Unit
DEFINING A CARIBBEAN
CIVILISATION
“Most civilisation is based on cowardice. It's so easy to civilise by teaching
cowardice. You water down the standards that would lead to bravery. You
restrain the will. You regulate the appetites. You fence in the horizons. You
make a law for every movement. You deny the existence of chaos. You teach
even the children to breathe slowly. You tame.”
The Caribbean
Frank Herbert, God Emperor of Dune
Source: Campbell, B. (2015).
Overview
In this second Unit we will try to understand who we are as a Caribbean people and, more
importantly, how we define the Caribbean in terms of its physical geography. This is an
important task because, as our opening quote by Frank Herbert hinted, the process of
“civilisation” is often put in the words and intent of the conqueror.
The Caribbean region, by virtue of centuries of colonization by the Spanish, British,
French, Dutch and other European powers, had been given a legacy of secondary status for
the local inhabitants. Thus native people have often been taught that local values and people
are not as good as foreign values and people. Why should this be so? An elder in my
community often said (in her own style of speech): “we need to know is where we come
from to know is where we going! ” I totally agree with her. As such, our exploration in this
unit begins with defining where we are geographically as a Caribbean people and continues
with an exploration of the earliest peoples in the region.
This unit will conclude with a reading on the origins of “Caribs” and “Arawaks” in the
Caribbean and some considerations as to why knowing about our ancestors is important
for understanding who we are today as a Caribbean Civilisation.
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Unit 2 Learning Objectives
By the end of this unit you will be able to:
1. Define the physical and historical boundaries of the Caribbean.
2. Discuss Neo-Indian lifestyles and how they impacted early Caribbean identity
3. Appreciate Caribbean Civilisation as a unique and equal world civilisation.
Session 2.1: The Arrival of the Earliest People into the Caribbean
Reading Resources
Required Reading
Reid, B.A. (n.d.). Caribbean Space/Physical Environment/Amerindian Peoples and Cultures:
Their Legacy.. Retrieved from: http://courses.sta.uwi.edu, December 2003. Adopted
for use with permissions, August 2015.
Watson, K. (n.d.). Geology and Geography of the Caribbean. Retrieved from:
http://courses.sta.uwi.edu, December 2003. Adopted for use with permissions,
August 2015.
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Session 2.1
The Arrival of the Earliest People into the
Caribbean
Introduction
Historians and archaeologists interested in recovering the region’s past and, in particular,
the past of the people who lived here, often rely on the waste pits of these people for insights
into their lives. These waste pits or rubbish heaps are termed middens and, by carefully
excavating these sites, important insights into the diet and other aspects of these native
people can be found. The idea of one civilisation being able to talk on behalf of another
and the possible inaccuracies that may result is well explained by the cultural critic Edward
Said (1979) in his book Orientalism. For our purposes, however, we should note that what
historians have constructed about the lives of these native people come to us through
sources that were tainted by racism and misguided notions of ‘better’ and ‘worse’ cultures
and not voiced by the subjects themselves. Ironically, we know much about the Neo-•‐
Indians through the eyes of the people who they most feared and hated and who, in turn,
considered them and their culture as peripheral and meaningless.
From the outset one notes that the Spanish records and interpretation of the native culture
was both ethnocentric1 as well as androcentric2. Therefore, in turn, we who rely on these
Spanish sources have often come to appreciate these cultures as inferior to those of Europe
and as denigrating in terms of gender relations for the women. From the moment of contact
the Spaniards took their world view not only as superior to those of the Neo-•‐Indians but
also as a justification for the atrocious actions they then committed.
An ethnocentric interpretation is one that is grounded on the value systems of one’s own culture and way of seeing the
world. To this end, for example, factors such as race and the cultural values that are associated with it can therefore
perjure one’s interpretation of other people’s cultures and practices.
This word forms the basis for patriarchal society and, stated simply, means a viewpoint grounded in a male perspective.
