Sunday 18 May 2014

Turks And Caicos Islands


This sheet has been purchased rather than received via regular mail...as much as it would be wonderful to get it, I am still waiting for a postcard from this elusive territory..!
This weeks Sunday Stamps is about anything we wish, which inspires me to show something that normally doesn't fit into any of the standard themes (though this one might under archaeology or native peoples?) and here is one of my favourites.
The Lucayans  were the original inhabitants of the Bahamas archipelago before the arrival of Europeans; they were the first inhabitants of the Americas encountered by Christopher Columbus. The Spanish started seizing Lucayans as slaves within a few years of Columbus's arrival, and they had all been removed from the Bahamas by 1520. Another tragic story of colonization...
This set was issued in 1974 and shows the practical objects like a stool, an axe and wooden bowls. It would appear that the object on the last stamp is also a stool, even though it looks like a toy :)
I am sure lots of great entries this week can be seen on Viridian's blog!

11 comments:

  1. That's really a sad (and alas true) story...
    The stamp sheet is precious!

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  2. Same thoughts as Heleen...such a sad story (the fact that it is true is why it is heart-breaking) and yes, the stamps are jaw-dropping! love them!

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  3. Original choice, I love the sheet you have shown. I knew nothing about this matter, so thanks for sharing.

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  4. Very nice stamps and presentation.

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  5. I know of the Turks and Caicos Islands but not of the Lucayan remains. The Lucayan story at the hands of the Spanish was to repeated in many other places.
    The stamps are ones anyone would like to own.

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  6. I didn't know anything about that country or the Lucayans. They probably sell most of their stamps for collectors since the population is so small.

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  7. I have actually been to Turks and C. on a geology field trip! Many years ago. Did not know then about these peoples, or what happened to them.
    Thank you for sharing the stamps and the story with us.

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  8. Beautiful, and with a really interesting, if tragic, story. The last stamp looks exactly like a dinosaur. Maybe it's a bird scarer?

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  9. Beautiful yet practical objects, the ultimate form and function. Sad that this culture was annihilated. At least they live on though the mini sheet. Your comment made me think maybe one should plan ones holidays around places unlikely to received normal snail mail. With its beaches and coral reefs this would be a beautiful destination.

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    1. would love to follow that thought - though many countries are not only hard-to-get but also hard-to-get-to, mainly thinking of the budget here...

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