Bonaire Bits - History

It is believed that the first inhabitants, the Caiquetios (a branch of the Arawak Indians), sailed from the coast of Venezuela almost 1000 years ago.  The name Bonaire is thought to have originally come from the Caiquetio word 'Bonay', a name that meant low country.  It was not until 1499 that the first Europeans came to Bonaire.  Alonso de Ojeda and Amerigo Vespucci arrived and claimed it for Spain. Finding little of commercial value and seeing no future for large-scale agriculture, the Spanish decided not to develop the island. Instead, they enslaved the Indians and took them to work on plantations on the Island of Hispanolia, basically leaving the Bonaire to be a deserted island.

Donkey Sanctuary

Bonaire remained as a lonely outpost until 1526 when cattle were brought to the island by then governor Juan de Ampues. Some of the Caiquetios were returned to act as laborers and in a few years, the island became a center for raising other animals such as sheep, goats, pigs, horses and donkeys.  Since they were being raised more for their skins and not their meat, they required little tending and were allowed to roam and fend for themselves. The result was large herds of animals that far outnumbered the population. Today, there are a number of wild donkeys that still inhabit the Kunuku (outback), but the majority now enjoy life at the Donkey Sanctuary, where their needs are attended. Many goats can also be seen foraging in less populated areas of the island.

 

Bonaire's beginnings were anything but stellar. Her inhabitants were mostly convicts from other Spanish Colonies in South America. The only permanent settlement was the village of Rincon, located far inland where it was thought to be safe from marauding pirates. In those years, development was discouraged in favor of the richer, more productive colonies





In 1633, the Dutch took possession of Curacao, Bonaire and Aruba. Bonaire became a plantation island of the Dutch West Indies Company and African slaves were forced to work cutting dyewood, cultivating maize, and harvesting solar salt. Slave huts and salt pans which were laboriously constructed by hand still stand today as reminders of Bonaire's repressive beginning.





For the next nearly 200 years, ownership of Bonaire changed hands a number of times until 1816 when it was returned to the Dutch as a result of the Treaty of Paris. A small fort, Fort Oranje, was built to protect the island's main resource, salt. Salt was an important commodity at this time for the preservation of food. By 1837, Bonaire was a thriving center of salt production. The government, who by then controlled the industry, built four obelisks, each painted a different color, red, white, blue and orange (the colors of the Dutch Flag and the Royal House of Orange). They were erected strategically near areas of the salt lake. The idea was to signal ships where to pick up their cargoes of salt. A flag of the corresponding color was raised atop a flagpole, thus signalling the ship's captain where to drop anchor. Three of the obelisks can still be seen today.

In 1863, with the abolition of slavery, the salt industry on Bonaire took a downturn. It wasn't until almost 100 years later that the salt industry was revitalized. Today it is a division of Cargill, Inc., one of the largest businesses in the world. It also was during this time that the island began to attract visitors. Tourism was born when the island government constructed the first ship's pier in the harbor. It allowed cruise ships to tie up alongside the wharf and discharge passengers. It also made it easier to bring in goods and supplies for the island's residents. Hotels began to spring up and cater to the early visitors who enjoyed the tranquility of Bonaire. In 1943, the construction of a modern airport south of Kralendijk made it even easier for tourists to reach the island.