National Museum serves up culture at ‘Looky Ya’

Tourists and residents gathered on the grounds of the Cayman Islands National Museum in George Town Tuesday to enjoy the sights, smells and tastes of Caymanian culture and heritage, as part of the museum’s cultural offering, Looky Ya!

Visitors formed a long line as they waited for a hot serving of traditional Caymanian dishes including Cayman style beef, stew conch, stew turtle, whelks and crab, as well as curry chicken, served with white rice/rice and beans, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, and bread kind, from Georganne Rankine of GG’s Kitchen in George Town.

They also got an opportunity to feast their eyes on a unique display of arts and crafts, by local artisans.

National Museum's heritage showcase, Looky Ya. - Photos: Shanda Gallego

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Visitors and residents got a chance to learn more about thatch plaiting, from local craftspeople such as West Bay resident Lizzie Powell.

“I learned this from my mother,” Powell said. “My mother, Florence Ebanks, used to do the rope and then after they didn’t have the rope so good, she started plaiting.”

She said she loves plaiting because “it’s good for your mind”, adding, “it keeps your mind on one thing. You can’t just sit down and have your mind wander on other things. We also used to do the [thatch] roping.”

Powell added it’s important to preserve the history for generations to come.

“We’re losing all the culture in Cayman, so it’s important for the children and even the adults to learn this. The schools need to get some teachers to come in more than once a year to teach the children. You may stand over me and see me plaiting, but you put your hand to it, it will be a different move.”

Tunisia Barnes, interim director at the National Museum, said the objective is to promote traditional art in Cayman, “getting it exposed, keeping it alive, and supporting the cottage industries across the island”.

She added, “It’s also about exposing it to a whole new generation, getting that interest out there. The plan is to present this offering the last Tuesday of every month, as well as reserving two people from Cayman Brac to allow them to showcase their crafts.”