Bermudian culture describes the day to day living of the inhabitants of the Island of Bermuda. The Island of Bermuda is one of the Virgin Islands Archipelago. Bermuda is one of the British Virgin Islands archipelago the other being the United States Virgin Island Archipelago . The island was named after Juan de Bermudez, a Spanish sailor who discovered the Island in 1515 but it was not inhabited until 1612 when Sir George Somers arrived in the Island after a shipwreck during a hurricane.
The inhabitants of Bermuda are multi ethnic. The island has people of different origins which explain by the rich history of Bermuda. Inhabitants of African descent or Indian descent attribute their existence on the Island to slavery. When Bermuda was colonized by the British, slaves were imported from other British colonies to help in constructing the Island’s infrastructure. People of European descent are there because of trade. Some migrated to the island in their lifetime to trade and others found themselves there as a result of their ancestors choosing to settle in the island on encountering it during trade.
The Bermudans are known as friendly, relaxed and cultured people. They are very keen on good manners thus take a lot of thought to etiquette. Privacy is an important aspect to them. You will rarely find someone calling out to another in a loud voice. They love their home and take pride most in their land. Bermudans are so connected to their natural surrounding that they feature symbols of nature in their coat of arms. Bermudans love their serene rural life .
Food is a salient aspect of the Bermudian culture. Their cuisine is not so much British as is every other aspect of their culture such as dressing. Fish is a dominant ingredient in their cuisine. Almost every meal has a touch of fish in it be it the flesh or just the soup. They only day perhaps you would not find fish in their food is on “Good Friday” where meals are meatless. On such a day you are likely to find them eating rice, peas and dukuna.Dakuna is a meal made of spiced sweet potato wrapped in plantain leaves and steamed . Foods they eat regularly include; cornmeal, okra, Johnny cakes, peas and mutton.
Literature is a vital part of any culture and Bermudans are certainly not lacking in it. Families normally share folktales every evening and during other family gatherings. Memoirs are also a common part of Bermudian literature. Children find this literature in schools too. Boys and girls learn how to recite poems from elementary school. Performed arts, such as music, are part of Bermudian culture. Bands known as fungi bands entertain revelers during ceremonies or in pubs, which are the most popular leisure spots for the residents of Bermuda. Black Seal Rum is the most popular local alcoholic drink.
Family life is a central part of Bermudian heritage. Unions take place without marriage but with the increasing level of modernity in the Island, marriages are gaining currency. The typical Bermudian family is an extended family. This means a united couple lives under one roof together with the offspring of a sibling who in most cases is the ‘wife’s sibling. Traditionally, labor was divided. Men took to sailing, fishing, construction or pasturing livestock while women were tasked with domestic chores such as gardening, sewing and cooking. Nowadays, both genders are involved in the civil service with men leaning more towards politics and law while women choosing the roles of educators and leading local ceremonies .
There is hardly any recognized vernacular language of Bermuda. The popular language in this part of the world is English though Portuguese is spoken in Bermuda also. Their local English dialect is, however, not similar to what the British in England speak because of a heavy cocktail of accents and expressions from different ancestral cultures influencing how the natives communicate with each other. In addition, their language is riddled with unknown idioms which puzzle an uninformed bystander when he/she hears the. For example, a Bermudian will say, “It is a regular Sally Basset day” to mean that it is a hot summer day.
The names of Bermudian people are idiosyncratic. A Bermudian can almost accurately guess what job a person does by simply asking the name. This is because Bermudian names often reveal what community a person is from which in turn show what economic activity a person engages in. It is a stereotype in Bermuda that a certain community does a particular economic activity.
The British have influenced a large part of Bermudian culture. The mode of dressing on the Island is often formal. Mostly, it is described as ‘long dresses and stocking for women and a tie and jacket for the men’. The most popular sport in Bermuda is Cricket and the Bermudans subscribe to a formal education system which was structured by the British. In addition, the Bermudian government is modeled on the Westminster system of Britain.
Works Cited
McKelvie, Robin and Jenny McKelvie. Bermuda. London: New Holland Publishing, 2007.
Thompson, Keith. A Look at the Caribbean and Its Peopl's Cultures. Tennesse: Lightning Source INcorporated, 2010.
Wineham, James B. Ethnic Groups of the Americas. Santa Barbra: ABC CLIO, 2013.
