Wespunt (part 2)
The Westpunt district begins just after Savonet. Travelling along the road, one passes through Zorgvliet, Sabana di Westpunt and Mishé in succession. Here the village center begins, marked by three hills: Seru Mishé, flattened by the road to Westpunt that runs over it; the twin-peaked Seru di Sabana di Westpunt, with two summits at 159 and 170 meters. From the highest summit, horn blowers Tochi Wawoe and Felipe Ricardo announced the news and, in the event of a death, solemnly proclaimed the name of the deceased. Approaching thunderstorms, the time for pagatera payments, and the arrival of cargo boats bringing goods from the city were also announced from here. These cargo boats carried lime and aloe from Westpunt back to Punda. The third hill is Seru di Brandar, which has four summits, the highest reaching 90 meters.
The entrance to Westpunt can also be recognized by the large, old, empty water tanks and the transmission masts at the site.
MishéA concentration of houses can be seen at Seru di Mishé. The Mishé neighborhood, also spelled Misje or Miesje, extends to just beyond a small, stately house on the left side of the road. This house is incorrectly referred to as Landhuis Mishé. According to Juan-Boy van Tijs, an elderly resident of Westpunt, it was built in the past by Johans Martina, a bus driver who also kept horses, goats and sheep.
Near the old police station was Po’i Maria, the large, hand-dug well that always contained water. A public water tap was later installed here.
A little farther along was a second public well, Pos di Hosé, just behind the current Chinese restaurant. This well has also been filled in. Across the road is the famous Jaanchie’s fish restaurant, owned by Janchi Christiaan.
Beyond the Cemetery to SabanaThe area north of the cemetery (santana) is called Sabana di Westpunt. In the past, Sabana was open government land, consisting mainly of grassland where the livestock of nearby residents could graze freely. (Sa means low, while bana means vegetation.)
At the end of 1886, acting district administrator Eskildsen visited the savanna in response to the many applications for plots of land for housing. He observed widespread poverty and managed to persuade the governor to make an exception for Westpunt to the restrictions on land allocation. Eskildsen subsequently regularly issued plots for the construction of houses. By early 1890, 48 plots covering a total area of 100 hectares had been allocated in Westpunt. At that time, 1,700 hectares of land in Westpunt remained unallocated.
The Breasts, Lungs and Mouths of WestpuntNorth of the Westpunt cemetery lies Coral, locally known as Kurá, a small plantation that belonged to Colá Mambi Guillermo. It is still owned by the family that operated the popular Pachi Colá bar and restaurant here.
Playa Kalki is also located here: a small beach where Westpunt priests once burned limestone to generate income for the church. Lime was also used in the construction of the church and schools. Playa Kalki is now a popular swimming and diving destination.
Near the hotel Kurá Hulanda Lodge lies Buraku di Tomasito — Tomasito’s Hole — a tunnel that opens into a pool connected to the open sea. This was the regular fishing spot of the fisherman Tomasito.
Across from the hotel is a large dam known as Dam L because of its shape. After the rainy season, this place transforms into an idyllic little lake, attracting birds and other animals, small crabs and local boys who come for a swim.
From here, Seru Muhé, the Women’s Mountain, is clearly visible. It consists of two adjacent hills that rise from the landscape like enormous female breasts. After the rainy season, they are even richly decorated with yellow blossoms of the kibrahacha tree.
Awa ta MulaFarther north lies Watamula, where the lighthouse was installed in 1912. It was restored in 2016 at the recommendation of the Monuments Council and has been operational again since then. The white, mushroom-shaped radar domes beside it are satellite antennas.
Close to the limestone plateau of Watamula is a hole where the water churns — awa ta mula — and is forced upward with great power like a fountain. This phenomenon is called supladó, meaning “the sprayer,” from which Watamula takes its name.
There is also a small opening on this plateau that is connected to the sea underground. As the waves move in and the water retreats, it creates the impression that Curaçao is taking a deep breath.
Finally, there is Pipa di òrgel di misa, or the Church Organ Pipe: a deep hole connected to an underground cave that produces sounds resembling a church organ when the sea is rough. To prevent accidents, it has been covered with a large stone, although the cave beneath can still be seen.
Layers of salt in the rocky ground were left behind by seawater that washed over the rocks. In the past, poor people scraped off this salt and sold it door-to-door for a few cents.
North of Watamula lies Warda di dia, meaning “waiting for the morning.” It is a place where fishermen wait for dawn before venturing out onto the rough sea.
Boka’s and Sharp TeethOn the western side of Watamula lies Playa Gepi, a small, relatively unknown beach. Many gepi are caught here, a small fish with sharp teeth that is otherwise harmless.
Along the rugged northern coast near Westpunt are several inlets. From west to east, they are Boka Un, Dos Boka, Boka Djegu, Boka Manzaliña, Boka Platé, Boka Kortalijn and Boka Wandomi. These are followed by Shete Boka, Boka Tabla, Boka Kalki, Boka Pistol and Boka Braun, all of which belong to the coastal area of Westpunt.
Finally, a long dam marks the boundary between Westpunt and Savonet.
