Kura Hulanda

This week we took our first "Mystery Drive" of the summer and decided to see something on the island we had not experienced yet.  It is the Kura Hulanda Museum - which means "Dutch Courtyard" in Papiamentu. 

The museum is downtown and sits on the former slave courtyard near the port of Willemstad.  The museum is a collection of old buildings (some the homes of former slave owners and traders) and courtyards and depicts the history of civilization itself, various African cultures and, of course, the history of the Dutch slave trade, of which Curacao played such a prominent part. 

 

Being the history-loving family that we are, we were in for quite a treat when we got to see ancient artifacts dating from as far back as 2500 B.C.E.!!!!  We saw cuneiform tablets, bronze tools and weapons, millennia-old menorah and other things from the Sumerians, Babylonians, Hebrews and other cultures.  Even Jack was interested in seeing things dating back to our Old Testament stories of Abraham and Moses! 

After passing through a sculpture garden and pausing for a glass of guava juice, we continued on through the museum maze to a section devoted to evolution.  It was a good chance to explain to all of our kids how people have adopted a simple theory as science and how we can trust in the God of creation and how He created mankind uniquely in His own image.  The boys did enjoy seeing skulls of animals like African lions, chimpanzees, etc.  And outside, they even found (what I hope is a mere replica) a human skeleton to examine!

 

There were a number of interesting exhibits about different African cultures from Benin, Mali, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and North Africa.  It was really amazing to see how important the different dynasties and kingdoms were, the elaborate artwork and artifacts they created and the religions they adopted - all from lands we Americans know very little about. 

Here are Biblical scrolls and Coptic Christian implements used in Ethiopia in 400-500 A.D. (Jack loved knowing these came from the birthplace of his cousins, Luke and Ben!)

And here is George sitting on an African stool!  We saw one of these before in the home of some missionary friends.

 

This is a city gate from Mali and two bronze leopard statues that the boys loved.

All of this was so interesting.  But the part we had really come to see and learn about was the history of slavery on Curacao.  So far, our posts from Curacao have been all about beaches and iguanas and holiday traditions.  This is the somber side.  Curacao was one of the last strongholds of slavery in the Western Hemisphere and it is still deeply remembered. 

One of the most impacting exhibits was a small cross section of a slave ship that we had to walk down narrow, steep stairs into.  We saw how the slaves were chained together and crammed into such a small space for the trans-Atlantic voyage.  What a terrible thing.  Jack just could not understand how people could be so mean to other people. 

One of the last things we saw was a "kunuku hut" - a small slave home that was actually on a plantation here in Curacao.  It was so tiny and miserably hot inside.

We are grateful for the chance we had to learn about this side of Curacao history and to have such a sobering glimpse of the slave trade from the Caribbean side.  It was something none of us will soon forget.