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GENERAL: HISTORY, OTHER ISLANDS, "ON THE FRINGE"
 

This "general information" page consists of some sites that are difficult to list in other categories of the CAC, as well as sites focused on pre-colonial and post-colonial history of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean that do no neatly fit into the other categories. In addition, sites pertaining to the indigenous peoples of other territories than those listed in the current Directory are listed here, simply because there is not yet enough available online to merit separate pages for each.


MISCELLANY

  • The Ameribbean: Information, pictures and cultures of Indigenous Tribes in Central America and the Caribbean (in progress).

  • “Ancient Beadmakers of the Caribbean”, By David R. Watters: “…The exquisitely crafted beads, pendants and related objects from Trants attest to the skill of its Saladoid inhabitants in working stone and shell. Our research involves analyzing beads held in museum collections as well as conducting new excavations to document these artifacts in their stratigraphic context, from which we can interpret their antiquity and cultural implications…”

  • The Fire this Time: a comprehensive website utilising text, photos, animation and numerous musical mp3's to examine the links between black and indigenous peoples (Black Indians). Among other things the site examines the history of indigenous (Amerindian) people in Jamaica, Cuba, Belize, Bolivia, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil and their struggles and cultures were linked and often joined with those of black people to form "Black Indian" culture. See especially the sections on "Black Indian Resistance" and "Supai Reservation". 

  • Benjamin Nicholas, “Processing Cassava to Make Bread”: a painting with Spanish and Carib annotations on the process. (SEE the painting in detail here: http://www.sup-infor.com/ultimes/breton/gariIMG.htm

  • Callinago: An article by Carrie Martin, providing a brief introduction to the Island Caribs’ history.

  • Caribs in the Encarta Online Encyclopaedia 

  • Carib Cooking

  • Carib Customs: excerpt--"The Caribs or Callinagos, the early inhabitants of St. Vincent or Youroumei were a very disciplined and fiercely independent people, far from the savages they were though to be. What is known about their customs indicate that they were highly organized. The Caribs lived on fish and wild animals they caught with lines and hooks and bows and arrows which supplemented their diet of fish, cassava, yams and pumpkins..."

  • “El caribe insular del siglo XVII”, Tratado sobre la lengua y la cultura de los Callínago: Traducción al español del Dictionnaire caraïbe-français (1665) de Raymond Breton Duna Troiani (CELIA-CNRS)

  • Carib-Spanish Dictionary, based on the original by Father Breton: a sample is shown at this site; click on their link to download the entire file to your hard drive. 

  • The Caribbean Natives Tribe Homepage

  • “The Carib Origin of Pain, Misery and Death”, by Richard Hooker: this page presents a Carib legend.

  • CARIFESTA VIII, Suriname, 2003—the official website for the Caribbean Festival of the Arts held in Suriname, with an orientation towards the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean Basin, and an extract of an essay on the importance of CARIFESTA for indigenous peoples of the region.

  • “The Dance of the Condor & the Eagle” by John Curl—Extract: “….In May of 1990 I met with Nilo Cayuqueo, a soft-spoken man with a small mustache and gentle eyes, a Mapuche from Argentina, director of the South and Meso-American Indian Information Center (SAIIC), on East Fourteenth Street in Oakland. SAIIC was organizing the Encuentro in the U.S., together with Indian organizations in Ecuador and Columbia. The First Continental Meeting of Indigenous Peoples on the 500 Years of Indian Resistance was scheduled for July 17 to 21 in Quito. Indian representatives from the Arctic Circle to the tip of South America were expected to attend. An Indian meeting of this scope and magnitude had never before been attempted; it could mark a watershed for the American indigenous peoples. The Encuentro (or Conference) was called to examine the results of five centuries of colonial occupation, to coordinate activities around the upcoming 500th anniversary, and to plan political strategies for the future. Many governments of the world, including our own, are sponsoring costly year-long 1992 ‘quincentennial’ celebrations, and the Encuentro was intended to counter this. From the Indian peoples' point of view Columbus' voyage was not a ‘Discovery’, but the beginning of an invasion…”

  • The History of the Canoe, North America and the Caribbean

  • “Indigenous Peoples Frustrated at UN Conference”: Maya Norton, Cultural Survival explains.

