2. Timeline of Caribbean
History
1300’s
- Migration of the indigenous people
1200’s
1492 The arrival of Christopher Columbus to the new world
1498
1610 African Slaves
1783 Arrival of the French
1797 British Colony
1838 Europeans Came
1845 East Indians
1848 Chinese
3. 1300’s – 1200’s
Before Christopher Columbus re-discovered the West Indies the land was occupied by the
indigenous people which comprised of the Tainos and the Kalinagos. The Tainos occupied the Greater
Antilles while the Kalinagos occupied the Lesser Antilles.
Kalinagos:
They dyed their body with a red dye called roucou
Caribs families lived in rounded dwellings called marouina, made of two rooms which often had an
additional recess for jewels, tools and/or weapons. The Ajupa, was a shelter in the field used
temporarily during the harvest. The Carbets were huge oval-shaped community houses used for
social events
Caribs made very good baskets and basket-type objects
They made Hammocks
Since cassava and fish were the foundation of their diet they fished in the rivers wit their hands, with
nets, or wit herb that anesthetized the fish. They also fished in the ocean, where they showed great
courage in their pirogues or in their "kanoahs" which were very large boats that could carry up to fifty
men. The square sail they used is identical to the on used on today's gomiers.
The Caribs fought with boutous, (heavy, sharp-edged-clubs), and bows and arrows
They played the flute and board games
4. Tainos:
They temporarily settled at the top of hills, along rivers and coast
They had mud and thatch houses
Their leader was known as the cacique
They had large areas under agricultural production
Manioc (cassava) was the main crop, they also planted yam and sweet potatoes
They hunted for turtles, iguanas agouti
The cacique wore coat of feathers and strings of beads from jade and jasper
Their clothing was limited to a short skirt for women; it cut, color and way of wrapping indicating their
social class and age. Men and women wore ornaments, usually composed of strips of cotton tied up
above their knees and around their upper arms. They painted there bodies
Hair was long and straight
The Arawaks were "animists", which means that they believed in the inner connection of the two
worlds (the visible and the invisible one) and in the existence and survival of the soul in the
environment (tree, rivers, etc.). They adored the sun, the moon, the stars and the springs, and
the Butuous, their respected priests and medicine men are, according to Metraux, the ancestors of
present-day Haiti's "docteurs-papier' or ('Docteur-Feuilles')." The Arawaks believed in eternal life for
the virtuous. In Hispaniola they situated their "heaven" in a remote part of the island, where the
elected would go to rest and eat the delicious Haitian "apricot." Very little is known abut their political
organization. Substantial kingdoms existed and their Kings - the Caciques- exerted absolute power
on their subjects.
5. They hunted little mammals or lizards with sticks, and birds with stones. They had domesticated a
breed of dog, which they used for hunting and occasionally as food. Since the sea providing them with
a great bounty, they had therefore developed much more efficient ways of fishing and navigating. The
proximity of the island favoring sight navigation they did not embark in long sea faring expeditions as
Polynesians will in the Pacific Ocean. If they lived in round dwellings, there also existed rectangular
houses, with porches, reserved for dignitaries. Their art of weaving was highly developed and the
cotton hammock in which they slept was one of the few long lasting contributions they made to
European culture. They made good baskets and agricultural tools; and sometimes sculpted wooden
seats. Their pottery was extremely refined and of real artistic value; even though they ignored the
potter's wheel, like all pre-Columbian American Indians
7. Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus is an Italian explorer who developed the hypothesis that the world was round.
In an attempt to prove this theory of his Christopher Columbus approached Portugal as well as
England where he was turned down by the government. After many attempts he then went to Spain to
ask for an audience with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. After his conversation with them, the
Spanish Crown granted him funds for the sake of occupying lands in the Orient as part of the Spanish
colonies. Christopher Columbus re-discovered the West Indies in four voyages where he met with the
Amerindians who at that time had settled within the Caribbean.
9. African
In the 17th century, as a result of the increasing competition from the Virginia , the Dutch introduced
the cultivation of the Sugar Cane Plantation. As a result of this the slave trade secured a contract to
supply 50,000 African Slaves to plantation owners in Trinidad in the next ten years. These slaves,
already disoriented, were now forced into a brutal life of labor and surveillance. Day after day, the
Africans cultivated crops, tended to animals, and served their "owners" in any way possible. Sixteen
to eighteen hours of work was the norm on most West Indian plantations, and during the season of
sugarcane harvest, most slaves only got four hours of sleep. The punishment for disobeying an order
was far worse than just accepting what was asked. This treatment of the slaves created anger and
hatred towards the white plantation owners, feelings that the slaves could vent in only one way:
resistance. They often had experience of agriculture and keeping cattle, they were used to a tropical
climate, resistant to many tropical diseases, and they could be "worked very hard" on plantations or in
mines.
10. French
For almost three hundred years; Trinidad remained a colony neglected by the Spanish. Few Spanish
settlers were attracted to that colony. Spanish traders did not see it profitable to visit the island
regularly. This patterns of neglect changed in 1783 with the introduction of the Cedula of population.
The Cedula provided a draft land to Roman Catholics from another Caribbean islands who were
willing to settle in Trinidad. Many of the French settlers from Grenada, Martinique and St. Lucia
Migrated to Trinidad with their African slaves to start a new life. Over the next fourteen years, Trinidad
received approximately 2,000 French settlers and 10,000 African slaves. Sugar cane and cocoa
production, in Trinidad, expanded significantly with the coming of the French.
11. British
The French and the British were envious of the expansion of the Spanish empire in the Caribbean.
They therefore decided to use all means possible to capture some of the Spanish territories. In 1797,
Sir Ralph Abercromby seized the opportunity to capture. Trinidad and made it a British colony.
Trinidad was then ruled under a system known as Crown Colony Government.
This System consisted of:
A Governor, representing the Crown
A council, chosen by the government to advise him
12. Europeans
The emancipation of slavery in 1838 created a labour problem for the plantation owners. The Africans’
dislike of slavery and plantation work led to them moving away from sugar cane cultivation. The
planters, therefore, needed an alternative source of labour. The planters approached the government
to implement an immigration scheme to ease their plight. European bonded labour saw the arrival of
Irish, German and Portuguese laborers'. These immigrants comprised the poor, the destitute, the
homeless and convicts , all seizing a new start in a new country. The first group of European
immigrants came in 1839.
13. East Indians
With the failure of the immigration schemes identified above, the British then turned their attention to the
Far East in search of laborers. The first group of East Indians immigrants arrived on the 39th may,
1845, aboard the Fatal Rozack. This day is now celebrated as a national holiday- Indian Arrival Day.
East Indians successfully solved the labor problems because the laborers were:
Available in large numbers
Accustomed to the rigors of agricultural work
The indentured Indians immigrants were contracted to work for a term of five years. After completion
of this term, the immigrants were back to be given the opportunity to take a parcel inplace of a return
trip to India
14. Chinese
In 1848, the Indian government stopped the immigration scheme to the West Indies. The British then
turned their attention to China . The Chinese were accustomed to hard work, as some had previously
migrated to work on sugar estates in the Philippines and Java, The Chinese scheme did not include
the offer of a free return trip to china. In fact after there Indentureship they moved away from the
estates to open businesses such as laundries and shops.
