It's Who We Are...

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Come Meet Us in...

Little Bay, Jamaica... Pearl of the Caribbean

What are the people of Little Bay like?

• Well, they are alot like you and me, only they enjoy the hardships and the bounty alike of living on an island in the caribbean.

• As you would suspect this is historically an active fishing village, and is so to this day. The fisherman's boats are nestled on a crescent shaped white sand beach, protected from the sea by a shallow barrier reef. The locals rely on the fisherman's daily catch for sustenance and for economic support. From boats and canoes in both Little Bay and from Homers Cove a half mile north, fishermen pull lobster pots off the edge and harvest crab, octopus, jack and snapper. Many work and anchor at night with dug out canoes and lanterns to catch deeper mackerel, grouper, kingfish, tuna and other nocturnal feeders. Mornings are always exciting to wait on the beach to see what colorful fish at then brought in. Just ask and they will sell you one. Someone might just cook one up for you for breakfast with wood fires in the Little Bay Fisherman's Club grill. The fish stories are free.

• Troll fishing is always an adventure as Jamaican boats are unique and fisherman use hand lines more than traditional tackle to catch the faster tuna, kingfish, barracuda and they seek the blunt headed dolphin, Mai Mai "not porpoise' hiding at sea under floating grass mats and in the shade of floating trees. They would be happy to teach you the proper technique for hand over hand "reeling" so as not to create a snarled mess with the line as you land your own sport fish.

• Many are farmers raising livestock, chickens, pigs, goats and cows on small patches of ground. Others sustain a living on collecting herbal remedies, short food crops and selling produce in the markets or in small local shops.

• Other residents are involved in business activities such as resort hospitality services in Little Bay and Negril. Some own and run local grocery shops and yummy restaurants, aka bamboo bars. Almost everyone is a good cook and has their own approach to traditional Jamaican dishes like conch or dapper soup, jerk, brown stew and fried chickens as well as wonderful coleslaw's, pumpkin and coconut rice n peas, fried plantains and a favorite spinach like dish called callalu. Fruits are of course in every days meal.

• As entertainment goes this is a place where DJ's compete and the latest reggae rydims become "billboards" and excitement generators for yard dances and dominoes tournaments. They run local and island wide taxi services ala-cart and many are clothing seamstresses and hair braiders.. Soccer and cricket are local favorites, while volleyball in the sand at the beach is a great way to pass some friendly time next to the fisherman's beach.

• I have always marveled at some of the enduring traditions and local Little Bay talents. While North Americans seek Big Box shopping solutions for mass produced cheap goods there are many traditional craftsmen and women in Little bay who create products such as custom furniture and cabinetry, non-machine reliant construction, tile and masonry through wood carving and handcrafted basket weaving and wisp furniture weaving among the many crafts.

• Many Jamaicans are tradesman always looking for the next project, To be useful in a difficult economic environment is extremely important to all persons no manner how small the task. Many supplement their low incomes by feeding their children with foods gathered by the bounty of nature in the bush. Seasonally they harvest bananas, grapefruit, coconut, plums, mango, papaya, tangerine, and oranges along with a more unusual array of fruits like soursop, breadfruit and tamarind and sugar cane to make meals and sweets from. Often children have only to walk down the lane to pluck a ripened fruit to snack on while walking to school. Other times of the year there are no pickings at all. Herbal medicines grow around your feet and most of the elder Jamaicans can tell you what cures they offer from plants named like "strongback". Imagine what that plant is boiled up and used for. Little Bay is a fascinating place for sure.

• Little Bay people are god-fearing and worship from both an intensely personal perspective "Rastafarian" while others seek organized often Christian churches of their choice to share their values with others. It's not uncommon to see witnessing preachers stroll the street "only one road" from time to time announcing the lords great intentions to those who may have begun to lose hope in desperate times.

• The community of Little Bay is just that, an inter-reliant group of multiple extended families who are very self aware and rely on each other for support and it is this sense of togetherness that sensed by those who visit in a welcoming fashion. Family is close by, they say.

• These are hard working people and while not all of them are well "school" educated, the community has a wonderful sense of appreciation for teachers and in the potential of their children. They support the local all age schools and believe in the promise that education of their children presents even at the early ages. The children are all dressed in uniforms which in their small way try to balance the perceived economic disparity of the community members.

•  It may appear that the local Jamaicans have very little by some western standards materially but they share a richness of heart and of spirit that touches all who come their way. They live the national credo with a resolution to be admired and with hope to be emulated, which is simply..

OUT OF MANY, ONE PEOPLE

• Many lessons can be learned by becoming a part of, even if briefly, this wonderful example of humankind in Little Bay. They learn from visitors and visitors learn in kind from them more than they can imagine. One must have the desire and follow their hearts.

Please come visit and spend some time with the lovely people of Little Bay, Jamaica.