Westpunt (part 1)

Di Watamula te Punta Kayon is an old saying to indicate Curaçao from east to west: Watamula lies between the extreme north and the extreme west of the island, and Punta Kayon (Punt Kanon) is the easternmost point of Curaçao.

Watamula is near Westpunt. Although the name suggests otherwise, this former fishing village thus lies in the extreme north of Curaçao. All barios on Curaçao that lie on the sea have bays — if they lie on the calm south coast — or boka's, deep inlets, if they lie on the wild north coast. Westpunt is — through its position at the end of the island — an exception and has both bays — Playa Piskadó, Playa Fòrti, Playa Gépi and Playa Kalki — and as many as 11 boka's. A number of these boka's lie in the Shete Boka National Park, managed by Carmabi. (See the map of the boka's of Westpunt.)

The name Westpunt already appears around 1700 in the archives of the West India Company, WIC. According to the neighbourhood profile it comprises the neighbourhoods Sabana, Papaya and Zorgvliet near Westpunt, Coral, Mishé and furthermore the above-mentioned wild north coastline with the 11 boka's. The former plantation Zorgvliet is nowadays part of the Christoffel Park at Savonet.

Westpunt — in popular speech also called Wèspén or Papaya — is one of the most thinly populated neighbourhoods of Curaçao. Westpunt has been inhabited since 1816 by free people, enslaved people who had bought their freedom, who were allowed to settle there with permission of the island administration and "after prior consent of the neighbours". Unlike most villages/neighbourhoods on Banda bou, Westpunt has had no plantation past, and no landhuis ever stood here. After the abolition of slavery in 1863 a larger group of ex-enslaved people settled at Westpunt, probably coming from nearby plantations such as Santa Cruz, Knip and Savonet. Around 1850 300 people lived at Westpunt, who busied themselves mainly with fishing, but also farming (at neighbouring plantations) and livestock keeping. Income was also gained from picking divi-divi pods, cutting aloe, burning charcoal and lime, and plaiting hats, baskets, ropes and fishing nets. Furthermore, people lived fairly independently through carpentry, masonry, smithing and butchery.

The Catholic Church and the last owner of Savonet, Mathias Erasmus van der Dijs, finally played an important role in the further development of Westpunt.

Through the rise of the phosphate and oil industry and side activities and trade at Santa Barbara and in the city, many residents moved away at the beginning of the 19th century in search of a better income.

Papaya

Papaya or Papayatuin is an area south-west of Westpunt, east of Zorgvliet and on the border with Knip. It was formerly also called Wel te Vrede or Fourth July. During the English rule in 1814 the owner received permission to keep "a herd of horned cattle and a flock of sheep". Because of this privilege of grazing livestock, the valuation of Papayatuin in 1862 was much higher than one would expect of such a small plantation. At Papaya there were also many divi-divi trees whose pods were used as an export product for tanning leather. At Seru Papaya there are now many luxurious (weekend) houses, restaurants and holiday apartments.

Quarrel over water

Residents of Westpunt were in the past dependent for drinking water on a well at Papaya, which later belonged to a certain Gracia. Gracia once felt that few residents of Westpunt had turned up for a planned cleaning of the well. She then decided to poison the well by throwing manzaliña branches into it. Residents of Westpunt were thereby forced to make a long detour to fetch water in Kenepa or Savonet. But because the well stood on public, unfenced land and someone could accidentally drink of the water, she was forced from above to clean it again quickly.

It was not the first time the well water had been made unusable. And so a request was directed, via the pastor, to the district master to be allowed to dig a well at their own expense.

The first church

The very first Holy Mass at Westpunt was held on 21 September 1849 in the house of Petronella Boelbaai. Later in that same year the first church of Westpunt came at Papaya. In February 1849 monseigneur Niewindt had in fact received permission from the colonial government to build a church here. Besides the pastor, Gregorius van Gastel, and his little altar, only 10 people could fit in the little church; the rest stood outside. So within a few days parishioners built a shelter 13 metres long with a straw roof against the little pastor's house.

Spiritual development

The nearby Savonet van der Dijs was at that time one of the best-producing plantations on Curaçao, thanks to, among other things, progressive and modern farming methods applied there. Besides Savonet and Papaya, Van der Dijs also owned the nearby plantation Zorgvliet and a piece of land by the bay of Westpunt. He donated a piece of land in the south-west corner of Papaya, bordering the bay of Westpunt, to the Catholic Church, intended for the construction of a church and a school. On 1 December 1849 the new church with rectory, built extremely simply from clay and wood and covered with maize straw, stood here under one roof. And dedicated to Saint Peter. The previous two church buildings were more clay huts with straw roofs. For the building of a stone church Van der Dijs again donated a piece of land at Papaya. The stone church was an initiative of monseigneur Niewindt, who came to Westpunt in person to officially receive the donation — after survey by the government. All parishioners of Savaneta, Kenepa, Lagun, Papaya, Coral and Sabana streamed to Westpunt to greet Niewindt. The parish then consisted of 300 free people and 500 enslaved people.