  • Pan-Tribal Confederacy of Amerindian Tribal Nations. Damon Gerard Corrie - On 31 December 1999, Damon Gerard Corrie was elected unopposed to the position of Sovereign Chief of the Pan-Tribal Confederacy of Amerindian Tribal Nations. On January 1, 1999, a 25-year-old Barbadian by the name of Damon Corrie became the second most influential Amerindian leader in the CARICOM when he was elected to the position of vice-sovereign chief of the 53,000 citizens of the Pan-Tribal Confederacy of Amerindian Tribal Nations.

  • Penny Slinger's Arawak Gallery: I lived on the small island of Anguilla in the Caribbean for over a decade. Exploration of the archaeology of the island coupled with spending much time alone with nature cultivated a strong connection in spirit to the original inhabitants -- the Arawak Indians. I studied and portrayed their art in much detail, and at the same time completed a series of works on the people and their culture. They seemed to hold forgotten keys on how to harmoniously co-exist with all creation by honoring the spirit in all things. The following artworks represent a selection from the over 100 pieces I created in their honor. This homage to a forgotten culture culminated in the creation of my video Visions of the Arawaks in 1994.

  • Penny Slinger's Visions of the Arawaks: The Video—“A visionary journey into the pre-Columbian world of the Caribbean. The mysteries of Amerindia are uncovered by surrealist artist Penny Slinger who has woven together images of her renowned Amerindian series of paintings with evocative poetry. The nearly 100 artworks flow into one another, creating a rich tapestry which envelopes the viewer in an atmosphere of sensuality, mystery and magic. The little known hidden heritage of the Arawak Indians is brought to life in this beautiful and unique work of art, which combines rare live footage of Amerindians with visionary imagery. Evocative music specially created by Franc Menusan using authentic Amerindian instruments, bridges centuries and brings the experience straight to the heart….”

  • Renaissance—Caribs: a sample of artistic images of Carib warriors, by Kevin Dallimore.

  • The Role of Education in Forming a Strong Sense of Nationalism in the Caribbean

  • Synchronicity X: Special Report 


GENERAL PRECOLONIAL HISTORY:


GENERAL POST-1492 HISTORY:


ARUBA

  • “Aruba 500 Years?”, By Drs. Raymundo A. C. F. Dijkhoff, Archaeological Museum of Aruba: topics of this essay include, “the First Europeans in Aruba”, “Historic Misconceptions in the History of Aruba”, “the First Years of the Encounter of Two Cultures (to 1515 AD)”, and a summary—author speaks of the Caquetio Indians of Aruba, and the Spanish claims that the indigenous inhabitants of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao were of the “stature of giants. The Caquetio were of Arawakan stock and presumably spoke a Maipuran language. Some of the Caquetio’s words have survived and are present in the modern creole language, Papiamento. Dijkhoff explains that, “the name Aruba is probably an Arawakan name, certainly of an Indian origin. When the Spanish occupied our island they named it Orua, Oruba and Ouraba. Names they used later were Curava, Uruba, Arouba and Aruba”.


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BAHAMAS

  • The Lost Past: "On Grand Bahama Island, the sea has always provided. The earliest settlers, the Siboney Indians, were a people who lived off conch and fishing, and the shells and jewelry they left behind form the majority of what we know about them. Their remains suggest that they were here as early as 7,000 years ago, but disappeared after they were superceded by another Caribbean group, the Lucayans."

  • "The Lucayans:  The People Whom Columbus Discovered in the Bahamas" by George A. Aarons, in "Five Hundred" Magazine  (April 1990, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 6-7)—Extract: “When Columbus, the great admiral and navigator, arrived at San Salvador in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, he found there a group of people known to us as the Lucayans.  It was at this juncture that the 15th century inhabitants of the Bahamas entered written history.  But their history, as can today be pieced together through archaeological, anthropological, ethnographical and historical research, actually predates this momentous event by many centuries….”


BARBADOS

  • The Abbreviated History of Barbados-- 1540 - Amerindian Civilisation

  • Arawaks and Caribs in Barbados: “There are few remaining ancestors of Caribs and Arawaks scattered amongst the islands of The Caribbean. Though these ones live very different lives from those of their ancestors…” --editorial note: this is a fairly conventional repetition of old themes on Caribbean Amerindians, applied to Barbados.

  • THE CARIBBEAN Background & Influences by Mimi Rippee: "Originally, two Native American tribes occupied the islands - the Arawaks and Caribs. Food historians claim that the Caribs began the institution of spicing food with chili peppers, a culinary feature maintained today. The Caribs were also carnivores, a gastronomic trend that fortunately did not carry through to present."


CUBA

  • Cuba’s First Nations: “We are not Extinct!”-- Annual Interdisciplinary Conference and Field Study, December 28 - January 04, 1997. 

  • Cuba - Indigenous Legacies of the Caribbean, Interdisciplinary Conference And Intensive Field Study, November 16 To 23, 1997 in Baracoa, Cuba: “This international encounter will explore and celebrate the legacy of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. Participants will examine elements of indigenous culture and history through conferences, professional exchanges, workshops and field observations. The conference also features an historic opportunity for a gathering of Taino culture from the eastern region of Cuba as well as Puerto Rico and the North American diaspora….”

  • Cuba - Indigenous Legacies of the Caribbean, A Tour - Conference, January 5 -12, 2001: “An encounter with the origins of Cuban music, its uses in healing ceremonies with plants and other natural medicines and its foundation in the use of the land, this January, 2001 tour is an excellent opportunity to understand the genesis of Cuban culture, while enjoying the charm and hospitality of eastern Cuba, its forests and coasts, its people. From the Taino areito to the changiil' of the mountain guajiro, this seven-day tour/conference traverses through the mountains and coasts of eastern Cuba, the fabled "Oriente," to study with herbalists and other medical practitioners in Cuba's health care system and to hear and experience the rhythms of the most autochthonous instrumental musicians and vocalists on the island. Participants will meet and share with Native peoples of Cuba, the Caribbean and elsewhere. They will visit Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Baracoa….”


GRENADA

  • Grenada’s Ancient Caribs’ Culture: sample images of petroglyphs and Carib’s Leap, site of the famous mass suicide of Caribs escaping French persecution.

  • Grenada Archaeological Artifacts: “About The Artifacts: Excavated at the Pearls Site on the Island of Grenada. This collection consists of decorative pottery elements. The elements depict a variety of motifs, sculpted as mythological creatures, birds, bats, frogs, monkey etc. The pottery elements date from the First through the Fourth Centuries AD.”

  • Grenada, History and Culture: an extremely brief history of the Island

  • Grenada--A Look at the Past: "Did you know? The town of Sauteurs ('leapers' in French) is so named because it is believed that the last Carib warriors jumped to their death from a nearby cliff, rather than submit to the Europeans".

  • Our History—“Christopher Columbus discovered Grenada in 1498.The island was already inhabited by the Carib Indians, who had migrated from the South American mainland, killing or enslaving the peaceful Arawaks who where allready inhabiting the island. The Amerindians called their island Camerhogue”


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HAITI

  • Tainos of Haiti: “There is interest in Haiti in Taino artifacts as well as in the apparent remnant of Taino still thought to be present in the nineteenth century as evidenced by laws against intermarriage…”

  • Taino influence in Haitian Vodou, from the American Museum of Natural History—extract: “Escaped slaves, called Maroons, mingled in mountain hideaways with indigenous Taino people. Both peoples had much in common. Taino memories are still evoked by stone celts placed on altars. Other Native American traces persist in Vodou as well, from words to musical instruments, dance and dress styles, and weaponry. Although discrete Taino survivals are difficult to isolate, the secret Bizango rites keep alive the history of the intermingling, as do bands of Rara performers during their post-carnival celebrations….”

  • Haitian History, Main Page of Topics covered by Bob Corbett: includes materials on the Pre-Columbian period and the colonial period. Well worth examining in detail.

  • Hubert Montas’ “Early History of Haiti”: “The island on which Haiti is located (Hispaniola) had been inhabited by various cultures before the arrival of Columbus. The first known settlers of the island were the Ciboneys who migrated from what is currently the North American continent in 450 A.D. These people were followed in 900 A.D by the Tainos (good people) who were members of the Arawak nation and had origins in the Amazon valley…”

  • Austin Cline - your About.com Guide to: Agnosticism/Atheism -- Haiti: Spanish Discovery and Colonization: The Taino Indian (or Arawak) inhabitants referred to their homeland by many names, but they most commonly used Ayti, or Hayti (mountainous). Initially hospitable toward the Spaniards, these natives responded violently to the newcomers' intolerance and abuse.

  • Anacaona, from www.windowsonhaiti.com: a brief page, in French, on the history of Anacaona: excerpt—“Aux premières pages de notre histoire apparaît une belle figure de femme d'Haiti: Anacaona. Indienne, Anacaona est la soeur du cacique du Xaragua Bohéchio, et l'épouse de Caonabo, cacique de la Maguana”

  • Anacaona history, from www.haitiwebs.com: a more detailed page, in French, base don historical sources, on the life and history of Anacaona. Excerpt: “Femme aux multiples talents et qui, par les avatars fourbes d'une Histoire, s'est vu faire le sort injuste d'une renommée de samba irrémédiablement muette de ses areytos. A quoi, se demandeton admiratif, tient-elle cette gloire pour ainsi dire unique dans la galerie réchappée taïno? Au prestige d'un rôle, d'autant plus brillant à nos yeux qu'il ne laisse, en dépit d'exemples illustres, d'être intimement associé à un monde ordinairement donné pour l'apanage des hommes?”

  • Anacaona, 1474-1503, from Ile en Ile: A brief page, in French, containing an extract from Femmes des Antilles: Traces et voix de Gisèle Pineau et Marie Abraham.  Paris:  Stock, 1998: 21-22. Excerpt: “Seule la mémoire retient comme référence féminine la figure symbolique d'Anacaona, emblème des trahisons et des brutalités qui président à l'installation des Européens aux Amériques.  Martyrisée par les Espagnols sur l'île de Saint-Domingue, cette princesse offrira sans défiance l'hospitalité de son caciquat à ses futurs bourreaux.” This page also contains a list of references to published works in French and Spanish on the history of Anacaona, as well as a select list of links to Anacaona websites. A good starting point for some further scholarly investigation.

  • Caonabo and Anacaona, from www.haitiglobalvillage.com: a very brief in French, with an illustration, provides a short account of Anacaona the historical personage and her death by hanging at the hands of the Spanish.

  • Anacaona, on the Famous Haitians list: a concise page, in English, accompanied by an artistic illustration of Anacaona painted by Marie-Denise Douyon. A link to more information on Anacaona is also provided. Excerpt: “….In Xaragua, she soon asserted her authority over her brother and ruled as a queen famed for the ballads, ballets, poetry, plays and ornaments of her court. Xaragua was the only Taino kingdom on the island that had not succumbed to Spanish conquest when a new Spanish governor, Nicholas Ovando, arrived with some 2500 troops in 1502….”


JAMAICA

  • Jamacian History, The settlement of the first people: "The first people to come to Jamaica were people from Venezuela, known as the Arawaks. They are thought to have come to Jamaica in two major waves, the first in 650 AD, and the second in 900 AD. They were then joined by the Caribs, who came from Guiana. While the Arawaks were a peaceful people, the Caribs were cannibalistic and fierce fighters. Much fighting arose between these two groups."

  • “The Taino of Jamaica: A Brief History of the Indigenous Population of Jamaica”, by Glenn Woodley—extract: “….However they were not fully exterminated , as history has led us to believe. In 1655 when the English expelled the Spaniards , Tainos were still recorded as living in Jamaica. It was noted at this time that rural farmers spoke a dialect that was mixture of Spanish, Taino and African languages. Later archaeologists were to discover English lead shot amongst Taino artifacts , and almost 60 years earlier in 1596 English privateer Sir Anthony Shirley sacked St Jago de la Vega ( later Spanish Town), after being guided there by Taino tribesmen. Further archaeological finds were later to confirm that Taino extinction was a myth, although being enslaved and cruelly treated by Europeans some Taino did survive. Many escaped into the mountains to coexist with the Maroons , where still today many non African plants are used medicinally , plants that were once part of the Taino pharmacology. Hammocks also are still made in Accompong in the Taino fashion, proving that the Taino still survived , for many years after the Spanish had left ,with the Maroons in the mountains of inland Jamaica….”


