Standing at the pinnacle of Bermudian cultural expression and tradition are the Gombeys. Their drumbeat and dance are instantly recognisable and universally accepted, and adored, as a unique representative of our Island’s heritage. They are exotic in a place sometimes known for being staid, polite and even a little boring. And there in lies the irony of the Gombeys as a symbol for Bermuda. They are born from and remind us of a sinister and unresolved chapter in our history - slavery and the social and economic oppression of black peop...
Culture
The Consummate Bermudian
The Consummate Bermudian
The Bermuda Skink
Bermuda has been assigned a number of notable monikers over the years; “Isle of the Devils”, “Gibraltar of the West” and, more recently, “Risk Capital of the World”. However, these all pale in significance to the title of “Evo...
December 3, 2018
The Consummate Bermudian
Rigged for Success
Photo credit: ‘A Bermuda schooner yacht offshore’, oil on canvas by John Lynn, 1834. National Museum Bermuda. The Bermuda Rig, that innovative sail design that is still, some 400 years after it emerged on local waters, being use...
October 29, 2018
The Consummate Bermudian
The Bermuda Roof
One of the best things to tell people about Bermuda (and there are lots of them) is that we catch our fresh water from the sky and store it under our homes because we have no natural source of fresh water - like lakes, or rivers. Whilst often le...
September 18, 2018
The Consummate Bermudian
The Dark ‘n Stormy
The Dark ’n Stormy is the inexorable concoction of Bermuda’s British history, a literal fusion of our merchant and naval traditions. That it is today one of only four internationally trademarked cocktails further reflects Bermudians’ entre...
August 13, 2018
The Consummate Bermudian
The Bermuda Kite
There are not many things that categorically identify as Bermudian. One of them is the Bermuda kite. While stringing together pine sticks and tissue paper is hardly unique to our shores, there is a craftsmanship, aesthetic and measure of success...
March 27, 2018