TragedyA tragic event in Westpunt was the collapse of the church tower. It had been built using stones cut from the white rocks at Santa Barbara. The tower, together with part of the church entrance, was completely destroyed during a severe storm on November 1, 1932.
The church was closed shortly before Christmas, and an emergency church was set up in one of the classrooms. The tower was demolished after the Christmas service.
EducationOn January 1, 1865, nuns began teaching in Westpunt. In the evenings, they also gave adults lessons in religion, reading and writing.
A sewing school was established in the house immediately beside the church on the church square. It was run by the nuns, assisted by Shon Nènè. The nuns provided education in the district for 70 years.
Playa FòrtiAs the inhabited westernmost part of the island, Westpunt was well guarded during the eighteenth century. Two forts, supported by additional defensive positions, stood on the large sandy beaches of Westpunt Bay. However, the garrison was far from adequate. The guardhouse that stood on the church square was also part of these fortifications.
On old maps, Westpunt Bay was still called Savonetsbaaitje, or Savonet Bay. It was, after all, the only bay suitable for importing and exporting products for the nearby and highly profitable Savonet plantation.
The bays of Westpunt are Playa Grandi, where the fishing boats are moored, and the smaller Playa Fòrti on the southern side of the bay. A small fort stood for a long time on the outermost rocky point here.
The fort was never used in active combat, but it certainly served a deterrent purpose. During the tense period around 1800, when, among others, the English were lurking nearby, a schooner was pursued by an English frigate. The schooner escaped by sailing beneath the guns of the small fort, thereby reaching safety.
An impressive incident occurred during World War II, when a Norwegian tanker was torpedoed and only seven of the 47 people on board could be rescued.
Bula KayónAround the 1970s, it was a popular spectacle to watch boys from Westpunt dive into the sea from the 10-meter-high cliffs near Playa Fòrti restaurant.
This was called bula kayón: diving headfirst into the sea at the fort’s cannon. It was quite risky, as there are many rocks close to the shore. Several divers became permanently disabled or even lost their lives.
In the middle of Playa Forti beach lies a rock called Piedra sombré, or “the Hat Rock,” because of its shape.
Swimming with TurtlesIn recent years, Playa Grandi has become particularly well known for the sea turtles that gather to feed on fish entrails thrown into the water by fishermen.
These turtles are giving Westpunt’s economy a new boost. Swimming with turtles is now the most popular tour offered by Curaçao’s largest tour operator, and the various local hospitality businesses also benefit from their presence.
RedaFishing with the reda, a seine net, is a traditional practice that is still widely carried out in Westpunt.
The permit to fish with seine nets between Playa Forti and Kenepa has been held by the Poulo family for more than three generations. The grandfather of the current permit holder — the doño di reda, or owner of the seine net — was blind and worked day and night weaving the net. Today, this is a vanishing craft.
When a school of masbangu fish was spotted — known as mancha di masbangu — various agreements applied between the owner of the seine net and the person who had spotted the school, known as the miradó.
The miradó often also estimated the quantity of fish and the amount of netting needed for the job. Sometimes the school was observed for days, often both day and night, until it reached the ideal depth for casting the nets.
After the net had been set and pulled into position, it was left in the water overnight. It was only removed the following day, before sunrise, because otherwise “the fish’s tongue hangs out of its mouth” and “the fish is no longer good.”
Unlike the fish species known as boka largu, which can be caught using nets with larger mesh, masbangu cannot be frozen.
The doño di reda works with a regular team of fishermen who are paid in kind with a share of the catch. Onshore, the women selling the fish are waiting to sell their share to customers. Often, a large crowd is already waiting for the fresh catch when the masbangu arrives.
Kòrta p’eNear Playa Forti, along the narrow road to Knip at the location of the present-day Rancho El Sobrino, there was once a large goat pen surrounded by a hedge of cacti.
Opposite the current Rancho was Kòrta p’e, an area of leased farmland where small-scale farmers, descendants of formerly enslaved people, still had to surrender a large portion of their harvest to the shon of Knip as rent well into the twentieth century.
Kòrta p’e means that the harvested corn was intended for the shon.
Porta di KarkóNear Kòrta p’e stood the similarly named gate, Porta di Karkó, erected by the shon of the Knip plantation.
The name Porta di Karkó referred to the large, heavy door into which a smaller door had been built.
A heavy chain was also suspended between two thick pillars. It had been installed by the shon to mark a clear boundary between free Westpunt and Knip, a plantation where enslaved people lived and worked.
One of these unique boundary markers still stands today and has been restored through the initiative of the Archaeology Working Group. As far as is known, there is only one other such boundary marker on Curaçao: the one at Meiberg near Malpais.
Sources- M.D. Latour: Eeuwfeest Westpunt: Aan Gods zegen is ’t al gelegen
- Ministry of SOAW: Buurtprofiel Westpunt
- Paul Brenneker: Sambumbu — various editions
- Els Langenfeld: Van parochie tot dorp, Antilliaans Dagblad, January 17, 2005
Acknowledgments: Juan-Boy van Tijs, Elvin Alberto, François van der Hoeven, Frensel Mercelina, Migda Poulo, Mike Jacob and Shurbey Alberto.
