The picture of the calabash tree and the children were taken by Jamal Kerr Loskot and the logo was created by Peggy Kerr. The third photograph is by Louise Crawford. Courtesy of the Crooked Tree Village Reunion 2008 Planning Committee
Crooked Tree Village, in the Belize District, is a community of over 1,000 inhabitants. Established as a logging community, Crooked Tree was settled almost 300 years ago. The timber cutters reached the area by way of the Belize River, Black Creek and Spanish Creek. The early settlers, the Tillett’s, Gillett’s, Crawford’s and Cadle’s were of English and Scottish origin and arrived with their African slaves.
Crooked Tree Village is actually an island. This village of large trees homestead is surrounded by Revenge Lagoon, Western Lagoon and Spanish Creek. The little island appealed to our forefathers, and they established a tiny permanent encampment there. According to legend, one of the Tillett’s noted a large twisted bullet wood tree in the area of the settlement and thus the village got the curious name of Crooked Tree.
Over 100 years ago the Baptist Mission started a church and school in the village. The Nazarene Mission later established a church and a health center. The village now boasts a primary school, a government sponsored hearth clinic, hotels and guest-houses, restaurants, commercial bus service, cable TV and an independent water board.
There are several ways to reach this unique village. During the rainy season, one can take a boat from Belize City travelling up the Belize River, then into Black Creek and Spanish Creek. By road one can travel along the Phillip Goldson Highway, detouring to the west near mile 31 onto a 3 mile feeder road where you will be charmed by a half-mile causeway across a sky-blue lagoon welcoming you into the village.
The village is almost an Eden of fruits, specializing in thousands of cashew trees. The inhabitants are agriculturist, rearing cattle and growing rice, corn and ground foods. Fish and game abound in the area of Crooked Tree. Village life is quiet, sports are popular and the cool pine ridge and lagoon air engenders a healthy environment where sickness is rare. One year of assessment shows that 45 people were born in the village and only 6 died.
In 1983, Crooked Tree Village was declared a National Wildlife Sanctuary, to be managed by The Belize Audubon Society. This development precipitated some misunderstandings among the villagers, as some of the laws governing the sanctuary were contrary to their traditional ways of life. These laws regulated fishing, hunting, grazing of animals in the wetland areas and clearing of land for Milpa in the buffer zone. It was during these misunderstandings that a gentleman by the name of Tom Grassyy from a tour company called “International Expedition” came up with an idea to try to divert the villagers into a new industry; cashews. In time, this new idea grew into the “Crooked Tree Cashew Festival”. This festival is now an annual event that attracts thousands of Belizeans as well as international visitors. This festival showcases the Kriol culture, its history, village-life, rural artisans, old fashion fire hearth food and a number of locally produced cashew products.
The beauty, quality and friendly personality of Crooked Tree Village endures today.
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