Location and Geography. In a setting of turquoise
waters, pink beaches and lush foliage on low hills, this small, subtropical
coral island in the North Atlantic sits atop a long-extinct volcanic chain 570
miles (917 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, the nearest
land. Only twenty-one square miles in area (fifty-five square kilometers), the
island is comprised of many small islets around the Main Island and seven
others that are bridged together. Bermuda is shaped like a fish-hook, the eye
being Saint George's Harbour at the northeast end, and the loop of the hook
forming the Great Sound at the other, leading into Hamilton Harbour. Often mistakenly
associated with the Caribbean, it is in fact nearer to Nova Scotia. Protected
from extremes of weather by the Gulf Stream, temperatures range between 65
degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) in winter and 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29
degrees Celsius) in summer. There are nine parishes named after several of the
primary English 'adventurers,' or investors in the 1607 Virginia colony who
separately invested in the Somer Isles company.
Demography.
The population of Bermuda is 62,997 (2000 estimate). Blacks have been in the
majority since some point in the late eighteenth century, and now comprise
between 60 and 70 percent of Bermudians. The majority of the remaining ethnic
components are northern European, mainly British; they are followed by
Portuguese, who are mainly of Azorean origin, and the descendants of a number
of Native American tribes. While some 75 percent of Bermudians were born on the
Island, many or most of those born overseas have eventually become Bermudian by
marriage. Fears of permanent overpopulation and of changes in the ethnic
structure have made it nearly impossible to otherwise obtain Bermuda Status (as
citizenship is called).
Nearly all
the slaves were brought to Bermuda from the West Indies or as slaves on ships
captured by Bermuda privateers. Few arrived directly from Africa. The northern
European minority descend from the original English colonists and subsequent
arrivals from all over Britain including indentured laborers. Some U.S.
military personnel and some Scandinavians also settled here. A few Portuguese
families arrived first in the 1840s from Madeira. Portuguese immigrants
increasingly arrived in subsequent years to work in the growing agricultural
industry.
Linguistic
Affiliation. The language is a blend of British, North American, and various
West Indian versions of the English language. Azorean Portuguese is still
spoken and preserved in some Portuguese homes. In the Bermudian accent,
sometimes V s and W s are transposed; a usage that derives from the Elizabethan
English of the seventeenth century settlers.
Symbolism.
The Bermudian flag is the British Red Ensign 'defaced' with the heraldic
Bermuda Coat of Arms. The Union Flag occupies the upper, hoist quarter of an
otherwise red flag and the Arms are within the red field. They consist of a
white and green shield in which a heraldic red lion grasps a scroll displaying
the sinking of Somers' ship Sea Venture.
History and
Ethnic Relations
Emergence of
the Nation. Bermuda was first settled in 1609, when the Sea Venture, a British
flagship carrying settlers and provisions to Jamestown, Virginia, wrecked on
the islands' shores. The senior officer of
the fleet, George Somers, and his shipwrecked sailors built new vessels and
continued on to Virginia, but, enchanted by the beauty and abundant natural
resources, they made plans to settle the islands. Colonization began in July
1612, when sixty British settlers, led by Richard Moore, disembarked. Moore
became the first governor. In 1616, the king issued a charter to form the
Somers Isles Company, a commercial enterprise. By 1620, the parliamentary
Sessions House began to hold meetings of the colonial legislature. A system of
land ownership developed as the territory was divided into parishes named after
major stockholders in the Virginia Company. The Virginia Company ruled Bermuda
much like a fiefdom and the colonists soon grew tired of the burdensome
restrictions placed upon them. In 1684, Bermudian leaders sued to have the
charter rescinded, and thereafter Bermuda was ruled as an English colony in a
similar fashion to its American counterparts.
Slaves were
first brought to the islands in the early seventeenth century. Most served as
laborers and domestic workers rather than plantation workers. They were often
treated brutally, and several slave revolts in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries resulted in even harsher treatment.
The
Bermudians launched into shipping, a highly successful industry until the
advent of steam in the early nineteenth century. Taking advantage of the
prolific Bermuda Cedar, they set to work to design and build the Bermuda sloops
and schooners that became internationally famous. These ships were especially
effective when sailing upwind or to windward. This was critical to their
commercial value since they could deliver goods more quickly than their
competitors. Crewed by Bermudians of all shades and degrees of servitude, they
traded with ports all over the Atlantic coast of North America and the
Caribbean. In wartime, armed with Letters of Marque or Warrants from the crown,
they captured, depending on the war, French, Spanish, Dutch, and even American
ships, bringing them to the Admiralty Prize Court in Bermuda for sale and prize
money. Bermuda has been well known for privateering throughout its history.
