Cat Island Magic Cat Island - the very name conjures up images of the mysterious
and the mystical. Centuries of isolation on an island with
the richest soil in the country has created a people independent
from need for contact with the rest of the world.
The first mystery is the name itself.
Two theories exist, the most
likely
being that
Cat Island
draws its name from the hordes of feral cats, descendants
of ship mousers left behind by the Spanish found by English
settlers in the early 1600's. Another story refers to Arthur
Catt, a buccaneer pirate who used the coves and inlets of
the island as refuge.
 Abandoned
bread oven
Cat Island, beautiful and verdant, is just
now awaking from years
of being out of the spotlight.
Originally it
was thought that Columbus had first landed there. The
island was known as San Salvador until 1926, when scholars
and the powers-that-be decided that the new world landing
was elsewhere. The island's name was wrested from
it, and
it fell into slumber.
Music emanates from
Cat Island, the place musicologists refer to as the fountainhead
of indigenous
music in the Bahamas.
Haunting rhythms coaxed from home-made instruments,
their lyrics speak of times long gone
by, from a perspective of an ancient people.
And
then there is the Obeah, an ancient shamanistic practice
of spells and hexes with roots leading back to Africa.
It is thought that the two western African tribes, the
Ashanti and the Dahomeyans are the carriers
of the
wisdom
of Obeah. The spells deal with the tapestry of control,
not to change events, but to alter the outcomes and to sway
who benefits or loses.
Nowhere in
the Bahamas
is the sense of the
occult so prevalent. In previous generations of
Cat Islanders, Obeah was a daily presence, its tendrils
interwoven with
Christian
beliefs introduced by the British overseers when the land
was young.
Today, the beliefs have mostly receded into history, but
occasionally one will be reminded of the powers that once
dominated. Homes will have bottles hung from the porch,
or a wood rod placed at the peak to ward off spirits.
Although in those days, spells were
best cast by the Obeah Man, there are some that you can
try
for yourself.
If you find yourself in the position where a person you
love doesn't know you exist, write the name of the person
you desire on a piece of paper and put it in a bottle of
brown sugarwater. Hide the
bottle in a dark corner of the house and the person you love
should come to you in a few days.
Company staying too long? To get an unwanted
guest to leave your house, turn your broom upside down and
sprinkle
salt on it.
Troubled? To
get rid of something that worries you, think about it each
day
for
ten days while holding money
in your
hand. At the end of ten days, drop the money
in the street and whoever picks it up will take your worry from you.
Nowadays, Cat Island magic is still
strong, but it is now quite safely confined to the
spell woven on virtually all visitors by its beautiful beaches,
rolling green hills,
and endless
turquoise
seas.
 Calm
Harbour
Modern Cat Island makes for a beautiful
destination, with miles and miles of sand
beaches
all to
yourself.
As a homesite for those who wish to live
in splendid seclusion, regular shipping from Nassau, and
a little
planning
means that you will want for nothing.
The price of Cat Island
land, particularly beach land is a tremendous bargain,
one of
the last places in the Bahamas where beautiful location,
choice and attractive pricing
can still be found together. But don't wait too long.
Cat Island is fast becoming a talked-about find.
Who knows, maybe it will be you. Listen
carefully then, as you sit relaxing on your verandah overlooking
a stunning
Cat
Island waterscape. Perhaps you will hear a voice or two
whispering some of the
old legends, reminding you that you too have been bewitched.
Cat Island Quick Facts:
Population: 1,647 (Bahamas
2000 Census)
Size: 150
Sq. miles
Highest Point: Mt.
Alvernia, 206 feet (highest point in Bahamas)
Location: Lat.:
N24 20' 00" Long.: W75 28' 00"
Distance from Nassau:
130 miles (209km) southeast of
Nassau
325
miles
(523km) southeast of Miami
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