Marvin Hunt, a professor in English, described being in the Family Islands as “being in paradise.” His book, Among the Children of the Sun: Travels in the Family Islands of the Bahamas, published last year, describes these Islands as a part of the Bahamas that few ever visit.
“I wrote stories about love, lust and death. I had real adventures, dangerous close calls and met great people,” Hunt said.
In the book, Hunt records his journeys and the life lessons that he acquired while traveling through the Family Islands such as Eleuthera, Cat Island and Long Island. They are called Family Islands because most of the residents in Nassau, the capital and largest city of the Bahamas, can trace their family back to these islands.
“In the 15 years that the book covers, my office-mate died of cancer, my brother died and so I was going through life changes. Each time I went to a new island, I was different. I came to terms with my own life as I was coming to terms with their lives. It was a great place to think and reflect,” Hunt said.
Hunt has traveled to the Bahamas over 40 times. His first journey to the islands was in 1994 with his friend to Eleuthera for geological research.
“I didn’t see these islands the way that most tourists did,” Hunt said. “I saw them as the life of the people…. [My friend and I] would walk through these little settlements and people would just invite us into their homes….They were so friendly, outgoing and hospitable that I decided I wanted to know more.”
In 1995, Hunt returned and traveled to the island of San Salvador. While on the island, his respect for the lives of the Bahamians grew from listening to stories that the old women would tell of survival, adventure and lives without modern-day conveniences such as electricity.
Some of the most compelling aspects of the Islands to Hunt were the people and the history. Hunt’s book follows several historic figures that he felt personal connections to.
For example, Hunt’s book explores the life of Jermone Hawes, a deceased Franciscan monk and church architect, who Hunt said captured his interest since his first visit to Hawes’ hermitage on Cat Island.
“Following this man’s ghost, walking around and seeing where he was, seeing what he built with his own hands, was the most rewarding thing for me.”
Before escaping to the Bahamas, Hawes grew famous in Australia for his astounding architecture and eventually could not take the constant attention. He therefore spent his time in the Family Islands in solitude, traveling from town to town and building churches for the locals.
“I always thought he was tortured. Here he was this hermit who wanted to erase himself from history, didn’t want to leave a single footprint behind…. Yet, he built these churches which are going to last for centuries.”
In his novel, Hunt also tells the story of Frances Armbrister, a deceased starlet and businesswoman who made a name for herself when she built the famous Fernandez Bay Resort on Cat Island. Armbrister was born in the Midwest, moved to Los Angeles, became a starlet and met Cyril Armbrister, the man who owned the Bahama Islands and who later became her husband.
Hunt was also interested in Armbrister’s belief in Obeah, the Bahamian version of Voodoo. She would surround her house with turpentine and parts of chickens.
“It is a spirit world that you encounter on Cat and Long Island,” Hunt said. “You almost feel haunted by the spirits of West Africa. You’ll be driving along and see a tree with bottles stuck in the branches. It is Obeah, warding off bad spirits.”
Hunt was also captivated by the beauty of the islands such as the hills that mark Long island, a rarity among the mostly flat Bahamas, or Great Inagua which has more than 60,000 flamingos, the largest concentration in the world. Hunt says that he loves to visit the islands in June “when the mangos are literally dropping from the trees.”
“Within two to three hours of leaving your home in Raleigh, you could be there,” Hunt said. “They are that close to us and that far away. You can inhabit a very different world.”