Bermuda rose
to prominence in the seventeenth century as a ship building and manning center
from which ships sailed to carry on trade between the colonies and islands of
North America and the Caribbean. It became a post for slave trading, as well as
for West Indian rum, salt, and oranges. Whaling also added to the colony's
income.
In 1815 the
capital was moved from Saint George's to the increasingly busy port of Hamilton
in the center of the island. As shipping declined, a new industry was needed to
support the workforce, and Bermudians began to venture into organized farming.
The British
Emancipation Act banned slavery in the Empire in 1834, although the practice
was not actually ended in the English-speaking world until the U.S. Civil War a
generation later. Much of Bermuda's trade was with the southern United States.
While the islands remained officially neutral during the U.S. Civil War, their
sympathies tended to lie with the Confederacy. The war in fact provided a boost
to business, as the South paid high prices for weapons that came through
Bermuda from Britain. Northern blockades were effective, and made the trip even
more profitable for sailors who were willing to run a risk.
During the
end of the nineteenth century, the export of vegetables, and onions in
particular, provided Bermuda with a steady income. This industry fell as the
United States began to produce more onions on its own soil. However, a new
industry rose to take its place. Tourism brought money and development in the
form of new hotels and growing towns.
World War I,
in which exactly half of Bermuda's contingent died, brought this fledgling
industry to a standstill. After the war, there was insufficient capital to
renovate the few hotels, and inadequate shipping to bring the necessary
visitors. When the situation seemed most bleak, however, the Furness Steamship
Company in England picked Bermuda as a destination for their new vacation
ships. In the 1920s, the era of Prohibition in the United States, Bermuda
became a popular escape where wealthy Americans could drink on steamships and
in the hotels. In the 1930s, tourism carried Bermuda through the Great
Depression with hardly a break in stride.
Soon after
the beginning of World War II, when Britain "stood alone," Bermuda
land was offered by a desperate Winston Churchill to entice President Franklin
D. Roosevelt and the U.S. Congress to come to Britain's support. Roughly 10
percent of the country was leased for ninety years to the United States,
displacing large numbers of Bermudian families. During World War II, Bermuda
was used as a center of Allied operations. The British Royal Navy used it as a
base for patrolling the Atlantic, and the United States built naval and
military bases on the islands for protection against German submarines that
posed a threat to American shipping. Bermuda was an important transit point for
the Allies through the war. Winston Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the
British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan all held summits in Bermuda (as did
John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, George Bush, and Margaret Thatcher in later
years).
In the
1960s, racial tensions grew, as blacks began to protest unfair treatment.
Grassroots movements formed to more thoroughly integrate blacks into Bermudian
life. In 1968, a race riot erupted in Hamilton, caused by the perception that whites
only were being given access to an overcrowded fair (they were in fact stall
operators). Troops were called to Bermuda from Britain on two occasions but
never were needed. In the spring of 1973, Bermuda's white governor, Sir Richard
Sharples, and one of his aides were assassinated at the then unguarded
Government House. Scotland Yard eventually prosecuted and obtained convictions
for two of the men involved. The hanging of the two men resulted in further
riots in the black communities. Injuries were minimal, but some business
property was damaged. Some blacks began calling for independence from Britain
as a way to end racial discrimination, and in 1977 continued political
agitation led the government to discuss independence. In a vote in late 1995, Bermudians
rejected a proposal of independence by a two-thirds majority, mainly in fear of
opening the doors to the poverty independence brought to countries like the
Bahamas and Jamaica, but also in fear of shaking the confidence of foreign
firms who had invested in the country. Bermuda remains an Overseas Territory of
the British crown, but the question of independence still arises.
National
Identity. Bermudian identity is based largely in British cultural traditions.
This is especially the case for wealthy white islanders and British
expatriates. Blacks, poor whites, and those of Portuguese descent identify less
with the British and their institutions. Cultural influences from the United
States have also impacted life here.
Another
ethnic group, the Mahicans, are descendants of American Indians who were
brought to Saint David's Island from New York in the 1600s. They call
themselves Mohawks, or "Mos" for short, and retain some of their
unique cultural identity.
Ethnic
Relations. The divide in Bermuda between blacks and whites began soon after the
colony was established, as slaves were imported to serve the needs of the
colonists. The so-called "Forty Thieves" families, descendents of the
original white settlers, established a system of racial segregation in both
government and social life that they perpetuated for over two centuries. Even
today in the profusion of Bermuda's social clubs either blacks or whites tend
to strongly predominate. Over the years, blacks have achieved important gains,
but racial segregation still remains a source of tension.
