Tula
Tula
Monument
Image
© 2002 Softweb Creations, LLC
On
August 17, Curacao commemorate the revolt of the slaves in
1795. This revolt was lead by an independence fighter called
Tula. Tula was one of the slaves that was currently stationed
in Curacao at that time. A monument was especially made to
commemorate Tula. This monument is located on the south coast
of Curacao between "Koredo" and "Holiday Beach
Hotel".
The revolt
started at Plantage Knip van Caspar Lodewijk van Uytrecht
at Band'abou in Curacao on the morning of August 17, 1795.
Tula was able to convince 40-50 slaves to join him in his
fight. He was able to freed himself and these slaves and escaped
from the camp and went to Lagun, where he was able to freed
22 more slaves.
Tula had a revolt partner. His name was Bastian Karpata. He
and his other slave followers waited for Tula at a sugar farm
called Sint Kruis. At this point, Jan en Miguel Boelbaai,
gave the escape slaves rum mixed with powdered goat's horn
to drink This drink was called "awi huramentu" which
means sworn water.
Tula
sent one of his follower, the French slave Louis Mercier back
to Knip to freed the other slaves. Mercier first attacked
Sint Kruis and took commandant Van Der Grijp and 10 of his
mulats prisoner. Mercier also attacked Knip and was able to
free more slaves and was able to get more weapons. After achieiving
his goal, he went back to Tula by following all the damaged
area Tula had left behind after his attached at other farms.
During
this time, the director Johannes de Veer was notified of this
happening and he ordered 67 men under the lead of Lieutenant
R.G. Plegher to go to Boca San Michiel by boat from Willemstad,
and from there, to go on foot to Portomari, where Tula and
his followers was camping.When the Lieutenant arrived at the
place, they attacked and lost the fight.
Johannes
de Veer was notified of the result and decided to sent 60
well armed people under the lead of Captain Baron to defeat
Tula. With this group, Priest Jacobus Schink went also. He
spook with Tula and try to come to a better solution to the
whole problem. He did not want to see a war. At this point,
Tula was aware that the French slaves got there freedom, and
that they also deserve to be freed and he did not accept any
offer from them. What they wanted, was freedom. After Schink
returned to Baron's camp, he told him the demands of Tula.
After hearing this, Baron got more reinforcement and decided
to attack. Baron gave an order to shoot any slave with a weapon.
Between 10-20 slaves were killed and the rest escaped.
Tula
did not gave up the war yet. The slaves where poisoning their
enemies water and steal their food, until Tula and Karpata
was captured and betrayed by a slave called Caspar Lodewijk.
At this point, the war was over. After Tula was captured,
he was publicly tortured to death. Despite its tragic end,
the revolt of August 17 is remembered as the start of a long
and wearisome road to the emancipation of the people.
Luis
Brion
Luis
Brion-1782-1821
Image © 2002 Softweb Creations, LLC
Luis
Brion was born on July 6, 1782 at Santa Ana in Curacao. He
was the second son of a wealthy business man who was originally
from South Netherlands. To get a better education in business,
he left to Amsterdam when he was very young. In 1800, Luis
Brion went to the United States and became a seaman and business
man. Around this time, there was a war going with the British
where Curacao was victim of the whole situation. Luis Brion
was always able to get through the barrier created by the
British around Curacao, and brought necessary things to Curacao.
The governor made him Captain of the National Guard in 1805
at Fort Beekenburg at Caracasbaai, where the British had invaded
the island. Luis Brion fought back and was able to get rid
of the British.
Luis
Brion of Curacao is rightly honored in Venezuela as having
been the right arm of the great Venezuelan hero, Simon Bolivar.
He was a staunch supporter of the struggle for democracy and
human rights, and placed both his wealth and his fleet at
the disposal of
Latin-American revolutionary. Through the Latin American revolution
he was able to support the emancipation movement on Curacao
and the other Caribbean islands.
At the
end of the war, Luis Brion was in great depth and he became
very depressive. He return to Curacao tired, weak and disappointed
in August 26, 1821. Months later, he past away on a family
farm Rozentak.
