Premier gives Will and Kate a piece of Cayman
(CNS): Following the royal nuptials last Friday officials have now unveiled the Caymanite sculpture by Horacio Esteban which the country’s premier and his wife took to London as a gift for the royal couple last week. McKeeva Bush presented a truly Caymanian wedding gift representing the earth, sea and artistry of the Cayman Islands. The sculpture is an original piece by Esteban depicting an underwater scene of tropical reef fish and barrel sponges carved from Cayman’s unique stone – Caymanite.
The inscription on the sculpture reads: “On the occasion of the marriage of HRH Prince William of Wales to Miss Catherine Middleton. Presented by the Premier of the Cayman Islands, W. McKeeva Bush, OBE, JP on behalf of the people of the Cayman Islands.”
Category: Local News
This Gift is from Horaceo… Where is Bush’s gift???
i wonder will any journalist in cayman have the guts to question mckeeva about why he ignored the wishes of the royal couple?
It would have probably been better if the Premier had respected Prince William and Kate’s request for no gifts…although the gift is beautiful.
McKeeva, if you are reading this and Will and Kate have rejected the gift, can I have it? (Be sure to pull off the insription first).
For the un-educated few!!
What is Caymanite?
Caymanite is thought to have originated around 35 million years ago when the Cayman Islands were nothing more than virgin coral reefs in a pristine ocean. During the next four million years or so the corals reformed and fused together creating a layer of limestone which eventually, when exposed to the atmosphere was dissolved by rainfall creating fissures and caves.
As time went on, weather and tides introduced new materials and marine organisms into the mix. Over a period of six million years clay sediment (which produced the reds in Caymanite), silt and sediments from coastal lagoons, swamps and brackish water ponds (which produced the blacks and grays) and various other deposits were added. Around 18 million years ago, sea levels rose again, submerging the land and the ancient reefs. A new reef was formed over the old and after a few more million years the seas receded and the new reef was exposed to the atmosphere starting a new cycle and causing Caymanite to form in the cracks of this younger limestone.
When ground water and sea water collided they sparked off a chemical reaction causing half of the calcium atoms to be replaced with magnesium atoms and creating dolomite out of limestone. Chemical elements including Nickel, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Iron, Copper, Aluminum, Potassium, Sodium, Calcium and Oxygen combined and created a micro crystalline multi-colored dolostone called Caymanite.
The colors of this semi precious stone range from pinks and reds through multi-hued blacks, grays, browns and whites. It is unique to the Cayman Islands, and its beauty and rarity have elevated it to a level of prestige and desirability by discerning collectors around the world.
Aye, look ya, try don’t say nuttin more bout the Caymanite now cuz dat look like it pissed off a few hot heads who gah cut dey eye and poke out dey mouth when dey see ya out again cuz dey gah swear now dat it was u who was takin up for Horatio’s piece of Caymanite now ya nah!! Some people, boy!! I know one ting, dey nah gah stop me from sayin wat I want to say and even if Big Mac went up deh with his forehead shining, I still say dem dat flappin dey gums don’t have the skills to create somethng like dat so unna try stop beatin up on the gift now and to some of unna dat like to buck heads and walk around with unna chest blowed up, stop usin the world wide web to throw poision darts at unna neighbours. Mind ya see dat May Cow runnin thru ya swimmin pool in da middle of deh nite now! Horatio, Bo-Bo, you keep up the good work and don’t let the small amount of small-minded people that have blogged here or the thumbs down discourage you in any way. Congrats!!! Oh, and by the way, I’m cracking up at the amount of you that are probably itching to reply back to my post to say that I have no clue whatsoever when it comes to education and grammar. I just love it!! LOL!!!
Yeah, you should probably learn how to speak. Unna is not a word. Neither is dey, or dat, da, dem… Your, is however a word. It’s not hard to learn.
People, people! Didn’t you read the last part of the post clearly? Exactly what the poster wanted, they got. I think they were just trying to be funny by typing how some of us speak so I’m quite sure they’re still cracking up at how serious some of you take things.Geez, any person with sense is aware UNNA is not a word but, hey, it’s a Caymanian thing. Obviously, you are not one. Lighten up!!
