ROSEAU, Dominica - For the first time in the history of the Commonwealth of Dominica, a woman has been appointed as chief of the Kalinago Territory.
Chief Anette Sanford (right) and President Sylvanie BurtonEarlier this week, Annette Sanford, 41, was invested and given her staff of office by the President of Dominica, Sylvanie Burton, who is also of Kalinago descent and the island’s first female president.
In her first address as chief, Sanford noted said she is starting her term of office standing on the shoulders of her ancestors who bravely fought to defend Dominica from European colonisers.
“They fought not just with weapons but with wisdom, passing down stories that hold the essence of who we are. It is because of their sacrifice that we are here today, a people with an unbroken spirit and a story still unfolding. These are the shoulders on which I now stand as your Kalinago Chief.”
Sanford is a nurse and politician who served as a senator on the opposition side of the House of Assembly between 2020 and 2022.
The newly appointed Kalinago Chief also called on regional leaders to help develop the only living indigenous community in the eastern Caribbean.
“Your help would contribute towards healing the hurt and injustice experienced throughout our existence as an Indigenous people. I am looking forward to having some meaningful dialogue and collaboration with as many of you during my term as Kalinago Chief. It is worth noting that as Dominica indigenous people, we are also the indigenous people of the region. Our success is the region’s success, likewise, our failure is also a failure of the region as a people.”
Sanford also used the opportunity to call on Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to keep his 2019 promise to designate a national holiday in honour of the island’s first people.
“That day would appropriately celebrate our culture and heritage as an indigenous people. We would wish to recommend July 4th as such a day. It is our hope that July 4, 2025, would be the start of this celebration.”
Meanwhile, the legislator representing communities in the Kalinago Territory, Cozier Frederick called on the new chief and her council to continue to strengthen the partnership between the local government body and central government.
Sanford took over from Lorenzo Sanford, the youngest Kalinago Chief who was inaugurated in 2019.
