Andros Island - "The Sleeping Giant"     The Island and Its People Andros is the largest island of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and at more than 100 miles long and 40 miles wide, is the fifth largest in all of the Caribbean.  Engulfed in a sense of mystery, the sparsely populated Andros is laced with creeks and has a densely forested inland.  The island’s western coast is still largely unexplored. History on Andros includes a colorful array of farming and fishing, Arawak Indians, European explorers and colonizers, slaves, pirates, bootleggers, and smugglers.  Today, compared with other Bahamian islands, Andros has a much smaller population with fewer than 10,000 people.  Many of the inhabitants are fishermen, weavers, and farmers who live in settlements along the East Coast.  Because Andros is split in half by bights and inlets, transportation between the north and south islands is difficult.  North Andros is home to more than half the population, a Mennonite mission, a few small resorts, and AUTEC (the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center), a NATO base run by the US Navy.     Andros does not offer the amenities expected by some visitors.  Services such as phone, water, and electricity are still not available everywhere on the island.  Casinos and shows have not invaded Andros, and there are no malls or fast-food chains on the island.  There are a few small stores where snack foods and meals can be purchased, but be sure to remember your film, insect repellent, and bathing suit. Although Andros is roughly 200 miles off the coast of Florida, the language and culture are distinctly different from the States.  Androsians live in small communities with standards of housing, dress, and sanitation unlike what we are accustomed to in the States.  We share a common language, but Bahamian English is spoken rapidly and sometimes is hard to understand.  Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.  They are friendly and eager to share their lives and their views as our guests visit their communities. Visitors who embrace the Androsian people and their culture will be richly rewarded and educated by the experience.  Andros is known for its unique and beautiful baskets, carvings, and batik fabrics, to name a few of the special gifts available for purchase. The lack of development on Andros enhances its environmental uniqueness and makes it an ideal place to create art.  The pace of life is slow, the passing of the sun rather than the ticking of the clock measures the days, and it’s still possible to walk down the middle of the road without stopping traffic.     Sleeping Giant Andros is on the move, the Sleeping Giant, as it is called has stumbled from bed. If you want to see the dynamics of culture in action visit Fresh Creek, Morgan’s Bluff, Behring Point, Red Bays or Big Pond. To the tourist it may seem as though not much is going on, it is a place out of time, an enchanted fishing community. The people who grew up there may say different. It is quiet now when compared to the 1970’s. The young people have left home, gone to town or the States in search of jobs. The population is decreasing. The older people describe another world of corned conch, thatch camps, track roads, toting water, and sculling boats. The old days were 20 years ago. There has been a hurricane of American culture in recent years. Young men and women can tell you about the “old days gone.’’ Tales are told of picking up conch on the beach, chopping fish in the mangrove, boiling and straining coontie, digging crab, and fanning benny: these are tales of a different life. Subsistence agriculture and fishing are still a part of Androsian life, but for every fish fried there are two pork chops. Yamahas roar where sheets used to luff. So what is remembered must be shared. A shared, learned way of life has always included reverence for the past. History and culture cannot be teased apart.     In 1935 the people of Blanket Sound, Andros built a new school of block and lime high up on a rock hill, with water on three sides. When the tide was high the children of Stafford Creek and Big Pond would travel to school by Mr. William Woodside’s wooden boat. If the tide was low he would carry them as far as the bay, and they would walk the rest of the way. The people of Andros have many sages. The old people sit on stoops ready to tell of times so strange and lessons learned. Most have not gained much material wealth but the lives they lived are historically rich. Paramount among these groups are the artisans. Having been spongers, sawyers, cooks, and canners, their art has always been with them as a way of life. The artisans are basket makers, boat builders, and woodcarvers but they have lived many different lives in search of subsistence. Stand or sit next to a basket- maker weaving, a carver carving and listen. There is no need to ask. Wisdom comes from these people who have chosen to labor and master a craft. They have distinguished themselves from the crowd many years ago.