Author: thedigitalphilatelist

The origins of the traditional local costume are somewhat obscure. Undoubtedly it owes much to the costume of the neighbouring French islands of Guadaloupe and Martinque. The head-dress with its three points is popularly supposed to indicate the wearer’s marital status and, if not married, her willingness, or otherwise, to…

In Dominica, modern Kalinago utilize the gommier (Dacryodes excelsa) from the Bursera family (Burseraceae) to manufacture canoes. This was the primary tree that was exploited for canoes in the early 20th century in Dominica and a fragment of a gommier canoe that washed on the shore of Mona Island was observed…

Until the 1950s there was no proper road from the capital, Roseau, either up or down the west coast of Dominica; and a harsh trek across the mountains, through the monumental green spine of the island, was the only route from one side to the other. The 1950s and 1960s…

Unlike many other Caribbean island nations, Dominica was never a suitable site for sugarcane cultivation, as rocky and mountainous terrain made plantation production impossible. Only about one-quarter of the island is cultivatable. Climate, fertility, and topography are favourable for tree crops, however, and Dominica has been a producer of coffee,…

Leptodactylus fallax, commonly known as the mountain chicken or giant ditch frog, is a critically endangered species of frog that is native to the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Montserrat. In Dominica, it is known as Crapaud (the local Creole name). Crapauds were caught under torch at night when they…

Printed in multicolour photogravure on CA (block capitals) watermarked paper by Harrison & Sons Ltd., the seventeen new stamps depict various scenes and general items of interest in and around Dominica.  The stamps measure 35.5 mm. x 26.5 mm. from perforation to perforation and they are printed in horizontal and…