Pannekoek
In July 1725 people already spoke of "the piece of land of Gerrit Pannekoek, who had laid out a plantation here with the name Klein Kolonie". It was also called Klijne Kloof, referring to the passage between two hills from Pannekoek to Soto. But as usual on Curaçao, popular speech prevailed in the naming and it remained: Pannekoek. Plantation Pannekoek is only a part of the former Klein Kolonie, and the name "kolonie" still lives on as "Colonia", a small area east of Pannekoek.
No cattle
In the 17th century Pannekoek still belonged to the extensive grazing grounds between the company plantations Leliënberg (near Barber) and Rif Sint Marie. The present geographic location is best indicated as: east of Soto and north of San Juan. With a size of 175 hectares Pannekoek was a fairly small plantation where mixed arable farming was practised, and a hofje with palm trees also stood here. Some small livestock was also kept, but Pannekoek, alone among the westerly plantations, had no cattle.
The landhuis
The first deed of purchase of Pannekoek dates from 1774, but other transfer documents show that the present landhuis was only built after 1790. Before that there had been only "an old dilapidated straw house", and 3 enslaved people and 321 sheep were further mentioned.
Unlike many other landhuizen, that of Pannekoek was built not on but at the foot of a hill. It also lies more to the west on the terrain and not in the middle, as is more usual in the layout of landhuizen.
The traditional and simple little landhuis has a characteristic freestanding rain tank on the east side, to which the rainwater is led from the roof via a little channel over the ground. Judging by the date engraved in the gable, the rain tank dates from 1868. It was built when the government bought the landhuis for the placement of the district commissioner.
Kunuku's
The plantation was later bought by the government several times and merged with Dokterstuin, and then divided into kunuku's, farming plots, for the benefit of poor farmers. In 1863 it was only Pannekoek and Dokterstuin, and after the abolition of slavery plots were leased to formerly enslaved people.
Around 1863 the landhuis was bought by the government as housing and practice for the district commissioner. After emancipation he was appointed to supervise the emancipated. Besides the district master, quarters for the marechaussee (military police) and a small prison for troublemakers were also set up.
The k(n)oek is divided
At the end of 1863 / beginning of 1864 a total of 22.5 hectares was leased at Pannekoek / Dokterstuin, divided over 13 plots. In connection with cutbacks the government sold the plantations in 1871, the salaried district commissioners were replaced by unpaid district masters, and the farmers lost their kunuku's.
But in 1913 the government bought, besides Pannekoek and Dokterstuin, also Flip, Leliënberg and parts of Wacao and Barber, and leased this contiguous area in kunuku's of 2 to 5 hectares each to farmers. Various dams were also built at that time. From this purchase onward, plantation Pannekoek remained government property.
The doctor at Pannekoek
When the plantation Groot Santa Martha was bought by the government in 1952, the doctor's post that had been housed there moved to landhuis Pannekoek. Here it served for a short time as a doctor's surgery for Soto and surroundings.
Since 1967 the landhuis has been managed by Stichting Jeugdcentrale Curaçao, JCC, which as new owner later extended it with, among other things, a caretaker's house, recreation room and shower facilities. Landhuis Pannekoek is now in use as a training centre.
Social life
Pannekoek never had a church building, and residents always attended the nearby church of Soto. After the abolition of slavery in 1863 people lived here from farming, livestock keeping and fishing. Other sources of income were hat plaiting, picking dividivi pods, cutting aloe and burning charcoal. Because of its location close to the sea, "harvesting" salt and fishing were also essential for the inhabitants of Pannekoek.
In search of better work, a number of men moved in the early 20th century to countries such as Santo Domingo, Suriname, Cuba and Panama. The trek to Cuba to work in the sugar-cane fields there was also popular.
In the second half of the same century the trek to the city began, to work in the phosphate industry, oil industry and trade that had got under way there.
Little hills
Well-known hills in the bario are Seru Bekechi (meaning of name unknown), Seru di Warawara and Seru Gabilan. (Warawara and Gabilan are birds.)
The Seru Gabilan, 114.6 m, on Pannekoek, Seru Bandera 95.3 m, Seru Kabayé 135.9 m and Seru Kalebas 108.2 m on Dokterstuin, and the Kabrietenberg 84.6 m on plantation Barber form a long chain of hills. This chain connects the Kaminda Serapio A. Pinedo with the Kaminda Próspero "Popo" Rojer, two main roads in Pannekoek and surroundings.
Sources
- Brenneker: Sambumbu, various editions
- M. Visman: Herkomst van onze streek- en plantagenamen
- Newton: Architectuur en bouwwijze van het Curaçaose landhuis
- Ministerie SOAW: Buurtprofiel Soto
- Report of the Werkgroep Archeologie on Soto
- Knipselkrant Curaçao, 8 February 2015
With thanks to: François van der Hoeven, Frensel Mercelina, Jeroen Heuvel and Christel Monsanto.