Urbanism,
Architecture, and the Use of Space
Hamilton,
the capital and largest city, is home to a number of interesting buildings,
including the Anglican Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, built in 1894, and
the Sessions House and Cabinet Building, which are the seat of government.
However by far the most significant historical site is the original capital of
Saint George's, a town largely unaltered since the seventeenth century. Among
the many original buildings are the State House dating back to 1619 and Saint
Peter's, the oldest Anglican Church in the Western Hemisphere.
Housing is
now cement block, to preserve the native coral limestone, which is today used
mostly for roofing slate in housing construction. Architectural styles were
adapted to withstand the extreme winds and hurricanes Bermuda experiences, and
as a result large numbers of the eighteenth century homes survive. Steep
limestone roofs are whitewashed and designed to catch water to be stored in
tanks beneath the houses. Slave quarters still survive as extensions to a
number of the old houses. Where space was at a premium in Saint George's, these
were often ground floor with the family living above. Fireplaces, still widely
popular, were an essential feature from the seventeenth through the nineteenth
century, and were used as a source of heat, and for cooking and baking. The
handsome and much-photographed chimneys doubled as buttresses for added roof
support.
Food and
Economy
Food in
Daily Life. Day-to-day food is identical with that of the United States, from
where much of it is imported. Traditional Bermudian cuisine is a mixture of
American, British, and West Indian influences. Once abundant seafood formed the
basis of many local dishes. Chowder was made from a stockpot of leftover fish
carcasses and flavored with hot pepper sauce and rum. Fritters were made from
now-protected conch. Hoppin' John, a meal borrowed from the Carolinas, consists
of rice cooked with beans or black-eyed peas. Johnnycakes (corn-meal pancakes,
served with peas and rice) are also a traditional dish.
Rum is a
popular drink. One local brand, Black Seal, when mixed with ginger beer, is
appropriately called a Dark & Stormy.
Food Customs
at Ceremonial Occasions. Sunday breakfast is generally a big meal of salt
codfish from Nova Scotia, egg sauce, boiled potatoes, cooked bananas, and
avocado when in season. Cassava Pie is served at Christmas. It is similar to
cornbread when cooked, made from minced cassava or manioc root, eggs butter,
and filled with pork and turkey or chicken. Good Friday is celebrated with a
traditional breakfast of codfish cakes and hot-cross buns. Sweet potato pudding
is often served on Guy Fawkes Day.
Basic
Economy. Unemployment is virtually nonexistent in Bermuda. Roughly 15 percent
of the population is made up of expatriates employed on temporary permits by employers
that must first prove to the government there is no Bermudian available to fill
the job. "Expats" range in qualification from dishwashers to highly
qualified professionals. They and their dependants are significant contributors
to the economy. Of the workforce, the vast majority are in professional or
administrative work or services; only 2 percent are engaged in agriculture and
fishing. Farmers produce bananas, vegetables, citrus fruits, flowers, and dairy
products, but agriculture is limited by the fact that only 6 percent of the
country's land is arable.
Land Tenure
and Property. Bermuda's twenty-odd square miles are taxed on a progressive
scale according to the assessed rental value. To protect Bermudian ownership,
foreigners may only purchase at the top end of the scale, and only with
permission. Corporations may only own the land allowed by their incorporating
act. There is also public land, including several nature reserves, parks, and
historic sites.
Commercial
Activities. Most commercial activity revolves around the tourist industry.
Hotels and restaurants, golf courses, and tour companies all cater to the
constant influx of visitors (84 percent of whom come from the United States).
Most of the goods sold in Bermuda are imported, and therefore costly.
Major
Industries. Bermuda's dominant industry today is financial, and includes some
of the world's largest re-insurance companies among other corporate enterprises
of all kinds. The only restriction at this time has been a reluctance to
accommodate foreign banks, for fear of losing local financial control. The
earnings in this sector are now twice that of tourism, and as tourism has
declined, the new housing and general services required by these corporate
enterprises have absorbed much of the workforce once dependent on tourism.
Trade.
Bermuda imports machinery and transportation equipment, construction materials,
chemicals, food products, and live animals, primarily from the United States,
but also from the United Kingdom and Mexico. The country's main export is
pharmaceuticals, which are not processed in Bermuda, but merely stop there in
transit. Bermuda also exports perfume, liqueurs, and Bermuda lilies (which are
popular in the United States as Easter lilies) mostly to the United Kingdom and
the United States.
