When seeking to learn about a place’s heritage, we typically focus on discovered artefacts and its people. Regarding the latter, its oldest living residents are sought due to their ability to impart recollections of earlier times. However, there is a witness to the changing face of time, people, and practices that we shouldn’t overlook—nature. Trees are the oldest living entities or residents of a place. They are silent observers, bearing many secrets about their environment and culture's past.
It’s not unusual for countries to have trees that are their longest-living residents. Many of these trees are hundreds of years old. You can encounter several of these aged figures throughout the region. Here in Bonaire, we are very proud of our Wayaká, for which the tree-ring data reveals it is over 1000 years old.
The Wayaká is a native evergreen tree that has garnered international attention as the oldest tree in Bonaire and undoubtedly one of the oldest in the Caribbean. It is currently one of 13 candidates vying for the Tree of the Year in the Kingdom of the Netherlands award. Voting commenced on 10 September and will remain open until 17 October at midnight. Bonaireans are encouraged to vote for our beloved Wayaká tree on the SBNL Natuurfonds website. Thus far, it has garnered 1,579 votes.
Let’s look at a few fun facts about Bonaire’s oldest living organism.
- Though locally referred to as Wayaká, it’s also known as Roughbark Ligum-vitae (English), Pokhout (Dutch), and Guaiacum Officinale (scientific name).
- When 1000 years old, these evergreens usually measure 80cm in diameter. Our tree has an average girth of 1.20 metres.
- The Wayaká are indigenous to our country. Because of their hardwood, they were logged for timber in the past, making them virtually endangered.
- It can survive without water during drought conditions because its taproot grows very deep.
Sources: Echo, Tera Barra and Visit Aruba.
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