The Harbour Island Commonage is an area of land consisting of several thousand acres in North Eleuthera. This land extends form two rocky formation in the South called the “Cow and the Bull” near the famous Glass Windows Bridge to Long Point, the most northern tip of Eleuthera. ﾠThis land was awarded to the descendents of 44 brave men from Harbour Island ﾠwho used trickery to drive the Spaniards out of Nassau during the reign of ﾠKing George III. ﾠﾠAwarded by Queen Victoria in 1844 by royal grant, ﾠthe beneficiaries of this grant could use the land but it could not be sold .. Over the years the “commoners” as these descendents are called have ﾠused the land mainly for farming, earning the reputation of growing some of the sweetest fruits and vegetables that Bahamians have ever tasted. ﾠﾠﾠThe Commonage ﾠCommittee is the sole legal entity entrusted with the administration of the affairs of the Commonage whose executives are duly elected for a year on the first Monday of every December under the supervision of the Ministry of Local Government.
It took over 100 years before any other activity was permitted on the Commonage. ﾠﾠDuring World War II, the Royal Air Force was permitted to set up a tracking station at Big Hill to facilitate the ﾠAllied Forces. ﾠﾠIn 1959, the United Bahamian Party (UBP) government in order to further promote a growing demand for tourism and to further expand Bahamas Airways, ﾠ2400 acres more or less was contractually leased to the government of the Bahamas to construct the North Eleuthera Airport.
The Free National Movement (FNM) ﾠgovernment leased about 480 acres to develop the water works in Eleuthera and the wells under the Commonage to provide water for settlements as far south as Rock Sound, some 90 miles away. ﾠIn addition, another 25 acres was leased by the FNM ﾠgovernment to construct a ﾠwaste landfill.
In all of these government contractual arrangements, regrettably the successive governments did not live ﾠup to their end of the bargain. ﾠIn 2000 ﾠthe Commonage Committee took legal action against the government of the Bahamas to enforce the beneficial promises in the contracts. Unfortunately, after lengthy delays and 8 days of trial in the Supreme Court, ﾠthe court was adjourned.. ﾠIt was then necessary to find a new justice to hear the case as the previous one has been transferred to the Court of Appeal.
Today the people of Harbour Island, ﾠincluding the commoners are faced with a unique social dilemma. ﾠWith the successful elite tourist on Harbour Island, ﾠreal estate prices have sky rocketed. ﾠMost of the “Brilanders” cannot afford to buy property on Harbour Island. Even if they wish ﾠto build a home, options are extremely limited.. ﾠThey are now looking to the mainland for relief. ﾠCommoners are now being given plots of land to build homes. ﾠHowever, this development cannot be haphazard but with a definite plan. ﾠIt will cost money to put in the proper infrastructure. ﾠBut based on the Freeport model and arrangements on other commonages in the Bahamas, a viable community building project is feasible. ﾠﾠﾠThe potential to develop the Commonage into a successful economic enterprise is possible with the right ﾠmanagement and commitment from the commoners in place – like Foxwood, a successful Casino Resort on an Indian Reservation in Connecticut. ﾠThe top priority right now is to complete a new survey of the commonage boundaries as trespassers and other encroachers may have taken some of the Commonage land. ﾠThe Committee is now undertaking a series of fundraising activities to raise the ﾠfunds for the survey. ﾠAll commoners including those in Grand Bahama, Nassau, other Family Islands and abroad are requested to come forward and assist the Committee in this venture as this will ensure the protection of their heritage. The Commonage Committee is therefore appealing to all Commoners for their assistance.
The first week of July has been dubbed the Harbour Island Commonage Week. It is expected that a number of events will take place during that week including a fair and raffle which will highlight the history of the Commonage.
Dr. Leatendore Percentie
Chairman of the Legal Advisory Committee
June 21st, 2004