1
2
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Neo-•‐Indian villages were logically established on sites with easy access to reliable fresh
water, and with the availability of flat fertile ground for cassava (manioc) cultivation.
Additionally, and especially in the case of the military struggles taking place in the region,
military defensive considerations were part of the consideration in the setting up of these
villages. Once set up they were generally laid out around a central village square and
consisted of individual houses with thatched roofs and timber walls. These villages housed
between three and five hundred people. They had fully functional societies with trade,
religion, politics and systems of communication etc. As the following vignette shows they
even had the region’s first female leaders!
Anacaona of Hispaniola
Queen Anacaona was a notable female Neo Indian leader. She was well
placed to assume a leadership role as she was a widow and sister of Neo
Indian caciques. To this end one notes that she succeeded her brother as
cacique of the large and important Neo Indian centre of Xaragnà which was
in South West Hispaniola (today Haiti) in the late 1490s. She was a powerful
and wealthy ruler and her caciquedom of Xaragnà was considered by the
Spanish to be the richest and most sophisticated of all Hispaniola
Caciquedoms. It received tribute from many other lesser villages. Anacaona
wielded authority over many lesser Caciques and because of this power the
Spanish called her la Reina (Spanish word meaning ‘Queen’). Under her
authority Xaragnà survived as an independent polity for 10 years after
Christopher Columbus’s arrival. Although she treated the Spanish well her
state and wealth were seen as a threat. As a result when the Spanish
administrator Nicholas de Ovando decided to destroy all the Neo Indian
chiefdoms between 1502 1503 he attacked Xaragnà and deposed
Anacaona. The Spaniards cruelly burnt her chiefs alive and hung Anacoana in
1503.
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Reflection
did they leave to you? For example, your physical appearance, land, debts,
stories, recipes etc? What is the importance of ancestors to your present day
existence? Did you “find” any that were previously hidden to you? Did this
discovery impact you in any way?
The Indigenous Caribbean Settlers - the First Peoples
The first peoples can be classified as follows: Paleo-•‐Indians, Meso-•‐Indians and
Neo-•‐ Indians. Let us look at each of these groups in turn.
Paleo-•‐Indians
The peopling of the Caribbean region has been diverse and historians today recognise
two main settlement patterns that originated, at different times, from both ends of the
island chain. The first settlement pattern consists of an early civilisation of people
arriving into the region about 5,000 B.C. They came across the sea from South and
Central America. They established small seaside communities that had no real
knowledge of pottery and subsisted on a diet of wild berries, fishing and hunting.
These earliest inhabitants of the region are categorised as paleo-•‐Indians and had a
civilisation that relied heavily on basic implements/tools made from stones and shells.
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Meso-•‐Indians
The Paleo-•‐Indians were followed, around 500 B.C., by another group collectively
referred to as Meso-•‐Indians whose civilisation was better developed in terms of pottery
and tools, and whose settlement patterns were not confined to the seashore. This group
came from South America. The meso-•‐Indians’ settlement patterns followed a trend that
saw them first settling the island of Trinidad and then heading northwards and up into the
islands of the Greater Antilles. In time, their main settlements became established in
Trinidad, Cuba and Hispaniola (also known as Española). In general, however, their
numbers were never large and they only occupied a peripheral demographic niche up until
the time of the arrival of the Spanish at which point they completely disappeared.
Neo-•‐Indians
The third group of Amerindian people recognised in the region was the Neo-•‐Indians.
Unlike the earlier mentioned groups, they had a more varied diet. Their varied diet was
largely due to the fact that they not only hunted and gathered their food but they had also
developed agricultural methods through which they could cultivate their own crops. From
archaeological and linguistic evidence historians have concluded that this group of Neo• ‐Indians was further divided into two, closely related, main groups/cultures
known collectively as the Salodoid or Salodoid-•‐Barroncoid people. This title was derived
from two styles of pottery that were characteristic of these people. Their development
influenced the Caribbean as their settlement patterns became dominant. Additionally their
culture including religious festivals, sports and even musical instruments defined
Caribbean cultural development in the centuries before the arrival of Columbus.
