STATUE OF CHIEF HYARIMA

This golden statue of Hyarima in traditional dress with his spear is a symbol. It was erected in May 1993, during the year of the indigenous peoples decreed by the United Nations assembly. Hyarima is portrayed in a rustic environment, symbolizing the sylvan swamps in which Arima was located in the ^17th century. Hyarima was a Nepuyo chief of the Araucan tribe. Around 1625, he escaped from his condition as a slave in Aruaca and took refuge in the northeast of the island, out of the control of the Spaniards. His determination was such that he became the leader of the Amerindians of this part of the island and quickly formed a coalition with the other tribes. In 1637, he signed a tactical alliance with the Dutch, who were in Tobago at the time, and who wanted to drive out the Spaniards and conquer the island. On October 14, 1637, the attack against Saint Joseph, then capital of the Spaniards, was a success. The city was devastated, the churches were burned, and the survivors decided to leave the interior and settle in Port of Spain, which became the new capital of the colony and remains so today. Hyarima was respected and feared by the Dutch and Spanish, who called him "the great chief of the Nepuyo"; his military activity and the ardor of his small troops were one of the main reasons for the lack of Spanish control over the island. Today he is a national hero. Today, October 14 is the day of the Amerindian Heritage of the country.