We don’t refer to ourselves as “Curaçaoans”. Unlike Americ”ans” and say Arub”ans” we are yu di Kòrsou literally “children of Curaçao”. This implies that have a physical and spiritual bond with our birthplace, because it’s “kaminda nos lombrishi ta derá.” (= where our belly button – our remnant umbilical chord – is buried). Sometimes our placenta is buried along with our umbilical chord, effectively turning Curaçao into our spiritual mother.
Since most yu di Kòrsou are born to displaced immigrants (Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese Jews, West Africans, South Asians etc), our belly button burial ritual expresses a feeling of belonging. One in which our fate is permanently connected to that of our native island.
Though we’d like to claim this ritual as our own, belly buttons are also buried in Jamaica, Virgin Islands, and Suriname (among others).
Artist: Anguine Hodge.
1000 Awesome Things About Curaçao 
Hesu Yu’i Korsow ta dushi hende.Aunke mi lombroshi ta dera na Boneiru, un lugar ku mi ta stima hopi, pa ami Korsow ta keda uniko.
Carlene
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