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The Pain Killer Tree

Baobab Tree
Baobab Tree

Getting to know Our Heritage Trees and Saving Them for Future Generations

Have you ever heard of the famous Pain Killer Tree at North Sound? No? Then it must not be as notorious as some claim if it goes so unnoticed. What about the giant Baobab at Stoney Hill, the tree with the largest girth on Antigua, located near the center of the island and reported to be the haunt of jumbies (ghosts)?

Many of our Antiguan trees have been witness to historical events, mark special locations of interest, are significant in our culture, or are hundreds of years old–natural monuments to time, place, and memories.

There are stories told about them, their gnarled and spreading bows forming the roofs of many celebrations and morbid scenes throughout the colonial life of the islands.

And these stories should be known wide and far. In the last few months, since the summer of 2018, a small group of Antiguans and Barbudans have gotten together to identify these important heritage trees and to work with local communities, landowners, civil society, the government, and businesses to save them. We are putting a list of these trees together and we will be reaching out to the wider public to add to it. The team also hopes to include other heritage plants as part of this effort. We would like to create a map showing the location of each tree, along with a profile, including its botanical name, local names, uses, height, age, size of crown and girth, health—and, most important, any old stories or folklore that pertain to it.

To showcase the heritage tree effort, the first tree on our list is the North Sound Pain Killer Tree (Baringtonia asiatica) found just southeast of the Stadium.

Pain Killer Tree

It is believed to be over 100 years old and was a place where coins were offered, and nails inserted into the bark in order to relieve pain or discomfort and for good luck. It is mentioned in To Shoot Hard Labour and has been a part of the folklore of the life of Sea View Farm, Freemans Village, Parham, and the villages on the eastern end of Antigua. The said thing is that over the last few years, this historic tree has been severely impacted by development. We need quick action to save and document it.

Do you know any heritage trees? Tell us about them. Contact the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda with your name, telephone number, the location of the tree, including its local or botanical names, and any stories you know about it. We will follow up with you and get your tree into our database.

Did you know?

Some foods that were brought to Antigua and Barbuda by slave trade were Eddo, Okra, Dasheen, Egg plant and Bonavista Beans.

Bonavista beans and Eddoes
Okra, Dasheen, and Eggplant

Reprinted from the Historical and Archaeological Society(HAS)–Museum of Antigua and Barbuda Newsletter No. 144

2 responses to “The Pain Killer Tree”

  1. Yvonne and Mac Macmillan went on a hunt for all the baobab trees they could find in Antigua. They found 8, I believe. They measured girths and may have photographed them as well. Perhaps they could be contacted to share their finds?

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