Unu, unnu, unna personal pronoun, or second person plural are derived from "unu" , a word from the Igbo people of Nigeria who carried it to Barbados on the slave ships in the 17th C.
As slaves were transfered through Jamaica, to Belize, and Cayman, the word transfered as well.
It is sad that Caymanians do not know their own history.
Alright, alright, we got it already!! Unna try hush now nah??
We have conch on this island with more intelligence than you.
Now hold on there!
My Bible says the earth is 6,000 years old!
Nowhere does the bible say that the earth is 6,000 years old.
Of course it doesn’t. How could it? But, many of the Biblical faithful have used its text to calculate this figure.This "6,000 year’s old" number is well known to the informed public & comedians who often make jokes about it. This was just a gentle poke at those well meaning folks who actually believe it. Do you?
The Sculture looks amazing, and for this to be carved out of a dull jagged rock, shows beatiful craftsmanship.
Tuxedo in the afternoon, wife wearing white, and a tacky gift….yup! The C.I. "Protocol" office should be FIRED over this one. I’d be more prepared if I spent five minutes on google. Big Mac looked a fool over this whole event.
The Protocol Office became redundant when they ran out of ideas for new "perks" for the Premier to claim. Mac’s only communication with them is to hand over invoices for payment from their budget.
"Tuxedo in the afternoon, wife wearing white, and a tacky gift….yup! The C.I. "Protocol" office should be FIRED over this one. I’d be more prepared if I spent five minutes on google. Big Mac looked a fool over this whole event."
You left off the black glove.
I saw that, and the first thing I thought was "OJ", they found the other glove!
Yes, great craftsmanship no doubt, but ultimately (in my view) still a very ugly piece. Fine for say a bank’s foyer maybe, but in a royal residence? Where would they put it?
I don’t know why we gave this monstrosity of a gift. Prince William asked not for gifts but donations to be given to his charity. We should have committed to $5,000 per year for the next 10 years. This would have more likely caught the eye of Will and maybe he would even come visit us. Now the gift given will be stored somewhere in a warehouse and never be viewed by anyone.
"Monstrosity of a gift", are you kidding me!!
i would love to see you sculpt something like that out of a ugly old rock and get it to the finishing point Mr.Esteban has got it in.
But the eye of an ignorant,uncultured,dense person is limited so you are excused.
Wow. Maybe Will would have come visit us. WTF? The only way I’m interested in a trip to Cayman by Will is if he brings his gorgeous sister-in-law, Pippa! 🙂
You are all idiots..The Cayman Islands is a small country..It’s not like the country has thousands of dollars to give to donation.
No we need those thousands of dollars tp pay for Mac, JU JU and the rest of the cronies to travel the world, as well as to pay for their "executive assistants".
Try and keep up.The point is the money for the gift could have been used instead for the charitable donation. Understand now?
Hello it does not appear that the Royals said they did not want gifts however what was said was “………….wishing to send them a gift consider doing so in the form of a donation to ……………….”. This gives the impression that the giver could decider whether or not to give a gift, make a donation or do both.
You don’t understand British etiquette do you? These very words equate to a polite request to give to the charity rather than giving a gift.
The gift more than anything was a great opportunity for one of OUR local artist to beef up his resume…Great Job Mr.Esteban your work is beautiful.
Well it’s better than a poke from a sharp stick in the eye ??!
possibly…..
I’d take the stick… thanks just the same.
That is being saved for the people of Cayman !!
The couple specifically asked that no gifts be given. Full stop. It is not about rare caymanite or great caymanian artist or the Caymanian people.
They wanted no gifts.
All they requested was a contribution to charities of their choice. Simple.
Are we not broke?
WTF is it?
Third World Class…. Did we at least give something to charity?
DJ to a morning wedding AND a gift instead of a donation…….just another example of this man doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants – even a Royal request doesn’t stop him!!