Division of
Labor. There is no shortage of jobs available, and people are free to choose
their own professions. Blacks tend to occupy more of the lower paying positions
than whites. Business ownership is substantially white, although board
membership, and thus control of business, has become more diverse.
Social
Stratification
Classes and
Castes. There is a uniformly high standard of living and little poverty in
Bermuda. While racial discrimination continued to haunt the country long after
the abolition of slavery, blacks
Houses
overlooking St. George's Harbor. St. George's is the most historical city in
Bermuda, with an abundance of seventeenth-century architecture. have made
progress in entering the government and civic life. Symbols of Social
Stratification. In general, attire is fairly formal. The famous Bermuda shorts,
a legacy of the British Army's uniform, are worn by businessmen, along with
jackets, ties, and knee socks. Otherwise, dress is similar to in the United
States or Britain, and there are few distinguishing features among classes.
Political
Life
Government.
A 1977 constitutional conference effectively gave Bermuda full internal
independence. Today, with a Westminster based parliamentary system of
government, Bermuda has forty elected members in the Assembly. These choose the
premier, and the premier selects a Cabinet of Ministers, each with a
ministerial responsibility ranging from fiscal to education and health. The
Senate is an appointed assembly, five seats by the premier, three by the
opposition party, and three by the governor, of whom one is the president. The
Senate cannot debate tax bills and may only delay others.
Leadership
and Political Officials. The Governor acts as Queen Elizabeth II's
representative, as an advisor, and like the Queen has little actual power.
The present
ruling party is the Progressive Labour Party (PLP), almost entirely African
Bermudian and formed in 1963 with those interests at heart. The PLP won power
in 1998 after some thirty-five years in opposition. Prior to this, the
multi-racial United Bermuda Party (UBP) held a majority, with overwhelming
support among the white population and a significant percentage of blacks as
well.
Social
Problems and Control. Crime is dominated by drug-related offenses. Guns are
prohibited, and violent crime is relatively rare. The legal system is based on
that of Britain with Magistrates and a Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. The
Privy Council of the British House of Lords is the final arbiter. The Supreme
Court still retains the traditional British robes, wigs, and format. There is a
maximum-security prison and a more relaxed prison farm.
Military
Activity. Britain assumes responsibility for the country's defense. The
military consists of the Bermuda Regiment and the Bermuda Reserve Constabulary.
Social
Welfare and Change Programs
In 1965,
funding for formalized pensions for all over the age of 65 was established and
is paid for from payroll deductions. In 1997, legislation to substantially
expand pensions was launched and now is in effect. Bermudians have basic hospitalization
coverage, and employers customarily provide enhanced medical programs for all
employees.
Nongovernmental Organizations and Other
Associations
There are a
large number of charities and service clubs active in Bermuda. The primary
Bermudian provider of funds is the Centennial Trust of the Bank of Bermuda,
which has donated nearly seven million dollars (U.S.) over ten years to
numerous charities and organizations. The large international business sector
provides significant funds. The two larger banks, the government, and many
other interests provide comprehensive scholarships.
Gender Roles
and Statuses
Division of
Labor by Gender. While women are still responsible for most everyday domestic
jobs, in Bermuda they are widely represented in all aspects of business and the
professions. Most senior executives are still male, but significant top
positions in business and the civil service are, and have been held by women.
The present and previous premiers are women.
The Relative
Status of Women and Men. Women and men are equal in law; this is widely
respected by employers and in most areas of society.
Marriage,
Family, and Kinship
Marriage.
Religious ceremonies are followed by large receptions. The traditional cake is
three-tiered, with one layer for the bride, one for the groom, and one that is
served to the guests. The cake is topped with a cedar sapling, which the couple
then plants at their new home.
Domestic
Unit. The domestic unit generally consists of the nuclear family. There is a
considerable acceptance of single parenting. To be successful, and to provide
role models for young males, this usually requires strong support from
siblings, grandparents, and aunts and uncles in the wider family. There is
often difficulty in realizing court child support rulings, and much remains
unpaid.
Inheritance.
While inheritance was once limited to the male line, today women as well as men
are legally entitled to inherit property.
Socialization
Infant Care.
Infant care is generally the domain of the mother, although those of the upper
class often hire nannies.
Child
Rearing and Education. Bermuda is well equipped with nursery and preschools set
up to accept children of working mothers. Education is free and mandatory
between the ages of five and sixteen. The school system is based on the British
and American model. Several large private schools, once segregated, still lean
to one race, religion, or the other. The literacy rate is near 100 percent.
