Social and Cultural Welfare Stamps from Netherlands Antilles 1972

This post features stamps from the Netherlands Antilles highlighting social and cultural welfare. The three stamps celebrate music, dance, and festivals that were created on the islands. The first celebrates the steel drums, which are ubiquitous throughout the Caribbean. The second stamp honors Tambu music and dancing from the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Finally, the third stamp honors the annual Seu harvest festival that began on Curacao. Wonderfully, all three stamps have musical associations and so it makes for a great fit. So let’s learn more about these social and cultural welfare stamps from the Netherlands Antilles.

Netherlands Antilles

The Netherlands Antilles are one of those postal areas that no longer exist. The entity of the Netherlands Antilles (also known as the Dutch Antilles) was a country that was part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1954 until 2010. The name itself was a successor to the colony of Curacao and Dependencies. The Netherlands Antilles were made up of all of the islands in the Lesser Antilles that were colonies of the Netherlands. It includes two groups of islands that are separated by around 500 miles. The six islands include three islands in the Leeward Islands: Saba, Saint Eustatius, and Saint Maarten. The other three islands are located in the Leeward Antilles and include Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Even after the break up of the Netherlands Antilles, all six islands continue to be a part of the Kingdom of Netherlands.

Steel Bands

I’ve already written extensively about steel drums and steel drum bands as they are favorite instruments throughout the Caribbean and appear on stamps from many countries. For example, you can read about steel drum stamps from Trinidad and Tobago, where the instruments were invented. Or check out the particularly attractive steel drum stamps from Antigua.

Steel pans were first created in Trinidad and Tobago. These islands are home to a great supply of oil. In World War II, this oil became vital to the allied cause and the industry on the island took off. The American navy even set up bases there to protect the vital production of oil. Musicians began to make music by banging on oil drums, discovering that by manipulating the metal, different pitches could be created. This developed over many years as players perfected how to get beautiful pitches from the instrument.

In 1953, Anthony Williams created his so-called “Spider Web” soprano drum (known as a pan). His design laid pitches out in a circle according to the musical circle-of-fifths. His design revolutionized steel drums and would become the basis of design for steel drums of all sizes. Steel drums of various sizes from sopranos to bass play together in steel drum bands as is depicted on the Netherlands Antilles stamp below. It shows three steel drum players with their pans.

Tambu

Tambu music is found on the Netherlands Antilles islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. The word tabu can refer to a type of music, to a barrel drum that is used in the music, and to a dance form. Tambu music has its roots in the music of enslaved Africans as far back as the 17th century. A style of ritualized stick fighting developed on Curacao and a drummer beat out rhythms to accompany the fight. The drum and the rhythms became known as tambu.

Over time the musical style developed away from its association with physical fighting. Instead of weapons, performers began competing with each other through the use of words. They competed to have clever insults that worked with the music. Audiences would choose the winners.

The Catholic Church tried to outlaw tambu music, which only drove it underground. It emerged back into the public sphere in the 1970s and has become ever more popular since that time. The stamp shows a drummer on the right with tambu dancers moving to the beat.

Seu

The final stamp of the trio celebrates the Seu Harvest Festival and parade which takes place on Easter Monday on the island of Curacao. It is a big festival second only to the celebration of Carnival at the end of Lent. The word Seu comes from West Africa and means sky where God lives. The use of the word itself reveals that the festival began as a celebration of enslaved people on the island. It is a festival that celebrates the connection between people and the natural world around them.

This connection to nature is the most important aspect of Seu and all groups and people who participate in the parade pay homage to this connection. The drum is the most important instrument as it was traditionally used in ceremonies around the planting of seeds, with the believe that the drums summoned rain to help the seeds to sprout and grow. At Seu, this connection is celebrated as part of the cycle of life, thanking God for the harvest.

Learn More about the Seu festival here: