Summary+of+Why+history+and+culture+matter—a+case+study+from+the+Virgin+Islands+National+Park

Shalynn Vaughn   Summary of //Why history and culture matter—a case study from the Virgin Islands National Park//  Crystal Fortwangler and Marc Stern

This article by Crystal Fortwangler is about strengthening the relationship between the locals on St. John and the park managers from the Virgin Islands National Park. This also takes an in-depth look into the history of the park and the locals. It starts in 1956 when the park is created. At this time the residents of the island were misinformed or not informed at all about the full purpose of the park. A lot of the locals were upset when the park restricted the lands. Before the park was dedicated, the people of the island used land in a more communal sense, much like the Native Americans. If someone wanted to grow a crop, but didn’t have enough land for it, they could borrow from a neighbor or exchange land for labor or favors. Now, with the national park there, this land that used to belong to the people belonged to the National Park Service. Because the island was almost self-sustaining, when the land became restricted the people shifted from “land-based and fishing occupations” to tourism positions. This changed the locals’ way of life. Also, since the park was created, there was an increase of residents by 460%. A study that was mentioned in the article noted that people feel like the park officials don’t understand the culture and they don’t trust them. It also made correlations to the protest of the park. Most people who say that they don’t trust the park officials have acted out towards the park. The distrust also comes with a lack of communication. The locals feel disrespected by the park officials because the park officials don’t really try to get to know the people. The people in power at the park are mostly white and are not local to the island. When the park is doing something, the people only know about because of a press release. They never see the officials out on the town or at local hangouts. They feel like the park is only used for money and not to connect with the locals. One example is that there was a fee to go to the beach. Before, there has never been a fee, but now locals and tourists would have to pay to go to the beach. The locals felt extremely disrespected because the decision was made without any input from the people. The park has had a hard time balancing the preservation of the park. Many feel like the park officials were trying to take the park back to the pre-Columbian landscape which, many feel, isn’t acknowledging the cultural significance that certain plants and animals played post Emancipation. However, it is the park’s duty to keep the non-native plants and animals to a minimum. Although there have many reasons as to why people don’t approve of the park or its officials, many people expressed that they like some aspects of the park. Throughout the year the park puts on different cooking and basket weaving programs as well as a three day festival every year. The people who were involved in the study said that they liked the programs and they’d like to see more of them. In all, the researcher concludes that the officials should try to connect with the people and the culture more.