The welcoming sign at the Historical site of
Lopinot is paled by the trees in bloom in the mountains. It’s a
cool Sunday afternoon, no bird whistles, no swishing breezes
just that quite tone which nature uses to whisper to our hearts.
At The La Reconnaissance estate, the voice of our tour guide
fills the afternoon with the tales of Charles Joseph Count de
Loppinot (1738-1819) "Loppinot was a young knight who rose to
the rank Lieutenant-General in the French army. He left France
to serve time in the North-American French colony of Acadie
(which is today combined with the Canadian territory of New
Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island). His service
and travels led him to Louisiana, the Caribbean- Jamaica, Santo
Domingo (known as Dominican Republic and Haiti today), and
Trinidad…” He was soldier, voyager, slave owner, planter,
landowner.
Memorabilia at the site includes the grave sites
of the count and his wife. There are no photos of him, but a
photo of his ghost takes a place of prominence there in the
small museum, as well; well preserved furniture from the 19th
Century, alongside parang musical instruments of present day
made by residents.
"Lopinot is the home of Parang" boast our tour
guide "and parang is part and parcel of every day life; sung at
wakes, funerals, birthdays, weddings; not only during Christmas
Season".
He leads us in a sampling of his parang
expertise and we join in, singing lustily, filling the afternoon
with the musical heartbeat of the people.
