If you're travelling to the island in February, which is Black History Month in North America, it seems an apt place to visit.
"Africans were brought in by the Dutch to do agricultural work," Bernadina explains. The slaves in this region cultivated corn.
Bernadina says the two-room kunuku (rural) house is one of the few authentic homes of its kind left on the island. Constructed of clay, cow dung, and stones with a plaster finish, it has sloping exterior walls, and a corn stalk roof. Period furnishings decorate the family room and bedroom.
A tiny kitchen and clay adjacent to the house is where you'll find the oldest artifact -- a peanut and coffee roaster.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited in 1999 and was so impressed with the home's continued multi-generational ownership that she named it an official monument. Photographs taken during her visit are on display in a glass case. Nearby is a collection of antique bottles and other artifacts found on the site over the years.
Cas di Pal'i Maishi is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $3 adults, $2 children.
Christmas tree arrives at White House
