In the 10th century, the Lucayans (a sub-group of the Arawaks), moved north from Latin America, through the Caribbean, to settle in the Bahamas. This is where Christopher Columbus first encountered them when he arrived in these islands in October of 1492. These native Amerindians were excellent farmers, potters, weavers of cotton fibers, expert divers and skilled navigators in dugout canoes. Many of these same trades can be found in the Bahamas today, for skilled artisans flourish throughout the islands. (Examples of these ancient artifacts can be seen at the Pompey Museum at Vendue House in Nassau.)

Many of the current inhabitants of the Bahamas are predominantly of West African descent, and can trace their ancestry back to the slaves brought to work the cotton plantations until 1834, when slavery was abolished. Other native Bahamians are descended from the English settlers who emigrated in the mid-1600’s, seeking religious freedom, or from the English Loyalists who fled the US during the American Revolution.

On July 10, 1973, after a 325 year rule, The Bahamas gained its independence from Britain, and is one of the most politically stable countries in the world, with a parliamentary democracy which has operated without interruption for 275 years.