CaribbeanChoice: Bermuda Culture & History

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1/ There is no evidence of human habitation of Bermuda prior to the arrival of Europeans.  When they arrived the island was inhabited by wild hogs, presumably the survivors of shipwrecks.  Spanish wrecks had left temporary human inhabitants who had been rescued, but who left a marker to let later arrivals know they were not the first.  The island has been continually inhabited since the wreck of the Sea Venture in 1609. It was enroute to Jamestown, Virginia. 

2/ Black Seal Rum is not brewed in Bermuda. It is distilled and blended in the Caribbean to a Bermuda recipe that has been in the Gosling family for many generations. Common mixed drinks are the Dark and Stormy (Black Seal and Barritts Ginger Beer) and Black and Coke (Black Seal and Coke).  Black Seal is also served on the rocks, or in a brandy snifter.  From the snifter, it recently scored 96 out of a possible 100 points at the World Spirits Championships. A little fun fact about the rum - the logo is a pun on words - until recently in it's history black seal rum could still be purchased in bulk from the Goslings warehouse. You brought your own bottle, they filled it, corked it, then dipped the top in black wax. Hence, the pun, Black Seal rum. 

3/ Slavery was introduced to Bermuda around 1616 by members of the Virginia company, who brought North American natives who were knowledgeable in the growing of tobacco. The venture failed, as the both climate and slaves were not well suited to cultivation of tobacco on the island. We still have the name of Tobacco Bay in St. George as the legacy of that time. Later African slaves were imported from the Caribbean.  Indentured Scots, English and Irish were also brought to Bermuda and kept in life long servitude. Convict labour was used to build the Royal Naval Dockyard, and Boer prisoners of war were pressed into chain gangs labouring on various public works. Slavery (under several guises) wasn't particularly a racial issue in here. To Bermuda's credit, between emancipation in 1834 and US emancipation in 1863, the island became a refuge to many American slaves who arrived by ship, were told by locals that they were free, and refused to return to the US.

4/ The Bermuda Colonial Government was formally on the side of the British during the US war of independence, but local Bermudians mounted a raid on the local powder magazine, stole the contents and sold it to American rebels. This makes the population of Bermuda among the oldest ally of the United States. In the 1980s when our insurance industry was threatened by proposed changes in US regulation, the premier at the time was said to have taken the bills of sale for gun powder to show the American president as evidence of the long relationship of the two peoples. 

5/ There has been an independence movement in Bermuda for many years. At times both major political parties (the United Bermuda Party and the Progressive Labour Party) have called for independence. In the UBP independence referendum of 1995, 75% voted to retain the current ties to the UK. Their fire stolen, the PLP called for a boycott of the vote by members of their party although it is generally accepted that the boycott was only partially effective.  Current polls indicate that across the population there is still only about 25% support for independence. 

6/ In recent years Bermuda has become a world leader in Insurance and Reinsurance, second in the world only to Lloyds as a center for insurance expertise and risk capacity.  Bermuda insurance companies were the first to absorb major losses immediately after the 911 terrorist attacks.  We do have other exempt company business such as the world headquarters of Bacardi, a number of other major corporations. Insurance is essentially a separate industry. It is followed by the offshore businesses with tourism taking third position in the economy. The synergy of tourism with business has worked well for Bermuda and for our visitors.

For accuracy, it should be noted that a Bermuda Exempt Company is exempted from local ownership laws, and it may not trade in the local economy.  Although there is no direct income tax in Bermuda, payroll taxes and compulsory benefits to workers amount to approximately a 10% of gross plus $5000 tax on employment earnings across the economy. There are also significant import duties (almost everything is imported to the Island), significant real property and corporate taxes.  All of these taxes apply to exempt and local companies alike. 

Edited by Stranded - 03 Apr 2007 at 2:06pm