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local Thursday 3 OcTOber 2024
Aruba’s neighborhoods; the meaning behind their names

Just like any other country, Aruba developed to have luxurious villas
has unique and beautifully named and a golf course, which lead to it
neighborhoods that all form a part of getting the name Tierra Del Sol, Span-
its culture and development. Many of ish for Land of the Sun. The name is
these names have a historical back- not an official name, but the name of
ground and meaning that teaches us the development proyect that took
about the island and its rich culture place. It is hoped that the original
every day. and ‘old’ name of Anabui is never
lost and now it will be remembered
With this series, we want to take you by both locals and tourists.
on a journey of discovery, where
you’ll learn not only the beautiful Angochi
names but the history behind it that This name can be seen on the Wer-
gives it life and meaning. bata map with little and cursive let-
ters. It is the unofficial name for the
Anabui/Tierra Del Sol area given by a tenant to the land
This neighborhood can be seen on that was rented to him.
Van Raders map and Werbata as
Anna Boei. Anna Boei is a name of The biggest probability that historians
which there isn’t much information believe is that it comes from native
about its origin. descent, during the time in the 19th
century where Mestizos still lived on
The best historians were able to de- Aruba. The name can’t really be ex-
duce is that this name came to be plain and according to books on its
because of a miscommunication history seems to be more of a sign
between Van Spengler and the na- of corruption.
tives who were living on the island.
In the Arawak/Taino language one However, it seems to come from
can find the word Anaiboa, which combining A(n), which is a general-
consists of Ana meaning flower or ing of Ana meaning the best and izing prefix and Goeiza, which means
the best and Iboa; the juice of a cas- Boio (bohio); house, the iteration During the second world war and ‘the spirit of a living man’. Angochi
sava, which together would mean of Anabui would mean “the best later, this area was used as a terrain remains more of a guess.
“the best juice of a cassava”. house.” This is the origin that has for training of shooting by militia and
been more or less speculated and latero n Korps Mariniers (the marines This neighborhood’s abbreviation
If one assumes that the actual word assumed for the word Anabui and of Aruba). By the end of the previous is; An.q
heard was Anaboio instead, consist- it’s meaning. century a large part of Anabui was

Meet Aruba’s biggest hero

Boy Ecury

(Oranjestad)—This past May 4th, and oppression. refused, of course, and went into
Aruba as well as The Netherlands hiding using multiple addresses in
commemorated those who sadly After seeing the horrific bombings of multiple cities. Because he was a
perished during the Second World Rotterdam first-hand, he decided to wanted man, he of course could not
War. As is known around the globe, join the resistance. At the same time, continue to be active as a rebel.
this chapter in world history is one of he was still studying and living with However, stubborn and naturally re-
the most tragic yet, and many sol- family in Tilburg. It was there where bellious as he was, he always tried to
diers and rebels have died on the he met people who printed and dis- join in on the operations regardless.
frontline during this time. tributed the rebellion newspaper. This
would be the first of three rebellion In 1944, after his friend Luis de Lan-
One of those rebels who have fought group that he would join throughout noy, a fellow rebel from Curacao,
against the Nazi regime, was an Aru- his 4-year service to the resistance. was arrested and executed, he
ban named Segundo Jorge Adelber- moved to Delft, where he joined his
to “Boy” Ecury. Born in Aruba on April Boy’s primary task as member of the third and last group in Rotterdam.
23rd, 1922, Boy spent his childhood group was to distract the German During this time, he wrote a goodbye
on the island, before being sent to soldiers while others ran into hiding letter for his family, possibly knowing
The Netherlands by his father when into alleyways. This he was able to the risks of him being active again
he was 15 years old to continue his do because of his skin color and in the big cities.
studies abroad. This was in 1937, confronting demeanor. Boy also Eventually, he proved himself right. Ecury was buried with military honor.
three years before WWII broke out. participated in the multiple sabotag- On November 5th, 1944, Boy Ecury In 1949, the Aruban Government
ing operations against the German was arrested by German soldiers. erected a monumental bust of him
During the war, he actively partici- military occupying The Netherlands. He was placed in the “Oranjehotel” in front of what is now the linear park
pated in the rebellion in The Nether- These included bombings on Ger- prison in Scheveningen, The Hague, trail, and in 1984 he received the Re-
lands against the Nazi regime, but his man military trucks and trains. The where he was questioned. Despite sistance Memorial Cross postmortem.
rebellious streak and constant drive group also helped people go into being given away by an acquain-
to fight for justice began even before hiding, as well as opened fire against tance, he himself never gave away Boy’s life motto was this: “In my fa-
the war broke out. Being a person of allies of the Nazi regime. In these op- the names of his comrades. Famous- ther’s house, there is no place for
color with a Haitian heritage living in erations, Boy really stood out for his ly, he told his cell mate: “I will die a traitor.”
The Netherlands made him vulner- cold bloodedness. with a smile on my face.”
able to discrimination, and this in- On November 6th, 1944, Ecury was Source: “De Kolibrie op de Rots (en
spired him to be an activist, to stand In 1943, he received a notice to be executed. He was only 22 years old. meer over the geschiedenis van
Aruba)” by Evert Bongers.
up and fight against discrimination placed for work in Germany. This he