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Livelihood before tourism (Part II) Episode CCXLII - 242
Each week, Etnia Nativa presents a new cultural heri- and 18 inches from the ground. The the island, a giant in the oil world, Lago
tage and native knowledge episode. Awakening re- plant produces aloin, a cathartic in- Oil & Transport Co., Ltd., strictly a refin-
sponsibility to acknowledge heritage, traditions, and gredient said to have no synthetic ery, had its start in the late twenties.
the limited space our people had to live on. Sharing superior. With climatic conditions per- Originally a subsidiary of the Standard
today part II of our brief introduction to the history of fect for the plant’s growth, the output Oil Co. (India), it was purchased in 1932
how Aruba’s livelihood was before oil and tourism. of the aruban-grown aloe`s aloin was by the Standard Oil Co. (N.J.). Other
Natives faced a constant existential adaptation since much higher than that of other variet- means of subsistence have been ad-
the beginning of the Spanish era until the gold rush. ies. Aruban-grown aloe has an aloin opted by the inhabitants of Aruba, all
content of 22 percent, compared to with varying degrees of success. Voca-
Aruba’s gainful economic life has known periods of a high of 15 percent for the best aloe tions over the years included making
dire extremes. There have been occasions of near grown elsewhere. The brutal price fluc- rope and straw hats, growing peanuts,
famine as a result of net-to-no means of support since tuations on the world market forced shipbuilding’s, brick and potters, culti-
a great part of what the island could produce during many aloe growers to discontinue op- vating the one-way divi-divi tree for its
good or bad times had to be shipped to Curacao. erations. Many workers left the fields pods used in the preparation of tannic
Periods of quick, short-lived prosperity and a stable when the oil companies arrived and acid, growing pigment bugs, black-
economy based primarily on oil refining followed. paid higher wages. Consequently, nu- smith and carpintery, farming, fishing,
merous aloe fields have been aban- and sailing.
Another very profitable enterprise in Aruba’s pre- doned. The aloe is not from Aruba; it is
petroleum days was the mining of phosphate. Dur- originally from the island of Socotra off When Lago Aruba Refinery decided to
ing the period of 1881–1914, the Aruba Phosphaat the west coast of Africa. It was brought automate their refining industry, layoffs
Maatschappij * exported one million tons of phos- here in 1861. began so quickly that an unemploy-
phate. It was originally found in 1874 at Cerro Corrá ment problem arose because Aruba
(Colorado Point), and today remnants of equipment Petrol brought another kind of prosper- did not expatriate unemployed for-
used, bent, broken, and rust covered remain in some ity to Aruba and has been the basis eign workers. In order to broaden the
of the large pits behind the hill where Lago Hospital of a strong economy for over a quar- basis of an economic existence, plans
used to stand. The industry ceased operation in 1914, ter of a century. The Arend Petroleum were made to attract cruise ships. The
when the price of phosphate on the world market de- Maatschappij, a subsidiary of Royal arrival of The Trade Wind, the first cruise
creased and was replaced by chemical fertilizers. Dutch Shell, established itself on the ship of that time, on February 5, 1955,
western end of the island today, in the had become a historical event. ***
An industry that has had a century of ups and downs Divi and Tamarijn Hotel areas. A small
is the harvesting of aloe. ** The aloe is a small plant refinery, it maintained operations until The construction of the first high-rise
that grows in a splay-like fashion relatively close to January 1953. At the opposite end of hotel, The Aruba Caribbean Hotel
and Casino, attracted the jetset and
famous of Hollywood, celebrities and
movie stars. Tourism promised great
benefits. About sharing our island’s
virgin land scape, white sand beches
and mistical geo formations. A offering
of a considerable source of income if
we to opened up our home, our house,
our beloved rock.
Uncover and experience the native in-
spiration of your travel destination. You
may like the flora, fauna, geology, his-
tory, native art, or shamanic practices
of Aruba, so ground yourself in a unique
native gem, an exclusive cabinet of
curiosities where our acclaimed cultur-
al columnist introduces you to a con-
necting conference. Visit Etnia Nativa,
a magnificent home that integrates re-
used materials with nature and is full of
island culture and heritage! Book your
appointment through Whats App +297
592 2702 etnianativa03@gmail.com.q
* Island Insight episode CXX- 120, epi-
sode XLI - 41.
** Island Insight episode XLIII – 43.
*** Island Insight episode XCIII 93.
