In the old days some Bermudians scoffed at St. David’s Island culture. Today, Ronnie Chameau’s telephone rings off the hook with questions from people researching St. David’s Island heritage.

“Even people other than St. David’s Islanders call me up,” said Mrs. Chameau, a member of the St. David’s Island Historical Society. “People say, ‘I’ve got to talk to you. Could you give me some help because I know that my ancestors are Native American’. So many have joined the St. David’s Historical Society who are not from St. David’s.”

Cherri DeSilva, treasurer of the society’s Indian committee, said a lot of people aren’t aware that the records are available to the public in the archives.

“Usually, you start with a name,” she said. “It is easiest that way. From there you see what records are available. We are linked with Eugene Foggo Simon who is in Ohio. She was the one who really made the connections with the Pequots.”

To help celebrate St. David Island’s unique culture, the third bi-annual Native Bermuda Festival kicks off in June, along with an informative St. David’s night and the launch of the second St. David’s Island Calendar.

“Ever since the last festival, people have been saying when is the next one,” said Mrs. Chameau. “It is going to be fun.”

Miss DeSilva said this year promises to be even more exciting that the 2005 festival.

“This year we are having more dancers coming down,” said Mrs. Chameau. “There will be at least six drummers coming from Mashantucket Mystic River Drums and then there will be about 11 or 12 dancers. We are also working to bring down another drum group from Mashpee, Massachusetts.

“If we can get both drumming groups it will really be something.”

Miss DeSilva said the feedback from the last festival was pretty good. Some people were a little disappointed that there wasn’t more traditional St. David’s Island food.

Unfortunately, Wampanoag Sachem (the highest ranking member of the tribe), Annawon Weeden will not be able to attend the festival this year. Mr. Weeden has been a regular visitor to Bermuda, and last year visited several Bermuda schools and led dance ceremonies.

Miss DeSilva promised though that someone will come in his place.

The Native Bermuda Festival will be held on June 23 and 24 at the St. David’s Cricket Club Grounds.

On June 15, there will be a special St. David’s Night held at the Berkeley Institute Cafetorium from 7 to 9 p.m. The Ministry of Community & Cultural Affairs is providing a bus from St. David’s to the event, so that everyone can go.

“We do get a wide section of the community interested,” said Mrs. Chameau. “It was held at City Hall last year, and the place was packed to capacity. So hopefully, the Berkeley Institute will also be packed.”

She said the event wasn’t held in St. David’s because it was thought that the more central location would be more convenient for people. She also said there wasn’t anywhere in St. David’s to hold the high volume of people expected to attend the special evening.

At the St. David’s Night, there will be a number of speakers including Mrs. Chameau herself.

“I will be giving a talk about the St. David’s women, and what they did in the old days,” she said. “I will talk about all the chores and crafts that they did. I have photographs I will show using Powerpoint. I will be concentrating on all the families, not just one in particular.

“The only lady I do concentrate on is Mrs. Pansy Fox. She was a weaver and used to weave beautiful hats and other items from Palmetto and Screw Palm. All of her beautiful items can be seen at Carter House. She’s passed away. Her granddaughter, though, still has many of her materials and patterns. She has lovingly kept them.”

In the year between festivals, the Indian Committee undertook a number of projects, the most basic of which was keeping in touch with one another.

“We have been having socials to stay connected with everybody,” said Mrs. Chameau. “If you have a festival every two years then people drift apart. So we have to have socials. We have a dance group now with native dancing. The girls do really well.”

Miss DeSilva is part of the dance group who have been learning special Native American dances and traditions.

“The dance group consists of local people rooted in St. David’s Island,” Miss DeSilva said. “We have brought Morning Star down. She was the former Miss Mashantucket Tribal Princess. She held a class in St. David’s the year after the last festival.

“She showed us the basic steps. From there we just kept practising on our own. We brought her down another time to teach us the jingle dance.”

Miss DeSilva hoped her dance group would perform some of these dances at the Native Bermuda Festival.

The second St. David’s Island calendar is also now available for purchase to raise money for the St. David’s Historical Society. This year, it features traditional St. David’s Island herbal remedies as well as old-time photographs and bits of history.

“Last year the calendar was very popular,” said Miss DeSilva. “It was so popular they asked us to print an extra 500 copies, but we declined. This year we ordered the extra.”

An example of a remedy in the calendar includes a poultice of Matchmeifyoucan leaves used to treat fevers.

“I know it works because I have used it myself with my own children,” said Mrs. Chameau. “You soak the leaves in white vinegar and put them on the pulse area of the body. Wrap them up in a blanket and let them perspire. That was passed down to me from my mother from her mother. When my father ran out of shoe polish, he would polish his shoes with the leaf from the prickly pear. He would split it in two and rub it in the soot of the fireplace, and rub it into the shoe.

“In the olden days because we didn’t have cosmetics, we would use the prickly pear fruit as lipstick and rouge. Oldtimers also used to pierce their ears with the needle of the prickly pear. They would burn the tip and then stick it into the ear. We also have different herbal teas in there like Father John. We will be explaining in the calendar what that was used for.”

She said many of the old photographs included in the calendar were donated by Barbara Roberts of St. George’s whose husband was a photographer.

“Her family lived on St. David’s,” said Mrs. Chameau. “They lived on Westcott Island, which is one of the islands that is under the runway.”

At the festival, tickets will be sold at the door. It is $5 for adults and $2 for children and seniors.