Varied History of Settlement - the First Peoples
Following on from our initial exploration of the earliest peoples we note that the Caribbean
has thus had a varied history resulting from the many different races of people and varying
cultures and ideologies that mixed in the region. At the time of, and following the arrival
of Columbus not much has been written about these earlier people.
We immediately realize therefore that the story of civilisations often neglects the least
powerful groups in history. Even further, advances and discoveries/progress made by these
indigeneous groups were often ignored. Indeed, when studying the earliest groups in the
Caribbean we always have to be keen to look beyond many of the established sources and
ourselves find out what really happened.
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Today therefore as we traditionally look at Caribbean Civilisation we are hit with the stark
LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.1: Critical thinking on Columbus and “discovery”
On October 12, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus made
landfall in what is now the Bahamas, he went on to further explore
other Caribbean islands in successive maritime explorations. The
history of the “New World” was from then was put into motion.
Suffice it to say Columbus discovered the Caribbean and opened its
doors to much development and civilization.
Reflect on and share your thoughts on the idea that “Columbus
discovered the Caribbean”.
How accurate is it to describe the earliest inhabitants of the Caribbean
as primitive and to state that the “New World” only experienced
civilsation following Columbus’s arrival?
Give your answer in approximately 300 words.
reality that we are far more familiar with the people who came into the Caribbean region
in the last 500 years, for example, the Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, British, French, and the
Chinese, than we are with the people who inhabited the region for about 5,000 years before
their arrival.
The Geography of the Caribbean
The Caribbean has been here since even before the beginning of recorded time. It was
formed, scientists believe, by the movement of the earth and the islands are in fact the tops
of squeezed together tectonic plates.
To imagine how these earth based tectonic plates were squeezed together, perhaps we can
imagine a towel spread out on a table and then we squeeze together the sides inwards. As
a result of this squeezing together of the towel, there would be ridges formed in the towel.
These ridges, scientists argue, form the crescent shaped islands of the Caribbean. Even
further, the squeezing together of the tectonic plates created so much friction/heat that
volcanoes were created on many of these islands. Indeed the island of Montserrat and its
current volcanic activity is apt testimonial of this. Nevertheless our focus is on the peopling
of this region and how this action has affected how we define the Caribbean to the present.
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Required Readings
The following readings will help with summarising the content we have
covered in the session thus far. Further context is also provided for your
of the early Amerindian peoples of the region. The readings can be
accessed via links on the course page.
LEARNING ACTIVITY 2.2: Critical thinking about the definition of Caribbean
Defining the Caribbean has always been considered problematic for several reasons.
One of those reasons is geography.
Select four of the following countries and discuss why they may and may not be
considered part of the Caribbean.









Tortola
Puerto Rico
St Maarten
St. Martin
Guyana
Mexico
Belize
Suriname
Monsterrat
Give your answer in approximately 300 words.
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Neo-Indian Society: Legitimate and beyond merely "cannibals"
The stories of civilisations often attempt to rank their participants as better or worse. This
distinction is often backed up by “evidence” such as the society’s ability or not to write or
its’ practicing of heinous acts like cannibalism. In the Caribbean the latter point was often
raised and we need to totally discount this idea if we are to see the Caribbean as a unique
and legitimate area of study.
The Myth of Carib Cannibalism
Historians and archaeologists interested in recovering the region’s past and, in particular,
the past of the people who lived here, often rely on the waste pits of these people for insights
into their lives. These waste pits or rubbish heaps are termed middens and, by carefully
excavating these sites, important insights into the diet and other aspects of these native
people can be found. Interestingly, while much of the diet of these early people can be
discerned through the recovery of the discarded bones of the animals and marine life that
they consumed, no evidence has surfaced concerning their alleged use of human beings as
a food source. How then did the idea of Carib cannibalism emerge?
