The popularly accepted story of Guyana’s history was told mostly from the printed viewpoint of acquired Anglo rule. Indeed, by these writings and their interpretations of Guyana’s historical data, such views came to be accepted by many Guyanese and West Indians sharing they’re acquired English language, even in a post-colonial era, when grouped together in perhaps disguised extended neo-Imperial organisations.

FALSE INTERPRETATION OF DUTCH REFERENCE
Also in Guyana’s historical transition into part of the British Empire, the entire fact of two centuries of Dutch settlements in Essequibo, Berbice, and Demerara, became largely lost, surfacing only as simple-minded sensational oral stereotypes of cruel slave masters, witchcraft, and wanton rape of non-whites; especially in poorly informed reactionary 20th century writings, except for the outstanding novels of Edgar Mittelholzer. Similarly, up to now, among many Guyanese and the average foreigner, to associate Guyana with anything Dutch usually means Suriname, previously called Dutch Guiana, Anglo-Guyana’s eastern neighbour. Yet, in fact, anyone who visits Anglo-Guyana today would not fail to notice the justifiable presence of hundreds of Dutch names to villages, towns, citizens, etc. Indeed, the second largest town in Guyana is called New Amsterdam. To expect to see white Netherlanders walking around there, because of such names, is absurd, but not a denial of the hundred thousand odd Guyanese families bearing Dutch/Flemish ancestry, many beneath the male surnames of Anglo and other cultures, acquired via marriage. In fact even a good number of Dutch names have become Anglo-Guyanese inventions.

FOUNDATION OF NATIONALITY
In the 1830s, after British succession, the ability to find a future nationality involving the introduction of thousands of Portuguese, East Indians, Chinese, and other ethnicities, was difficult. And this was reflected in many writings on Guyana by emerging creative writers, except again for Mittelholzer, also Wilson Harris, E.R Braithwaithe and even Denis Williams, these easily the best. The historical lesson of contemporary Guyanese nationality, over and above inherited secular divisive ethnic loyalties, is preserved in the early example of Dutch/Flemish corporeal and cultural integration within early Guyana. It is not an example only applicable to racial mixing, or determined by it; but an overall theoretical ideal example for tolerance and open-mindedness between all the races and classes within Guyana today, who, perhaps, are on the way to a naturally evolving national future. The emergence of ‘new’ examples of human beings made from unions between any color and ethnic background, does not mean a replacement of homogeneous racial stock (which in all probability will not disappear); what it means is that new

human examples have been added to humanity, and are the fruit of humanity. Indeed they needed an original homogeneous stock to have emerged in the first place. In the end all are of equal value and worth.

HOW DUTCH REFERENCE WAS DEVALUED.
To clearly see how this vital Netherlander historical foundation and heritage was devalued within Guyana, we have to return to historical writings which concern both Guyana and Suriname. How did Suriname come to assume all reference to the Netherlands on the ‘Wild Coast’, when in fact it was first settled and governed by Anglo colonists until 1665, when the Treaty Of Breda ceded it to Holland (who now ruled both Surinam & Guyana until 1814, after which Guyana became British Guiana), almost a century after Guyana had already been a Dutch settlement? The British actually lost their colony of Suriname in the late 1650s, due to the most unfortunate incident of Lord Willouby’s English son, a sea captain, who upon learning the family ‘secret’ of his half-brother from a union between his father, Lord Willouby, and a Native Indian woman, on his voyage to Suriname massacred his half-brother and his tribes-people, who were allowed to come aboard young Willouby’s ship innocently. The reaction of the Surinamese Amerindians was vehemently fierce, and clandestine, and the Anglo settlers had no peace from native warfare, until they packed up and left Suriname; such refugee Anglo colonists helping to lay the foundation of Anglo-Jamaica.

PINCKARD’S WRITINGS ON COLONISTS
Dr Pinckard’s reports on his 1796 sojourn in Demerara and Berbice especially, though completely favourable to every English presence, or plantation owner encountered (for obvious reasons!), nevertheless does not deny personal evidence of Dutch planters whose behavior and relationship to slaves were, contrary to certain pervasive opinions of today, far from inhumane or cruel. Dutch planters like Pauels, Oborn, and young Governor Meertens are mentioned in this regard. However Pinckard saves most of his praise for the humane Anglo planter Mr. Dougan. It remains an obscure fact however that most early Dutch/Flemish colonists to Guyana were not only wealthy enough to own ships, but were classically educated, and unconventional, since Holland was a hotbed of unorthodox philosophical and Freemason ideas since the 16th century. Among this majority however were individual outcasts, actual criminals, fleeing Holland, who used their status as white men, even white families, to apply their new found vanity of racial superiority in various abusive criminal ways.

THE INTERESTING HENRY BOLINGBROKE
It would take another Anglo writer, Henry Bolingbroke, (more fair and humane than Pinckard), whose visit

from 1799 to 1802 (?), resulted in his book ‘A Voyage To Demerary’ published in 1809 to clarify the profound difference between Dutch and British colonists in Essequibo, Berbice, and Demerara. To Bolingbroke we owe the brilliant observation, that whereas the British came to these rivers to make a profit then return to England (their children born in Guyana were largely not allowed to settle there), the Dutch settlers came for life, lived and died and were buried there. It is this strange indelible Netherland element in Guyana, which remains ‘ghostly’, and leads to all sorts of ‘stories’ about their ‘spirits’ on the landscape, etc, which is still propagated in ‘folklore’ largely of the non-white remaining ethnic population.

(by Terence Roberts)