I don’t think that there’s anything wrong without the actual gift, it’s fine. The problem is the couple specifically stated they didn’t want presents but donations to charity. You have to understand that the royals get literally thousands of gifts a year, what are they supposed to do with them? Prince Charles was heavily criticized a few years ago for selling off gifts for cash through his aide:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2843499.stm
It’s a shame McKeeva couldn’t have had the manners to give to charity on our behalf, as the couple requested. They will never see this gift, and they said months ago that they didn’t want it!
agreed with the above, respecting the Royal couple wish for no gift would have been more appropriate… Also, what about wearing white on a wedding ? this is highly inappropriate and definitely not the proper etiquette, everyone knows that. Not sure this gives the right image of our beautiful islands…
what do you expect from mckeeva??? have you not seen how he has acted and conducted himself over the last 2 years!!!
(corrected)
27 years……………..
They did not want gifts, but donations for their charities. However Bush wanted his name on a royal gift and was disrespectful in forcing this gift on the newlyweds.
From the picture the gift looked like it belonged in a science class….
Very poor taste, they asked for no gifts, that moneybe donated to charities….it goes to show you he never listens to anyone other then himself and croonies…
Why put down the gift? It is certainly appropriate and the negativity of some of the posts speaks more about their own unhappiness and sense of net worth than the gift. What a bunch of "haters." The wedding was a very positive thing and I thought Mr. Bush’s remarks were genuine and reflective of the feelings of the majority of people in the Cayman Islands. I’m glad he could attend and express these sentiments.
Yet another embarrassment!
The Royal couple requested that no gifts be given. Instead they asked that donations be made to a variety of charities. It is a shame that McKeeva did not respect their wishes.
Why would you expect him to respect their wishes when he does not respect the wishes of the people that elected him?
If anyone is interested in correct protocol, this is the web address for the fund in lieu of gifts:
http://www.royalweddingcharityfund.org
What is that word, “protocol”?
Enough of the “nay saying” on the topic. On a more positive note, the artist himself Horacio Esteban is a true Caymanian artist in his own right.
No one is questioning Horacio being a great artist. Horacio is very talented.
However, the gift was not appropriate because the couple requested donations to charities in lieu of gifts.
McKeeva as usual always looking for the limelight. I tried to see you on the Telly, but you were no where to be seen in the Abbey. Hope you got in with the 1,900 first come first seated guests. The wedded couple plainly said to donate to their charities or to Lady Di’s charities. That piece of art will be chucked in the store room. What a pity! and what a waste.
not sure it will even make the store room…..
11:57 why dont you hush.
15:14: be silent fool.
To be fair on this topic the gift was presented on behalf of the people of the Cayman Islands.As to who paid for it that is another topic but lets at least acknowlege that this gift was from ALL the people of the Cayman Islands.
What a crappy gift! We should rather have got the ghost of Bernard Passman to whip up some nice black coral cufflinks for Wills and a simple black coral necklace thingie for Kate… at least they would have been appreciated, and maybe even worn!
Well, what a crappy and insensitive attitude you have! For your information Mr. Esteban does excellent work and he was inspired by the late Eddie Scott of Cayman Brac who was one of the best self taught artists in the Cayman Islands. He was also the Industrial Arts teacher at the Layman Scott/Cayman Brac High School for many years. Cayman Brac lost a good man when he passed away earlier this year and Brackers are proud to know that people like Mr. Esteban is following in the footsteps of Mr. Scott and carrying on his legacy. In 1994 Mr. Scott was also commissioned by the Cayman Islands Government to create an official gift commemorating the 1994 Royal Visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh. This unique gift was presented to Her Majesty on behalf of the people of the Cayman Islands on February 26, 1994. With one of his creations now in the collection of England’s Royal family, it was a gift truly “fit for a Queen.”. Since you were so quick to criticize Mr.Esteban’s work, it would appear you’re not familiar with Caymanite sculptures so let me enlighten you. Caymanite, which is only found in the Cayman Islands, is an extremely hard stone, almost as difficult to work with as quartz and requires many hours of hard cutting and polishing before even simple pieces are completed. Each piece made becomes truly unique art and hand-crafted with the patient attention to lifelike detail. One has to work long hours and carefully with the natural color patterns and strata of the raw Caymanite to form the perfectly proportioned sections of whatever sculpture they’re creating so maybe you should get your facts straights before making such negative comments and try to be appreciative for the gift of talent that God has graced so many young Caymanians with.