Around 1850 about 19 enslaved people were also freed by Van der Dijs and received "van Thijs" as their surname.

Stones on heads

With sledgehammer and pickaxe, pieces were hacked from rocks around 1850 and transported in baskets and bins on the head to the building site. Carts and donkeys for transporting building material were only obtained later from Abraham de Veer, at that time overseer of the plantations Kenepa and Lagun. Clay was dug up and all the wood was supplied free of charge by enslaved people of Van der Dijs. Other plantation owners also let their staff help, so that 5 months later the church was already completed.

For the building of churches, school and rectory the pastor always asked permission to cut wood and burn lime on the beach of Playa Kalki to obtain building materials. This happened in 1850 to build the church. And in 1862 for the school and a rain tank, and also in 1872 to build the present stone rectory.

The rain tank did well: in a good rain year the pastor sold water for months at 2.5 cents per tin from the full rain tank at the rectory.

In 1854 a cemetery was laid out at the government's urging. People feared a cholera epidemic and were afraid there would not be enough burial grounds. In 1872 the bishop applied for a piece of land to extend the cemetery eastward.

Socio-cultural centre

The church was the centre of social-cultural life at Westpunt. Contact with Willemstad, such as announcements from the government, ran via the pastor, as did information about which cargo ships would moor in the bay of Westpunt and which products would be available. Everything was announced during Mass at Westpunt.

It was cosy there: from the very beginning — for lack of an organ — instruments such as violin, guitar and kuarta and sometimes even tambourine were used to accompany the singing.

The men came on donkeys, which were tied up on the church square — Plenchi Buriku (Donkey Plank). Some ladies came after often walking for hours from Kenepa and Lagun. Close to the church the dusty alpargatas were exchanged for neat shoes and the head was covered with a veil: with bare head you ran the risk of not being allowed to receive Holy Communion.

After Holy Mass the parishioners lingered to chat and exchange news over a cup of coffee or chocolate on the church square, where local sweets were also sold.

Religious feasts such as Christmas, Easter and First Holy Communion were also occasions for social-cultural activities.

San Pedro

Especially at the celebration on 29 June, the feast day of San Pedro, Prince of the Apostles, patron of fishermen and of the parish of Westpunt, visitors from far and wide came to attend the blessing of the sea. At this event the decorated statue of San Pedro is transported in a rigged-up boat to Playa Grandi, from where the crowd walks in procession to the church.

Pastor te Riele once, during a long drought, had a heavy stone statue of San Pedro carried by 12 fishermen in procession around the church. At the moment the procession re-entered the church, it immediately began to rain.

Dia di San Pedro is still celebrated every year by the inhabitants of the fishing village, with the monseigneur coming to Westpunt to bless the sea. The statue of San Pedro, on the left in front of the church building, is a gift from the De Jongh family to the parish. To prevent discussions about whether the statue should face the church or the sea, it was placed so that the saint can see both the church and the sea. The statue is further said to have been placed so that its shadow falls over the altar in the afternoon.

On the right in front of the church building the shooters' house (schuttershuis) formerly stood and helicopters formerly landed for military training. There is also a staircase here from which one can descend to Playa Grandi.

Poverty

The pastor was the central figure in the village. He asked for, received and managed government money to dig wells. Or to improve roads as job creation in times of little rain and failed harvests.

In times of drought in 1902 and 1903 people stood in rows at the rectory, begging for money and food. With gifts from the bishop to the pastor the poverty could be alleviated somewhat. In 1915 the pastor of Westpunt received 50 guilders every month from the government to distribute among the poor, and in 1919 also maize meal to hand out to poor schoolchildren.

Van Koolwijk

In 1878 Westpunt got a special pastor, a secular priest: A.J. Van Koolwijk, who sympathised with his parishioners and made many extensions to the church. But he was above all a scientist: he did much research at places where Indians had lived, such as on the high rocks by the sea between Westpunt and Knip. The location was about 2 hectares in size and strewn with fragments of shellfish such as the karkó and many potsherds. Van Koolwijk also investigated indigenous dwelling places at Ascencion and San Juan.

Old church becomes new school

Father Smitz, pastor at Westpunt from 1886 to 1869, had a well dug, Poos Marie — in popular speech Po'i Marí — that for years supplied the whole population with water. Pastor van de Pavert, the eighth pastor of Westpunt, collected material for a new, larger church by having solid rocks blown up. His successor Father de Bruyn began in 1897 the construction of the present church of Westpunt. He was architect, contractor, carpenter, mason and smith all in one and immediately trained young people at Westpunt in those crafts.

The old church was largely fitted out as the "new school". On 7 December 1898 the inauguration took place of the present, fourth church of Westpunt, with the pastors of Barber and Willibrordus also present.

In 2025 pastor Alphonsus Baak took leave of the parish at Westpunt to go and work on Bonaire. During his 4 years at Westpunt he had renovated the rectory and converted the garage into a lunchroom where tourists can have a bite to eat. The lunchroom has to generate income for the church, which is also accessible to foreign visitors.