'A Family of Charaibes...'

Agostino Brunais (c.1730-2 April 1796) painted a number of illustrations of life in the colonial island of St Vincent. Two of these are currently under an export order by the Uk Government. One is an imaged scene of 'Sir William Young conducting a Treaty with the Black Caribs on the Island of St Vincent'. It is highly likely that one of the then-called Black Caribs, now Garinagu' present was Chatoyer. He is a highly significant man and you can read more about him in this free-to-access article.

The other painting by Brunais is another imagned scene called, 'A Family of Charaibes in the Island of St Vincent', c.1773. These people are todays known as the Kalinago, although at the time were often termed either Red or Yellow Caribs. Anderson typically used the terms Aborigines, or Indigenous for these people and noted some of their uses of plants., and which plants they introduced into St Vincent from South America. One of these introduced plants was Maranta globosa and had the common name of Aborigines Tamboo. Maranta globosa is not a recognised botanical name but this is what Anderson writes about it: "An elegant plant 3 feet high, flowers fragrant. The leave resemble those of Indian Shot surrounding the flower stem in a large cluster. The roots in clusters the shape & size of musket bullets. Cultivated by the French & Indians as an article of food. This plant was originally introduced into St. Vincent by the aborigines a Native of the Continent & Trinidad."

There are several plants that Anderson provides a name for, but today we can't work out what the plant actual is. But there is a plant known as India Shot and it is the Canna indica. The Useful Tropical Plants database states that the roots of this are edible, but also used medicinally. Although Canna indicia is not the same as Maranta globosa, as Anderson notes it is similar only and not the same, I have included an illustration of this plant. Enjoy.

Illustration taken from this site

Canna indica