Anguilla’s original Taino population has long disappeared, but the descendants of the West African slaves and their masters from Great Britain and Ireland now live peacefully together. Today, Anguilla’s culture is a unique mix of stately British traditions and a lively Caribbean spirit. The poor soil preventing Anguilla from developing a strong plantation system during colonial times also spared Anguilla many of the racial tensions plaguing other Caribbean islands.

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Except for a brief French occupation in 1666, Anguilla remained British territory and its economy was thriving by the 1800’s. Although the plantations were smaller than those on many other Caribbean islands due to Anguilla’s sporadic rainfall and poor soil, they nonetheless prospered thanks to its mahogany, indigo, rum, sugar, and cotton exports. The only surviving plantation house is Wallblake House (The Valley).

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Many of Anguilla’s former plantation workers successfully established independent careers as sailors, fishermen, or entrepreneurs. Anguilla enjoyed several decades of peace until 1958, the year the island joined the Federation of the West Indies. The most violent time in the island’s history, the Anguilla Revolution began in 1967 after citizens ousted police forces from neighboring St Kitts and Anguilla.

Anguilla’s unique music is a mélange of West African, Indian and Western influences and presented in the form of reggae, calypso and folk music which is separate and distinct from neighboring islands.  This distinction may be due in part to Anguilla remaining one of the few United Kingdom overseas territories.

Excerpt from Colville Petty (OBE), Anguilla's foremost Historian and Culture Expert.