So what’s there to LOL about? I didn’t read any jokes in this post. It makes sense to me.
Slow day at the office? Don’t take things so serious or at least try getting your office work up to date.
LMAO! Well, you must’ve had a slow day at the office too if you’re finding the time to be reading all of these blogs on CNS. Another Bracker hater are we????
This poor "Bluff Rat" is just a little slow. Poor ting, she don’t have much to do in Stake Bay! And, she got plenty attitude on her!
It’s a lovely sculpture and Caymanite is one of the most beautiful rocks around. Mr. Esteban is a talented local artist too.
Donate to a charity in lieu of a gift was the royal couple’s request, what part of this do you not understand? Or, are you as arrogant as our "Premier" by thinking surely they meant for everyone else to respect their wishes but not the Caymanian people? That this particular gift would surely be displayed in their parlor because it’s "Caymanite"? Pssh! SMH!
Madhatter – I’ve been on this earth way too long to get involved in a war of words and espcially online however; I was compelled to respond to your comments which appear arrogant compared to my previous post. First of all, I have lived in Grand Cayman since the early 1970’s and although the old legs may be a little slow, the last time I checked, I’m surely not a “her” with an attitude! If you are offended in any way because I expressed my gratitude and honour for both Mr. Esteban and Mr. Scott, then you’ll have to Pssh! and SMH! until you burst because one of these men I grew up with and the other I hold high respect for as a decent and intelligent young man and I will continue to have nothing but good to say or write about both of them whenever their names are called in any instance. I don’t know what you have against anyone that’s connected to these men or the Premier but, CNS is surely not the forum for you to address your issues which are clearly evident. I can only pray that you seek help for what is bothering you and if that doesn’t work, maybe you should consider joining me on one of my monthly trips to the Brac so I can show you how Caymanian people really live with one another. May God Bless You.
Whoa! Take it easy Madhatter! Why are you getting all riled up over this gift issue? Everyone has a right to free speech and as long as they don’t give CNS a reason to reject their posts here, I don’t see anything wrong with Bluff Rat wanting the world to know about the beautiful pieces that can be made from Caymanite and by Brac residents. As a matter of fact, have you met Mr. Esteban or been to his studio? Have you read any articles in magazines about his work? If not, I can tell you now that he’s not going to forget to mention where and from whom he learnt his trade and he says it with great pride too. Not everyone has the same views on the matter of the Premier taking a gift to the royal couple and if that is really what you’re unsettled about then maybe you should comment on that instead of being so sarcastic towards your country man. Lets be sensible and not make the whole world see the negativity that surrounds some of us here in Cayman.
I’m sure they would have appreciated the black coral as much as a siberian tiger skin. We should have complied by their wishes and given equivalent costs to charity.
Really has to wonder about he educational level of some of theses "caymanians’. you know nothing about caymanian culture and all you want to do is bash someone for their efforts in preserving it. I think its time you XXXX and learn someting.
And also, fyi, Caymanite is semi-precious stone only found in the Cayman Islands. and for a man to carve such a beautiful thing out of nothing is amazing.
Well said!
The word "Premier" has really gotten to this man’s head. I trust since the gift is from him, he paid for it.
someone pass the sick bag….
Was it really necessary to have his name on it? History will record who our Premier was on the date of the wedding. Just one more sign that the despot should have been put out to pasture a long time ago.
Now it won’t even make a good re-gift now. You might see it on eBay in a couple of months or maybe Auction Hunters in 10 years or so. Either way I don’t think either will be fighting over it in the divorce settlement.
“Divorce Settlement”. The young couple are barely married and you are predicting divorce. What a tasteless comment. Shame on you.