ABSTRACT
In December 1980 I arrived for the first time on Nevis in order to do fieldwork on the effects of migration on the island society. The day after my arrival I went to Charlestown in order to change the American dollars that I had brought with me to the local Eastern Caribbean dollar. By using local currency I hoped that I would not be taken for one of the American tourists who visit the island at that time of the year. It turned out that I was in good company in the local bank. Judging by the long lines there, it seemed that half the islanders were busy changing money ranging from American and Canadian dollars to English pounds and Dutch guilders. I was, in fact, participating in one of the most important Christmas rituals on the island. Only, I had brought the money myself, while most Nevisians were changing the money that had been sent to them by relatives working abroad.
