Lower Elementary Level

Young Masqueraders, Christiansted, St. Croix

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An African tradition, street masquerading on holidays has been a popular cultural tradition in St. Thomas and St. Croix since the eighteenth century. Initially confined to adults, children have been practitioners since the early twentieth century as demonstrated by this photograph. The early holiday masquerades influenced what would later…
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Photograph of a Person Driving a Horse Drawn Cart

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Horse-draw carts have existed for a long time, they were an important form of transportation throughout the world, including in the US Virgin Islands. Among their popular uses, they were a primary means that merchants used to bring their wares to towns and markets. In terms of technology, the…
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St. John Market Basket

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The production of market baskets was once an important industry on the island of St. John. Many baskets were made in the first half of the 1900s. The baskets were made mainly of two materials. Both materials are found on St. John. The first is hoop vine (Trichostigma octandrum)….
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Analyze a Photograph of Children Playing Marbles in French Village, St. Thomas

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Games played with marbles have been around for a long time. Early marbles, made of rounded pebbles and clay, have been found in ancient sites in different areas of the world. Modern marbles, like those sold in stores today, are largely made of glass. In the Virgin Islands, games…
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Analyze a Photograph of a Public Well on St. Thomas

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Fresh water is required for human survival. Freshwater is scarce in the Virgin Islands. In 1941, when this photograph was taken people collected water for their personal household use from rainfall and from ground water. We can access ground water by using a well. Ground water comes from rain…
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Analyze a Painting of St. Thomas by Camille Pissarro

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Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro was born on July 10, 1830, in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Danish West Indies. He is well known for his contributions in the field of art. He was an impressionist painter. Impressionist artists paint an impression of what the landscape, person or object looks like…
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Analyze an Amerindian Fishing Hook found at Longford, St. Croix

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The islands of the Antilles were home to thriving cultures for some 3,500 years before Europeans and Africans arrived in the late 1400s. These early people included the Tainos and the Island Caribs. They used stones, bones, and shells to make tools and ornaments. Their tools, like this fishing…
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Analyze an Amerindian Stone Ax found at Little Cruz Bay, St. John

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Through research, archeologists have found signs that suggests that the first people arrived in the Virgin Islands around 2500 to 3000 years ago. In the Virgin Islands, over 210 sites belonging to Amerindian cultures have been uncovered and identified. Some of the important village sites found and studied on…
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Analyze a Lithograph of Charlotte Amalie Harbor from 1850

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From the 1700s to present day, the economic success of St. Thomas was dependent on the maritime trade passing through its large and protected harbor. This artwork, from around 1850, shows the harbor at the peak of its prosperity under Danish rule, when it was frequented by both sailing…
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A look at transportation in Christiansted, St. Croix in 1941

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The way people get around the US Virgin Islands, and the world, has changed a lot over the last 100 years. Horse-drawn carts, horse drawn covered carriages and people on foot, would later be joined by bicycles, then early automobiles. Horse-drawn vehicles would eventually be completely replaced by automobiles….
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