National Trust Supports Heritage Dialogue on Nelson Island and Its Future Name

Home » National Trust Supports Heritage Dialogue on Nelson Island and Its Future Name

May 13, 2026

The National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago acknowledges the national conversation surrounding Nelson Island, following the official visit to the island on Saturday, May 9, 2026, as part of the visit of Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India. During the visit, National Trust representatives guided the delegation through Nelson Island before the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the Infrastructure Upgrade Project of Nelson Island. The programme included welcome remarks by Mr. Graeme Suite, Interim CEO of the National Trust, remarks by Dr. Jaishankar, a keynote address by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, and a vote of thanks by Senator the Honourable Darryl Allahar.

The commemorative plaque marked the official inauguration of the infrastructure upgrade project and recognised the occasion of the 181st Anniversary of Indian Arrival Day.

The National Trust recognises that Nelson Island holds a layered and complex history. It is strongly associated with Indian indentureship and the jahaji legacy, but its story is broader. Nelson Island has also been associated with the possible presence of First Peoples, understood through their known trading habits though not currently confirmed by recorded material evidence on the island; colonial military activity; quarantine; immigration; the enslaved “King’s Negroes” who built the 1802 structure that holds a large footprint on the island; World War detention; Jewish refugees; the labour movement; Tubal Uriah “Buzz” Butler; and Black Power leaders including Makandal Daaga and Khafra Kambon. Recent media coverage has also highlighted historians’ support for renaming the island, while stressing that any new name should reflect the island’s full and diverse history. As discussions continue, the National Trust supports a process rooted in historical research, public consultation, and respect for the many communities whose histories are connected to Nelson Island. Any new name should not erase one history in favour of another. Rather, it should deepen public understanding of the site and help Trinidad and Tobago remember the many experiences, struggles, arrivals, detentions, and acts of resilience that have shaped the island’s meaning.

Nelson Island is a place of arrival, separation, labour, confinement, resistance, survival, and remembrance. For many citizens, it is connected to ancestry and migration. For others, it is connected to colonialism, forced labour, detention, political struggle, and national awakening. Its built heritage, including the 1802 structure, also remains an important physical reminder of the island’s long and complex role in the country’s history.

The National Trust remains committed to preserving Nelson Island, supporting public education, and encouraging respectful national dialogue on how this important heritage site should be interpreted, remembered, and named.

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