Meet the Islanders: Dr. Jay Haviser
Digging for Hidden History
Over the past decades, there has been no official archeological excavation on St. Maarten without Dr. Jay Haviser being involved. Jay has been an archaeologist for the Dutch Caribbean since 1980. He did so for the Netherlands Antilles government from 1980 to 2010, and after autonomy status for country St. Maarten until his retirement in 2017. He also was founder and director of three archaeology NGOs. Next to SIMARC on St. Maarten, he founded SABARC on close-by Saba and BONAI on Bonaire right off the Venezuelan coast.
Regardless of his retirement, his passion remains. “I love my work, the excitement of new discoveries and the importance of educating the community about their heritage.” His goal for SIMARC is to make the NGO a fully local organization, run by locals. “Some years ago, we moved into a smaller SIMARC facility. We were able to conserve the national archaeological artifact collections. Public visits are welcome by appointment, but the smaller facility makes our building less available for the group activities. I would love for a new generation to grow SIMARC back to a larger facility and fully open to the public.” This has a double mission for Haviser. “We need more education about the multi-cultural heritage of the island, and especially the pre-European, Indigenous Heritage of Soualiga (the Carib name for St. Maarten / St. Martin)”.
Nature and Heritage Go Hand in Hand
It can not be a coincidence that a well versed archeologist, whose work for a larger part was outdoors, mentions conservation of nature as another passion of his. Beach walking is a favorite hobby of Haviser. “I love nature and hiking, I have explored almost every hill and valley of the island. Geneve Bay, next to the Natural Pool, is one of my favorite spots to relax on island. It is also nature where some of his most fond memories of St. Maarten can be found. “Working with St. Maarten / St. Martin local youth conducting the largest heritage trees inventory for the island was one of the most memorable projects I have been a part of”. It also inspires his answer on what St. Maarten person should receive more attention. “Tadzio Bervoets, former Nature Foundation stalwart and later with Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance has done tremendous work for nature conservation on island”. As a nature fan, when asked for where he would go on staycation on island, it is no surprise he chooses the lush cove of Anse Marcel.
An Energetic Island
If there is anything Jay loves about St. Maarten / St. Martin, it is its people and its dynamic energy. When asked for his favorite nightlife spots, Chesterfields and Lagoonies would be his venues of choice, providing a great mix of locals and visitors.
A yearly event he looks forward to is the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, taking place in his favorite St. Maarten area Simpson Bay. As with his favorite beach Orient Bay, it underlines the exact dynamics and liveliness he likes about the island. “Nature and history are a fantastic feature of the island, the liveliness of its very heterogeneous people and events offer only more to discover about St. Maarten / St. Martin.”
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