Pòpchi
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The special thing about this doll is that it has been baptized. It also has a name, a godfather and a godmother. The tradition of baptizing dolls shows that in Curaçao foreign influences develop their own characteristics over time. This Roman Catholic ritual has become fully Curaçaoan.
The doll is baptized in the name of the needle, the thread and the safety pin. The Roman Catholic church has always had a lot of influence on the island and actively fought against Afro Curaçaoan culture. This doll shows they did not completely succeed.
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2:27 min
"The tradition of baptizing a doll just suits me because I never gave birth - and now I can be the godmother of a doll"
- Ersilia Pietersz-Martina
My name is Ersilia Pietersz-Martina – but everybody knows me as Chila. The tradition of baptizing dolls is an old one. Women who couldn’t have children of their own could baptize a doll and that way they could become godmother of the doll. Like in my case: I have two children but I didn’t give birth to them. I have two daughters, one is 35 and one is 41 years old and I’m so happy with them, I love them dearly. The tradition of baptizing a doll just suits me because I never gave birth – and now I can be the godmother of a doll. That way I can relate to our traditions. I am very proud every time they ask me to be the godmother of a doll. In this case my brother actually made this doll, he made it from cloth. I like it when they’re made of cloth because it makes it more traditional, more real, more authentic. I have a doll that has my skin color so I really feel like I’m part of the doll. His name is Chófilo. I gave him an old name . It’s an old name but we have to go back to the old days so I can’t give him a modern name – so I called him Chófilo.
Blous
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This small cube consists of synthetic indigo or “blous”. In the late 17th and early 18th century, Curaçao had a flourishing indigo industry. The natural “blous” was exported to Europe where it was used as a blue dye, and also to prevent discoloration of white laundry.
In Curaçao, people kept and spread the African tradition surrounding “blous”, and used it for protection against evil. It is an example of the everyday spirituality that is present on the island. For centuries the colonizers and the church tried to ban these rituals. Today, younger generations show renewed interest in spiritual traditions and see them as meaningful elements of their identity.
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2:27 min
"My mother taught me this tradition, I will pass it on to my children and I hope it will live on for generations to come"
- Tiziana Penso
My name is Tiziana Penso. I’m 29 years old and I was born in Curaçao. When I think about blous I think about my family tradition. I know that blous was used originally to wash clothes with but my family didn’t use it that way. We use it to get rid of bad energy, jealousy, negative things that people can attract without knowing. Blous was used on me actually when I was a baby. When a baby is born and the parents go to a party or some other event where they know that a lot of people will be looking at the baby they use blous on the soles of the baby’s feet or on the back of its head. When you get back home you bathe your baby and you use a little bit of blous in the bathing water. That way you get rid of the negative energy or ‘oyada’ as we call it – anything that can be interpreted as negative for the child. And this is a tradition that I learned from my elders who learned it from their parents and from the generations before. My mother taught me this tradition, I will pass it on to my children and I hope it will live on for generations to come.
Benta
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Richard Doest is a Curaçaoan painter who also makes musical instruments such as the “benta”. When he was studying in Amsterdam, he became fascinated with his own Afro-Curaçaoan musical heritage.
Many of Curaçao’s traditional instruments originated as practical tools for everyday life. The wood that is used for the “benta” needs to be bendable. In order to get the right branch you need to cut it during full moon, or otherwise it will not bend and will eventually break.
The “benta” was used for a musical genre called “muzik di zumbi”. The word “zumbi” probably hails from the Ubundu people in Angola, where it means ‘spirit’.
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2:27 min
"The benta was derived from the hunting bow – so it goes back thousands and thousands of years – and has been preserved here on the island."
- Richard Doest
The benta is a unique instrument in the Caribbean. It came from Africa. Curaçao is one of the most developed islands in the Caribbean but on the other hand the benta which is a rudimentary instrument because it was derived from the hunting bow – so it goes back thousands and thousands of years – has been preserved here on the island. This shows just how complicated culture is and how people decide to hold on to certain things, store them, not tell anyone about it but keep it to themselves and so forth. The benta is part of the muzik di zumbi from the Bandariba region but a lot of times the person that plays benta just sits in the door of his house and plays for his own joy, not to impress people and to get applause. I was always intrigued by the benta. I lived in Holland for 11 years and then I saw a stamp with a man with a hat playing an instrument and I knew: this is the benta.