By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 9th November 2018)– Helen Tully of Conaree, who describes herself as one who is active in the field of making conkie (a popular west Indian traditional treat), recently conducted interactive sessions in passing on her cultural culinary knowledge she inherited from her mom with some of the nation’s youth.

The setting was at The Zack’s Historical-Cultural Museum and Library situated at Buckley’s Estate.

Tully was a specially invited facilitator of the museum’s keeper, cultural preservationist Winston ‘Zack’ Nisbett, as part of his recently concluded Independence 35 Exhibition which was extended to accommodate the growing list of interested visitors, both old and young alike.

On Friday 26th October, during a chit-chat with this reporter, Tully informed that “My participation was to demonstrate to the children the way conkie is done because you know nowadays we don’t do these kind of things because we want fast so it’s just to demonstrate to them and hoping that one day they would take it up and run with the mantle.”

Students of the Dr. William Connor Primary were on the receiving end of the hands-on demonstration and had a bite to eat which saw some of them liking it immediately while others who tried it for the first time ate slowly in deciding whether they liked it or not.
Commenting on what the response from the children was like she said: “Very well, very well. (They had) many questions.”

Her listed conkie ingredients are sweet potato, coconut, cornmeal, sugar, flour, nutmeg and pepper.

For the cooking event at the museum, Tully did not do her conkie from scratch at that venue but instead prepped at home.

“I prepped from home because it is time consuming so we prepped but I showed them (the children) and I had them interacting like putting into the container to prepare it,” she explained.

What is more, the students were able to experience outdoor cooking on a three-stone fireplace for the boiling of the conkie.

Asked how important it is to pass on such cultural cooking lessons to today’s youth, Tully replied: “Well, I just pray that it would be important to them because trust me it’s hard work and young people don’t like to do anything that is constraining.”

Reflecting on her young days of learning to make conkie in her original home community of Dieppe Bay, she told: “I learnt how to make conkie from my mother. She was one who used to prepare for the church actually in Dieppe Bay…and so I decided to take it over because she is getting down in age and one day she will not be there so that’s how I came about it.”

Tully also remembers the steps involved in making conkie to be hard back then.
“I remember it being hard work. It was discouraging but people appreciate it and love conkie so that gave me the nudge because at least you are feeding somebody.”
Although most people in St.Kitts-Nevis mostly make conkie around the Easter period, Tully does so throughout the year.

According to her: “I make conkie at different times of the year because people order conkie so you find that I’m active in making conkie.”

On the topic of wrapping conkie, she said: “When it comes to wrapping, there is almond leaves, banana leaves and sometimes people use the ‘chiney’ leaves. I like to use almond because it is easier to wrap. The banana leaves tend to strip so I avoid that to get through much faster.”

Asked if the aluminum foil is a cultural no- no for her personally, she responded: “Yes of course because it doesn’t have any flavour.”

Upon observation of this reporter’s facial expression at hearing such wrapping details for the first time, Tully added: “Yes, the leaves you use give off that flavour.”

Notably, another conkie tutorial was conducted on Monday and Tuesday of this week (29th and 30th October) which included a visit from the Seventh Day Adventist School and on Wednesday 31st October, students from the St. Paul’s Primary stopped by.

Earlier in the month of October saw cassava bread making workshop with facilitator Katherine Pemberton imparting her skills and knowledge with students from the Sandy Point Primary School.

Meanwhile Nisbett, better known as the Doctor of Culture, has highlighted the significance of such cultural aspects being shared with the youths.

“It is important that our children, who are our future leaders, are aware and have the hands on knowledge to keep our cultural heritage maintained. We have to pay attention and take it upon ourselves as adults to positively shape their young minds because they are the ones who will have to help keep our culture alive for generations to come.”