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Dominica's
Caribs, as cannibals, chasing Pirates of the Caribbean
Johnny
Depp only narrowly escapes coming to a tasty end on the grill. He is
chased through the jungle by gruesome figures with grinning skulls
decorating their heads and wearing necklaces made of human bone. In the
summer of 2006, the cinemas will reveal how the charming pirate manages
to escape the cannibals without getting cooked, in the second
"Pirates of the Caribbean" film, much of which was filmed in
Dominica. By Bernhard Grdseloff (C) 2005 |
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The
island’s Carib Indians play a key role in the sequel of the box office
hit. They act as evil cannibals, who first choose Captain Sparrow, the
protagonist, to be their chief, but then decide to make a meal of him
instead. "Around a hundred members of our community took
part," said Irvince Auguiste, member of the Tribal Council of the
community of the last Amerindian inhabi- tants, who gave their name to
the Caribbean. Their once somewhat idiosyncratic eating habits also gave
the word "cannibal" to the world.
The
make-up artists sure gave the Indians an appearance so frightening it
would probably have driven even the toughest of their ancestors into a
state of fear and shock. "I had a skull at my head, a chain made of
vertebrae around my neck, a belt made of ribs around my hips and my
whole body was painted," reports Raphael Auguiste. The 41 year-old
was a member of a 12-man elite troupe used in action scenes: "We
had to chase Johnny Depp through the water and hang from rocks shooting
arrows," said Auguiste, whose main job is driving a taxi. His wife,
who runs a small shop, also had an encounter with stardom: she hands
Johnny Depp a chain of human teeth during the cannibalistic
"coronation ceremony".
Tourists
will soon be able to take home souvenirs along these lines – made of
plastic, of course. "We are planning a cannibal village with
original huts from the film and guided tours for visitors," reveals
council member Irvince Auguiste. Actually, originally the chief of the
Caribs and his advisors spoke out against the idea of members of their
community playing cannibals. "But," reasoned the tribal
leader, "the fact that Johnny Depp plays a pirate in a film does
not make him a real pirate either". |
On
duty: Carib Anguiste as a cannibal and ... |
