Caribbean Essay

IMPACT OF SPANISH COLONIZATION ON THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF TRINIDAD AND WIDER CARIBBEAN

Pre- History before the European’s

Three (3) major Amerindian indigenous people lived in the Caribbean before the European discovered many of the Caribbean islands. These groups were the Island Caribs and Galibi who resided in the Windward Islands, the Taino who resided in The Bahamas, Leeward Islands and Greater Antilles, the Ciboney who resided in Western Cuba. Trinidad was inhabited by both Carib speaking and Arawak speaking groups, while the Tainos was divided into three (3) different types namely the Classic Tainos who lived in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, the Western Tainos who lived in Cuba, Jamaica and the Bahamian archipelago and the Eastern Tainos who lived in the Leeward Islands. All these groups of different culture inhabited the Caribbean before the Europeans came.

Christopher Columbus discovery... Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer and navigator born in the Republic of Genoa. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarch of Spain four (4) voyages were completed by him across the Atlantic Ocean that led to the awareness of the

The main occupants known as the Arawaks were a very a peaceful tribe and laid-back as a society. Farming and hunting were their main means of survival. Their presence was felt in groups of villages where each group was governed and guided by their chiefs, who were chosen as rulers. Various names like Yaio, Garini, Nepuyo, Warac and others were given to many Amerindian tribes. The fathers taught their boys how to use the tools, weapons, the lore and religion of the tribal group. They actively engaged in hunting, gathering of fruits and shellfish as a means of learning how to survive. Their main staple was cassava. However, despite not having a money economy they still traded with their