Author looks at lesser known ethnic groups

Most people at some point in their lives think about doing a family tree to trace their ancestral roots… and a few actually get it done, perhaps going back a couple generations past their parents. But twenty years ago a Belizean father, now a university professor in the U.S.A., looked into the eyes of his newborn and was saddened to realise there was very little he could share with his children about their heritage. That man is St. John Robinson and after decades of long talks with local historians and wading through piles of old documents, today his research–a book called Peopling Belize, Chapters in Migration–was officially launched. As the author described to us today, during his name hunt, he dug up all sorts of interesting facts about Belize.

St. John Robinson, Author
?One that I mentioned in there was this connection, this illegal trade ? Belize has always had a history of illegal trade, but between Belize and the Dutch communities and the Eastern Caribbean, way back in the eighteenth century. If you look at early nineteen century records in Belize, there are lots of Dutch names, and you wonder why? This summer I was in Jamaica and I came across an undated, unsigned report that talks about extensive trade between Belize and the Dutch West Indies. It?s a reference I had never seen in anybody?s textbook and I think that was to me, the most eye-opening.?

?One of the things I wanted to do was to put all these various groups in some sort of perspective. Why were all the Germans in Belize? Well, they weren?t only in Belize, they were in Guatemala, Nicaragua…but why? So I looked at the German expansion and how Belize fit into that. I looked at French expansion and how Belize fit into that. And then Belize only had one importation of Chinese, whereas the Caribbean had lots, why was that? I tried to do a wider perspective, so it?s not just Belize, but Belize in context.?

Janelle Chanona
?Can you say at this point whether you?ll be doing another publication?

St. John Robinson
?Well my cousin is Said and I had to apologise to him for not doing the Arabs. Something has to done about the Arab community; I didn?t have enough data to make another decent chapter. I could have talked a little about the old community; I think that?ll be my next… some sort of article on the Arabs.?

St. John Robinson was born in Belize, but grew up in Nicaragua and New Orleans. He is currently working as a professor in Billings Montana working at Montana State University.