Saintes, an island with a (Breton) particular profile

Discovered in 1793, the Caribbean island has seen many invasions and the arrival of settlers... A look back at its history

While we were telling you yesterday in our article Route du Rhum about the many Antilleans who left for the mainland, we are now going to tell you the story of French settlers who went to the island of Les Saintes. 

Geographical note

The island of Les Saintes was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1793, on All Saints' Day. It is located in the Caribbean, in the Caribbean Sea, 10 km south of Guadeloupe. Attached to this department, it is divided into two main communes: Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas, and many other small islets that are barely or not inhabited at all. The bay of Terre de Haut has even been one of the most beautiful bays in the world since 1997 (by the association of the most beautiful bays in the world, recognized by UNESCO). The inhabitants of Les Saintes number around 3000 today. 

French settlers on the island of Les Saintes

It’s the smell of crepes on the island that quickly confirms the Breton origin of these inhabitants. After many English invasions, always repelled, the first settlers arrived in the archipelago as early as the 1640s. They were Bretons, Normans, Vendéens, and Alsatians. Before leaving France, they were mostly farmers, but the tropical climate and arid lands did not make farming easy. The Bretons then turned to an activity they mastered just as well: fishing, which has become the main activity on the archipelago and has made them the best fishermen in the Antilles. The boats used (the saintoises) still follow Breton designs today and adapt perfectly to the Atlantic swell. Such an activity that very few slaves were landed on Les Saintes to work on plantations. 

Mixed-race but blond with blue eyes

One of the particularities of the island's inhabitants is found in their distinctive features (compared to neighboring islands). Many of them are mixed-race and blond with blue eyes. This is explained by the very low level of miscegenation on the island. These few settlers who settled on the island of Les Saintes did not return “to the country,” and today, almost all of the island's inhabitants have a Breton ancestor. Indeed, Saintois.es and Bretons share many similarities: a well-tempered character, the courage of sailors ready to face cyclones and other bad weather, and a creole close to the Gallo of Ille-et-Vilaine and Breton, as with, for example, the words glo (water) in creole and glao (rain – which is pronounced "glo") in Breton or krók (hook) in creole which is called krog in Breton. 

Today, tourism has quickly replaced fishing as the main activity.