Higher
Education. Bermuda has one junior college, which enrolls about six hundred
students. To obtain a four-year degree, it is necessary to leave the islands,
and the government and private organizations provide scholarships to study in
the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Etiquette
Politeness
is highly valued, and there is a degree of formality in social interactions.
Religion
Religious
Beliefs. Thirty-nine percent of the population is non-Anglican Protestant; 27
percent is Anglican; 15 percent is Roman Catholic; and 19 percent practice
other religions. Methodism first came to the islands in the mid-eighteenth
century, and attracted a large percentage of the islands' black inhabitants.
The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church has historically been a
significant unifying force in the black community. Catholicism first began to
make inroads in the mid-nineteenth century, bolstered by the influx of
Portuguese immigrants.
Religious
Practitioners. The Archbishop of Canterbury in England is the central religious
figure for members of the Anglican Church. The Bishop of Bermuda, who presides
over the Anglican Cathedral in Hamilton, is next in the hierarchy. The Anglican
church in Bermuda has many black pastors, including the bishop, and numerous
black congregations.
Rituals and
Holy Places. Bermuda has a number of historic churches. The oldest, Saint
Peter's Church in Saint George's, was originally built in the early 1600s, and
later rebuilt in 1713. The Anglican Cathedral in Hamilton is an elaborate
Gothic structure with stained-glass windows and British oak sculpture. The
Presbyterian Church in Warwick dates to 1719.
Death and
the Afterlife. Both Catholics and Protestants believe in an afterlife. Funeral
services in the church are generally followed by mourning in the home of
relatives of the deceased.
Medicine and
Health Care
The standard
of health care is high. There are two hospitals on the islands, one medical and
the other psychiatric, and there are adequate doctors to provide care for most
of the population. There is an air-ambulance service to the United States and
established medical relationships there, in Canada, and in the United Kingdom
provide specialist care not locally available. Bermuda has a low
infant-mortality rate, and life expectancy is seventy-five years for men and
seventy-nine for women.
Secular
Celebrations
Holidays
celebrated include New Year's Day, 1 January; Bermuda Day, 24 May (Queen
Victoria's birthday); the monarch's official birthday, usually the third Monday
in June; the two-day cricket, or Cup Match held on a Thursday and a Friday at
the end of July or beginning of August; Labor Day, on first Monday in
September; Armistice, or Remembrance Day, 11 November when wars are remembered;
and Boxing Day, 26 December.
The Arts and
Humanities
Literature.
Bermuda has produced a number of writers remarkable mostly for historical and
cultural studies of the islands, including Walter B. Hayward, Dr. Henry
Wilkinson, William S. Zuill, Terry Tucker, Nellie Musson, Cyril Packwood, and
Frank Manning and Brian Burland. Bermuda has also provided refuge and inspiration
for writers from other countries, including Mark Twain, Eugene O'Neill, Munro
Leaf, Noel Coward, James Thurber, Vernon Ives, and Peter Benchley.
Graphic
Arts. The Bermuda National Gallery in Hamilton, the Masterworks Foundation
Gallery, and a number of smaller galleries throughout the Island display and
sell work by many aspiring and successful resident artists. Hamilton's City
Hall
Theatre and
the Ruth Seaton James Hall at Prospect present numerous local and traveling
productions. Many local painters and sculptors have found a market in the
tourist population. Much of their work takes its inspiration from the natural
surroundings; watercolor is perhaps the most popular medium. Well-known
painters include the late Alfred Birdsey, his daughter Joanne Birdsey Linberg,
Carol Holding, and Joan Forbes. Desmond Fountain is the country's best-known
sculptor.
Performance
Arts. The Bermudian variety of Gombey, of West African origin but influenced
and made unique by the early strong Native North American presence, has been
passed down in family groups over centuries. Accompanied by rhythmic drums,
wielding bows, arrows, and tomahawks, the dancers, including children, sport
peacock feathered headdresses, masks, and capes. Many of the dances relate to
biblical st. The four main Gombey troupes perform on Boxing Day and on
unscheduled occasions throughout the year. West Indian calypso and reggae music
are both popular.
The State of
the Physical and Social Sciences
The Bermuda Biological Station for Research
(largely funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation) has
laboratories and a library for the study of marine life and environmental
issues such as acid rain. There are several including the Maritime Museum
complex within the restored Royal Naval Dockyard at Ireland Island. The Bermuda
Aquarium and Museum is privately and government supported; it is world famous.
