Cas Abou

Cas Abou is not only one of the oldest but also one of the smallest and one of the most frequently sold plantations on Curaçao. The salt pans too are among the oldest on the island, as is the plantation house, which was certainly built before 1750. Furthermore, one of the most beautiful sandy beaches on the island is located here, and today it is a popular tourist attraction on Bándabou.

The former plantation Cas Abou, alias Engelenberg, was also called Engelsberg, Engubèr or Hansje* and lies between Porto Marie and San Juan. It was established in 1686 by a commissioner of the island council, Willebrord van Engelen. He was also the owner of the plantation van Engelen, close to Mahaai.

Over the centuries Cas Abou has not been subdivided, except for the part that was given away as a gift around 1730, hence the name "Giftenberg" (Gift Hill). The house that arose there was later called e cas abou (low house, or lower-lying house) and eventually displaced the original Engelenberg as the name of the plantation. The name Cas Abou was certainly already used in 1910 for the plantations Giftenberg and Engelenberg, which had been merged again since 1835.

Punt Halvendag

Incidentally, when laying out the plantation Van Engelen went about felling trees just a little too zealously and at one point found himself on the government land between Engelenberg and his nearest neighbours of plantation San Juan. They had followed his activities with suspicion and successfully alerted the island council. Van Engelen, who had by then already been felling for a day and a half on forbidden ground, was forced to stop. The name "anderhalve dag" (a day and a half) was corrupted into (Punta) Halvendag and lives on at this location between the two plantations…

Another explanation for the name is that by sailing ship you needed half a day to sail from this point to Willemstad.

Cas Abou is bounded by San Juan in the east; in the west it borders Porto Marie. On the border of these plantations lie walls between which ran a patrol path. This was laid out by the government of the time for the benefit of patrols so that they could reach the coast undisturbed by sometimes troublesome plantation owners.

Residential groups

The Werbata map of 1909 shows three groups of small houses on Giftenberg, and the foundations can still be seen both north and south of the plantation house: each time a stone house with straw dwellings next to it. It is not clear whether these were family settlements, something that is still very common on Bándabou. The Archaeology Working Group found a great many artefacts here, including bottles but also a "Plaja": a special floor of finger coral that formerly served to let the laundry dry. Besides the residential groups, close to the plantation house there is also a second large mangasina (storehouse).

Investment

The plantation was about 400 ha in size and, besides salt extraction, mixed farming was practised here. Cas Abou lies between two hills in a valley/water-catchment area that drains the rainwater to the Playa di Shon. In the past many dams, wells, tanki's (tanks), drinking troughs for livestock and other water works were built here. Indigo was also grown, from which blue dye was obtained for dyeing textiles.

Cas Abou was often owned by merchants who regarded it as an investment, so it was often sold when they were short of cash flow. The plantation house was a ruin for a long time due to destruction during the great uprising of enslaved people and during the English invasion in the 19th century.

Restoration

In 1970, along with the nearby mangasina on the north side, it was restored under the direction of the architect Serge Alexenho. Façades, dormers and windows were changed in the process. Inside the house original material was used throughout, and in particular the woodwork of the ceiling, doors and the staircase to the upper floor are impressive.

As is usual in older houses on the island, the kitchen is situated in the south-west corner so that cooking smells are carried away by the wind. Close to the kitchen, in the same corner, a two-seater toilet house was built. This is a peculiarity, because toilet facilities were scarce at plantation houses, and besides Cas Abou, Savonet was also known on Bándabou for these facilities, and on Bándariba it was Jan Sofat.

According to ambitious plans, the house was to be fitted out as a country club and the access from the sea to the old salt pan was to be transformed into a marina. But around 1980 only the Seru Wea di Awa (water pot) was developed, for the construction of a villa neighbourhood.

Also striking at Cas Abou and nearby Porto Marie is the special ball cactus that is not often encountered on Curaçao. At Cas Abou it grows exuberantly on the limestone soil, but also on broken-off boulders: it is the Mammillaria mammillaris, or Milon di seru di tete: a ball cactus with nipple-like protrusions.

Curaçao also has another neighbourhood named Cas Abou: a small kunuku on Seru Fortuna bieu, the greater part of which is still undeveloped (see Seru Fortuna).

*Not to be confused with Hansje between Santa Cruz and Barber.

Sources

M.A. Visman, De herkomst van onze streek- en plantagenamen; Werkgroep Archeologie, Cas Abou, various reports 2012.

With thanks to the Werkgroep Archeologie (Archaeology Working Group), Michèle van Veldhoven, François van der Hoeven, Helma Maduro-Molhuijsen and Frensel Mercelina.