I visited the Carib Territory sometime ago for a photo shoot.While there, I took the opportunity to shop around for a few craft pieces.And God must have been smiling upon me because I also got the opportunity to have a descent conversation with a former Carib Chief – Fustulus Frederick.We spoke at length about the patrimony and wonderful heritage of the indigenous peoples of the island.

Craft shops and stalls lined the streets of the Territory all the way from Bataka to the Kalinago Barana Aute (Carib Model Village by the Sea) at Sineku.It was at the Carib Model village that I ran into the Chief, himself a master artists and craftsman.There were lots of tourists and locals visiting that day.All seemed to have been in the hunt for a piece of the Kalinago's living history; a chit chat with a Kalinago, collection ofa few craft pieces or a brief stopover at the model village.I was truly amazed at the depth and breadth of the creativity, rich culture, wellspring of local knowledge, industry and deep spirituality of the Kalinago people.

My stopover at the craft shops and stalls however yielded one major disappointment; the ubiquitous presence of synthetic and cheap Chinese and Indian craft.Worse still was the fact that a few vendors attempted to pass these cheap 'knockoffs' as genuine Carib craft.These vendors were not 'outsiders' but full blooded Caribs, some of whom were artisans.Imagine how my friend –the Carib Chief must have felt.When I broached the subject he immediately and unapologetically lamented and denounced the practice.

"I see a lot of Chinese arts and craft being sold by our people in the Territory and it hurts me" the teary eyed Fustulus bemoaned."This is where we are going to loose a lot of our weavers and techniques if steps are not taken to address the situation" he added.

But what exactly are the steps that must be taken to avert this impending doom?We live in a free society extolling the virtues of the free market system and so we can't advocate the imposition of a ban on vendors who refuse to tow the line.If one can make a living from selling cheap Chinese imports, why not?I'm convinced that Chinese or Indian craft is no threat to the superior Kalinago products.When a tourist goes through the trouble of visiting Dominica or the Carib Territory, it's certainly not in search of an Oriental experience.Otherwise he or she would have gone to Shanghai or Tibet.Indeed visitors to the Carib Territory are looking for something unique, something distinctively and genuinely Carib.

Only the Carib people (all of us included actually) can destroy their handicraft industry and sabotage any real chances of their climb out of their economic morass and centuries of chronic underdevelopment.Scratching out the 'made in China' labels from Chinese craft and replacing them with 'made in the Carib Territory' is counterproductive and tantamount to economic treason.Handing the tourist a cheap Indian basket when he or she asks for a Carib basket is not only dishonest, it's a sell out of our great ancestors who fought so valiantly to defend and preserve their way of life.These practices should not be tolerated at all particularly in the Carib Territory.

A massive reeducation drive is one way to check or at least slow this disturbing trend.Every indigenous person must be made to understand and appreciate the social, political, economic and spiritual value of their heritage.They must understand that their future is inextricably tied to their past, their abundant resources - their collective experiences and traditions as a people.In their bid to 'survive' they must be trained in business models that respect their traditions and promote sustainable livelihoods.The Ministry of Carib Affairs in conjunction with the Carib Council must lead the way in showing the Kalinago people how they can leverage their history, culture, traditions, craft and way o f life to their great advantage.Such an effort will obviously require all hands on deck; civic minded community groups like Karifuna and the Waitukubuli Arts & Craft Association, the schools, churches and much more.

Then there must be a genuine attempt at creating some breathing space -an 'economic zone' for Carib Craft (to shield it from unfair competition).This is what the Kalinago Barana Aute is attempting to do.For years, this is what my friend, Chief Fustulus has been advocating.Any craft item sold at the Carib Model Village bears the inscription / label 'Genuine Carib Craft'.Of course the management of the village verifies and can substantiate the claim that the item is a genuine Carib article.Once the tourist or visitor sees this 'approval stamp' then he knows he is buying an authentic piece of the Kalinago's history. Maybe that programme can be expanded to cover craft items sold in the Carib Territory or anywhere in Dominica for that matter.We ought to make it difficult and unsafe for anyone to label anything Carib Craft and profit illegally from the cultural patrimony and creativity of the Carib people.

At DEXIA we've been seeking to jump-start some discussions and action in that direction.The time for establishing a geographic indicator for Carib Craft is long overdue. Is anybody listening?