For generations, Cayman’s national tree – the silver thatch palm – was more than part of the physical landscape of the Cayman Islands; it was part of daily life.
Its leaves became rope, hats, baskets and roofing. It supported a trade that linked Cayman outward, while sustaining families at home. Knowledge of how to work the fibre was once widespread, passed quietly between generations, shaped by necessity and refined by experience.
As the world modernised and the rope trade faded, much of practical knowledge of thatch weaving in Cayman began to disappear.
Today, that knowledge rests with only a handful of traditional thatchers, but on Saturday, 18 April, in the open setting of the Cayman Collections Centre in West Bay (formerly the Andreas Ugland Car Museum), the National Trust for the Cayman Islands is creating space for that knowledge to be shared with the public.
Tickets to ‘Silver Thatch: A Tapestry of Nature and Heritage’ are available on-line and the event includes a raffle, silent and live auction, cocktails, Caymanian-inspired canapés, and valet.
The evening will bring together artisans who still understand the material in its original context: as a working practice that involves the folding, binding and shaping of a palm that once underpinned Cayman’s way of life.
The National Trust is often associated with protecting land, wetlands and wildlife. But its mandate has always extended to the preservation of built heritage, traditional knowledge and the intangible threads that define Caymanian identity.
That broader role is at the heart of this gathering. National Trust environmental programmes manager, Cathy Childs said the evening reflects the Trust’s commitment to keeping both nature and culture connected.
“We are not just protecting places,” she said. “We are protecting the knowledge and traditions that give those places meaning.”
National Trust marketing manager, Laura Butz, added that the experience is intended to feel accessible and alive.
“It will be a relaxed and engaging evening,” she said. “People will be able to see the work up close, ask questions, and connect with something that is deeply rooted in Cayman’s past, but still relevant today.”
Tickets for this event are available and funds raised from the evening, go towards the preservation of the natural and built heritage in the Cayman Islands.
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