Antillean Creole, Papiamentu in United States

Introduction / History

Fragments and cave paintings found on the island are widely considered remnants of the island's earliest inhabitants, the Arawak Caquetios Indians from South America, and date as far back as 1000 A.D. The Europeans arrived in 1499, when Spanish explorers found the island. The Spanish then controlled Aruba until the Dutch took over in 1636 and made the island, along with its neighbors Bonaire and Curacao, part of the Netherlands Antilles. Since then, with the exception of a brief period of English possession in 1805, Aruba has remained under Dutch control.
Early on, Aruba became a ranch economy with horse and cattle production supporting crops of mango, millet, coconut, and aloe. In 1824, the discovery of gold set off a short-lived gold rush, which was soon exhausted and later followed by the rise of the Aruban aloe industry. In the 1920s, Standard Oil built a refinery near the town of San Nicolas and became the island's largest employer. This new industry attracted an influx of immigrants from North America, Europe and the rest of the Caribbean, creating a diverse cultural mix. Soon, English was widely spoken, and it remains so today, although Aruba's official languages are Dutch and Papiamento.
Papiamento, the local Afro-Portuguese Creole language, is only spoken in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, and dates back some 300 years. Papiamento began as a simple pidgin language and evolved upon an African linguistic structure with a vocabulary made up mostly of variations on Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch words. A small number of people speak this language in the United States.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Through local foods, architecture, celebrations, and languages one can immediately see the different influences the past settlers had on their culture and language. Today, the Dutch have the most influence upon Aruban culture, even those who live in the United States. Yet their social networks in the U.S. involves people from other Caribbean islands.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Many Arubans, whose origins are rooted in Africa, and others who have adopted these practices from their influence, are involved in numerous religious traditions. Plethoras of rituals are practiced in many aspects of their lives. Some of the rituals are rooted in occult beliefs but others are not clearly linked to a religion.
Fortune telling and gambling are extremely popular in the daily lives of indigenous Arubans. Many rituals govern the 'proper' practice of these vices.

What Are Their Needs?

Like any nation, Aruba needs a clear, accurate, and consistent presentation of the Bible for evangelism and instruction. Combating the depth and concentration of ritualism and folk beliefs in the local culture will be an on-going struggle for any group seeking the spread God's good news.

Prayer Points

Pray that God will be active in revealing Himself to the Aruban people as well as throughout the world.
Pray for Aruban evangelists and disciplers to bless the Caribbean diaspora in the U.S.
Pray for revival fire to move powerfully in Aruban families and churches.

Text Source:   Joshua Project