Chatoyer, the chief of the Black Charaibes in St

Joseph Chatoyer, also known as Satuye (died 14 March 1795), was a

Garifuna The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and indigenous American ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language, and Vincentian ...

('' Carib'') chief who led a revolt against the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

colonial government of Saint Vincent in 1795. Killed that year, he is now considered a national hero of

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...

, and also of Belize and Costa Rica. Vincentian politician

Camillo Gonsalves Camillo Michael Gonsalves (born 12 June 1972) is a Vincentian politician, lawyer and diplomat. Gonsalves is the current Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Information Technology of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as well as the current ...

described him in 2011 as his country's "sole

national hero The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...

History

In 1772, the population rebelled. Led by Chatoyer, the

First Carib War The First Carib War (1769 – 1773) was a military conflict between the Carib inhabitants of Saint Vincent and British military forces supporting British efforts at colonial expansion on the island. Led primarily by Black Carib chieftain Jo ...

forced the British to sign a treaty with them in 1773. This was the first time Britain had been forced to sign an accord with non-white people in the Caribbean since the Maroon treaty of Jamaica in 1739. By 1795, it became apparent to the local population that Britain had no intention of obeying the treaty. The people of the Caribbean then rose in rebellion and were joined by a group of French radicals, inspired by the ideals of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, who saw Britain as a traditional enemy of France. In the

Second Carib War The Second Carib War (1795–1797) took place on the island of Saint Vincent between 1795 and 1797. The conflict pitted large numbers of British military forces against a coalition of Black Carib, runaway slaves, and French forces for control o ...

, Chatoyer divided the island with his brother Duvalle, who was another chieftain. Duvalle had a Guadeloupean lieutenant by the name of Massoteau. Working his way along the coast, Chatoyer was met by his French supporters at

Chateaubelair Chateaubelair is a large fishing village on the Leeward (west) coast of the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent, the main island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located just south of the volcano of Soufrière. Commonly referred to as j ...

, and together the forces worked their way to Dorsetshire Hill, from where they would launch their attack on the capital city,

Kingstown Kingstown is the capital, chief port, and main commercial centre of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. With a population of 12,909 (2012), Kingstown is the most populous settlement in the country. It is the island's agricultural industry centre ...

. On March 14, a battalion of British soldiers led by General

Ralph Abercromby Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby (7 October 173428 March 1801) was a British people, British soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was appointed Gov ...

, marched toward Dorsetshire Hill. That night, Chatoyer was killed by Major Alexander Leith. Though the rebellion continued until October 1796 under the leadership of Duvalle, Chatoyer's death led to the desertion of the French supporters and without their aid, the tide of the war turned in favour of the British. As a national hero of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Chatoyer is recognized with a monument on Dorsetshire Hill, where he died.

Legacy

Although Chatoyer died before the remainder of the rebels were deported to Roatan in

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

, from where they spread along the Caribbean coast of Central America and became known as the

people; he is considered to have been a Garifuna warrior. After a major push led by the National Youth Council of St.Vincent and the Grenadines and other groups, Chatoyer became the nation's first National Hero on March 14, 2002. Since then, March 14th has been celebrated as National Heroes Day, a time when many can remember the struggle against British and French colonialism. A play based on his life, ''

The Drama of King Shotaway ''The Drama of King Shotaway, founded on Facts taken from the Insurrection of the Caravs on the Island of St. Vincent, written from Experience by Mr. Brown'' (1823) was a play believed to be by William Henry Brown. The first known play by a black ...

,'' was written by William Henry Brown, an African American from the West Indies, and Director of the African Theatre. It was the first play written in the United States by a black man. The play was produced by the African Company at the

African Grove Theatre The African Grove Theatre opened in New York City in 1821. It was founded and operated by William Alexander Brown,Hatch, James V., and Ted Shine. ''Black Theatre USA: Plays by African Americans: The Early Period, 1847––1938''. New York: Free, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1823, but no manuscript survived.Peterson, Bernard
''Early Black American Playwrights and Dramatic Writers: A Biographical Directory and Catalog of Plays, Films, and Broadcasting Scripts''
Greenwood Publishing, 1990, pp. 37–39.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatoyer, Joseph 1795 deaths Saint Vincent and the Grenadines chiefs Saint Vincent and the Grenadines rebels Garifuna people People from Saint Vincent (Antilles) Year of birth unknown