The Virtual Caribbean happened to run across an example of trivia controversy in the island of Antigua: Is the island’s original Amerindian name Wadadli or Waladli? And, does it make a difference? Well, it does if you are one of the many enterprises capitalizing on the Amerindian roots of Antigua? For more, read what a local historian has discovered:
(from the “Antigua Observer” ST JOHN’S, Antigua 1/22/13) – The name Wadadli is widely accepted as the pre-Columbus name given to the island of Antigua, but now a local historian is asserting that the island was actually never called Wadadli.
Archaeologist and local historian Dr Reginald Murphy said the true Amerindian name of the island, shown in historical records, is ‘Waladli’.
A brand of beer, a catamaran cruise company, a film company, a number of sports clubs and even one of the nation’s power plants are among those to have made use of the name Wadadli in belief it signified the name of the island in pre-colonial times.
Murphy said he is not sure when the mistake was first made – but that the name Wadadli was popularised by Sir McClean “Short Shirt” Emmanuel’s calypso song ‘Wadadli Rock’, which was released shortly after independence.
“The name Wadadli became widespread in Antigua all of a sudden, with bands like Wadadli Experience and then you had the beer, and then you had people naming their businesses Wadadli and that took root, but it’s actually Waladli, but hey you can call the island what you want to call it,” said Murphy