ST. KITTS AND NEVIS

  • A Brief History of St. Kitts and Nevis: see the sections on early settlers and contact with Europeans—“St. Kitts was called Liamuiga, or "fertile land," by Caribs which was a reference to the island's rich and productive volcanic soil….In 1626, with the English and French on the island the Caribs became concerned and plotted to dispose of these interlopers. The English under Thomas Warner became aware that the Caribs were plotting to destroy the Europeans. The English attacked the Caribs at night and massacred many of the them and the few that escaped fled the island. The event is remembered by the place called Bloody Point on the island…”

  • St. Kitts—a concise overview of the history of the island. Extract: “The first inhabitants of the islands were pre-ceramic people called Sibonay. They are believed to have arrived about 2,100 years ago from Central America. The next people to colonise the islands were the Arawak who originated from the Orinoco River area in modern day Venezuela. They in turn were followed by the Caribs, again from South America. The Arawaks and Caribs left far more remains than the Sibonay and there are many archaeological sites scattered around the islands. These sites are marked with piles of shells, pieces of pottery, and old flint tools and some rock drawings on St. Kitts. St. Kitts was called Liamuiga, or ‘fertile land, by Caribs which was a reference to the island's rich and productive volcanic soil. Since 1983 the main mountain peak, a 3,792-foot extinct volcano, is called Mount Laimuiga. Nevis was called Oualie - pronounced ‘OO-A-LEE’ - by the Caribs….”


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ST. LUCIA

  • History of Saint Lucia: “No official record of Saint Lucia's discovery, in historic times, has yet come to hand, but the long held view that the island was discovered by Christopher Columbus has been reliably disproved. In fact, the navigator's records of his travels reveal that he never set foot on Saint Lucia. In spite of this, the belief is still widely held that Saint Lucia was discovered on December 13, 1502. Many writers still refer to this date as the island's ‘Discovery Day’, and the fallacy is furtherperpetuated by the official observance of  December 13 as the island's ‘National Day’…”


VIRGIN ISLANDS

  • Seven Flags : The History of St. Croix: "PRE-COLUMBUS Prior to, and less than a century after Columbus' discovery, St. Croix was inhabited by two tribes of Indians: the Caribs and the Arawaks. The Arawaks were generally considered to be a peaceful tribe while the Caribs were warring cannibals."
     

"ON THE FRINGE":

  • Carib Indians: K. Kris Hurst, Archaeology “expert” at About.com, proposes that Caribs went completely extinct within a decade of the arrival of the Spanish colonizers.

  • Muslim Legacy In Early Americas: West Africans, Moors and Amerindians by Jose V. Pimienta-Bey—claims that Caribs were influenced by Muslims before the arrival of Europeans…“The works of men such as Ivan Van Sertima, Barry Fell and Alexander Von Wuthenau represent 20th century scholarship which has stated directly or indirectly - that there has been a significant Muslim presence in the early Americas. While it is true that there have been a number of Muslim writers such as Clyde-Ahmad Winters who have sought to enlighten folks to that fact, it is perhaps more significant that ‘non-Muslims’ have conceded such evidence of pre and post-Colombian Muslims on this continent….” 

  • Muslims before Columbus? This site contains links to the following topic pages-Columbus: What If?, Muslims in the Americas Before Columbus, Muslim Legacy in Early Americas, The Melungeons, Sequoyah and Cherokee Syllabary, Islam in America 1893, Names of Arabic Origin in Spain, Portugal and the Americas

  • Quincentennial, by William M. Holden: This is an abstract of a novel, designed to interest propsective publishers, in which the events of 1492 and its subsequent history are reversed--Europe is colonized by the Aztecs. Interesting is the following paragraph for continuing to perpetuate the 'war-like' mystique of the Caribs: "Caribs were cannibals and war-lovers. To hoodoo their enemies, they donned huge feathered headdresses and painted bizarre designs on their faces and arms. They were commanded by generation after generation of rawhide-tough chieftains who didn't know the meaning of defeat. Their enemies, try as they might never were able to teach them its meaning, because Caribs stubbornly and willfully refused to learn its meaning".

  • Star Trek Amerindians: scenes from an episode of Star Trek featuring 'Native American-like' people.

  • “Undiscovered Amerindians”: A thought provoking piece on a museum exhibition of two “undiscovered Amerindians”, Coco Fusco and Guillermo Gomez-Peña.

This page last updated: Tuesday, 30 December, 2003