History and Culture of the Island of Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis were visited by Columbus in 1493, but European settlement did not begin until the British arrived on St. Kitts in 1623.

Legend has it that Mt. Nevis at the center of the island with its head in the clouds, looked like it was topped with snow. Columbus named the island "nieves" the Spanish word for snow, though we can say unequivocally that no snowflake has ever been seen in Nevis.

French settlers came to the island two years later followed by the British in 1628. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 granted the islands to Britain. They were part of the colony of the Leeward Islands (1871-1956) and of the West Indies Federation (1958-62).

In 1967, together with Anguilla, they became a self-governing state in association with Great Britain. Anguilla seceded later that year; it was placed under direct control of Great Britain and was formally separated from Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1980. In 1983 the two islands gained full independence.

A bustling seaport in the Triangle Trade, Nevis received slaves from Africa to man the sugar cane plantations that made fortunes for Europeans. Today, the gentle people of Nevis are descendants of those early slaves and even some of the slave owning families.