. Eustatius. The Daily Herald talked with its curator, historian and monuments director Walter Hellebrand, about the meaning of July Day.
He explains: ‘In 1850, slavery had already been abolished on the British, French, Swedish and Danish islands around St. Eustatius. Only Puerto Rico still had slavery. (It ended there ten years later than in the Dutch Caribbean). It was obvious that it had to come to an end in the Dutch West Indies as well. However, it was the matter of compensation – particularly in Surinam - that caused the Dutch government to drag their feet. Compensation for the slave owners, that is. Not for the enslaved. It is telling that of the 26 articles in the Emancipation bill, 13 were about the compensation and only three about the freed slaves themselves. Slave owners on the islands were compensated with fl. 200 for each able-bodied slave, except in St. Maarten where they received fl. 100 since they had already started to treat their slaves as free labourers from 1848 when slavery was abolished on the French side.”
The law that ruled that slavery would be abolished on 1 July 1863 was proclaimed in St. Eustatius on 21 October 1862. An English translation was distributed. It put an end to the unrest among the slaves that had started again (after the revolt of 1848 and the subsequent riots). Preparations started. A list with all enslaved to be emancipated was put together. In St. Eustatius the total number was 1,138. The census office created registers for children born lawfully and out of wedlock because the freed slaves were going to be able to get married after 1st July. And just in case that there might be disturbances on the day itself, the colonial government sent six extra marechaussees to the island.
“And then came 1st July,” Hellebrand continues, “twenty-one canon shots rang out from Fort Oranje to salute this momentous day. Flags flew from all public buildings and the lieutenant-governor, Nicolaas A. Rost van Tonningen (the road with the Golden Rock and Gwendoline van Putten Schools is named after him), read the proclamation from the Governor in Curaçao. Special services were held in the Roman Catholic and Methodist churches and there was a large public celebration. The day continued to be celebrated each year and in 1883 there were festivities to mark twenty years of Abolition – with costumed cricket matches! Part of the celebration of half a century of freedom from slavery was the planting of an orange tree on Oranjestad’s market square.”
July tree flowers, picnics and dancing
The late Charles (‘Charlie’) Arnold spoke about July Day festivities in his interview with Julia Crane in the mid-1980’s: “Every first of July, we used to have some kind of celebration. Each house was decorated and everything and the island was decorated with those July flowers, because the First o’ July was the Freedom Day and the July tree blossomed so much in July that that was something to them, like a plant that represents their freedom. Every place you could find the July branches stickin’ under the houses and so on when I was a kid.” Charles Patrick was also interviewed - by Ms Crane and Mrs. ‘teacher’ Olive Berkel – and he recounts how they would also wear the July tree flowers on their heads and “stick it in the stomach, the bosom.”
“It is amazing to realise,” Hellebrand adds, “that between people of my generation and slavery there is only one degree of separation. We may remember buying ice cream from Charlie Arnold. But at the same time, Charlie remembered listening to people who were born in slavery! And while those former slaves were still around, July Day was a big day. In his own interview with Julia Crane, Emile Lindo talks about the traditional big picnics that used to be organized island-wide for the first of July. His mother, Molly Lindo, was one who was famous for that. Charles Gordon in his interview remembers it well: “Every First of July she going to have a picnic. She go around, tell the people: “We’ll keep a picnic.” And first, of July, everybody get ready.”
Another July Day tradition is brought up by Abraham Arnaud in his interview with Ms Crane: “And then those days the old heads, in the mornin’, from six o’clock, they go down to the Fort – boy! A line o’ them! And they start to sing that song. And that was the day that they was free. Charles Patrick could still see them “come in the afternoon dancin’. Every First o’ July come, they put on that long frock, and they keep the picnic, and they go runnin’ round the town singin.’
Hellebrand: “The late Peter John Lijfrock, still famous on Statia for playing the drum, could also still tell about the big event that was held in the Wilhelmina Park on First of July – with a picnic, music and singing and “the ladies wore white dresses with a blue ribbon.” He also remembered another song:
Oh July was the day.
When the joyful news was told
Come (dum tee dum tee dum – he did not remember these words)
For the people young and old.
Oh July was the day.
“Over the recent years, there has been an increased interest in celebrating Emancipation Day. It is indeed one of the ‘before/after’ days in St. Eustatius’ history: days when there was a huge difference between before and after that date,” Hellebrand concludes. “And it is important to keep remembering that freedom is not a given. You have to make an effort for it.”