The idea of Carib cannibalism was advanced by the early Spanish explorers who, by using
this allegation, sought to justify their inhumane slaughter of many of the local inhabitants.
This idea was propagated further by historians who wrote their histories based on these
same biased stereotypes of the first European explorers. To this end the 1946 writings of
the historian German is a typical example of this popular, misconceived characterisation.
He wrote,
These Caribees had ideas of their own. In their wars, an enemy who fell in
battle was meat for their ladder. From their cabins, human legs hung like
smoked hams. (German Arciniegas Caribbean. Sea of the New World. Ian
Randle. Kingston. 2004 reprint)
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Such imagery and notions like these sought to concretize, within the literature, the idea that
the Caribs were flesh eating savages who had no degree of culture within their societies.
Based on this idea therefore the Spaniards argued for the recognition of two distinct groups
of native Caribbean people: namely the Arawaks who were said to be peaceful and non•‐cannibalistic and the Caribs who were said to be warlike and cannibalistic.
Most historians are today convinced that the idea of Carib cannibalism is a construed
one. This conclusion emerges based on the lack of hard factual evidence to support the idea
of a totally different ethnic group of people called Caribs (‘Carib’ is a word invented by
the Europeans and as the historian German Arciniegas explains it means ‘wild Indian’3).
The indigenous people actually called themselves Kalinas or Kalinago. The Kalinas were
Neo-•‐Indian peoples who spoke Cariban and who, during their expansionist phase were
engaged in conflict with the resident Arawakan speakers on islands like Puerto Rico.
The Kalinas had their own civilisation and culture, which was not only based on the art of
war. However, since history is often taken as snapshots in time, the Kalinas may have been
unjustly stereotyped as warlike and savage during their aggressive expansionist phase.
Indeed, historians are today convinced that these wrongly labelled ‘Caribs’ were also
excellent agriculturalists with well-•‐established communities. The Caribs were part of
one ethnic group of Neo-•‐Indians who shared a similar culture and who were, in
various stages of political and social ascendancy at the time of the Spanish incursion of the
region.
3
Arciniegas (2004) p.11
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UNIT 2 SUMMARY
In this unit we began with a word of caution related to examining the Neo-•‐Indian
lifestyle from the perspective of the conquering invaders. We noted that the invaders of the
Caribbean may have seriously misinterpreted the cultural norms and practices of the
indigenous settlers. Instead we tried to understand the earliest inhabitants by understanding
our own immediate ancestors and the legacy they gave to us.
Various aspects of the Neo-•‐Indian lifestyle were hinted to including their social and
political organization and even their gender relations. Some of these traits have continued
and modified to this present day.
Finally, you were provided with a context to help with re-•‐assessment of the earliest
inhabitants based on the knowledge gained in this Unit. Unquestionably we made our
assessments with some memory of Unit 1. We will now move on to Unit 3 where we will
explore the diversified Caribbean in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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References
Anderson, B. 1991 Imagined Communities, New York: Verso Books
Barnes, H.E. 1963. A History of Historical Writing. New York: Dover Books.
Beckles, H.M. 1990. A History of Barbados from Amerindian Settlement to
Nation-State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bloch, M. 1953. The Historians Craft. New York: Knopf.
Craig, A.M., D. Kagan, S. Ozment and F. Turner. 1997. (eds.) The Heritage of World
Civilisations. Vol. 1: To 1650. 4th edn. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.
Diop, C.A. 1974. The African Origin of Civilisation: Myth or Reality. Translated by M.
Cook. New York: L. Hill.
Emmer, P.C. and G. Damas (eds.). 1999. General History of the Caribbean. Vol. 2.
New Society: the Caribbean in the Long Sixteenth Century. London: UNESCO
Parekh, B. 2002. Rethinking Multiculturalism. Cultural Diversity and Political Theory.
New York: Palgrave.
Parry J.H., P. Sherlock and A. Maingot. 1987. A Short History of the West Indies. 4th
edn. London: Macmillan Education Ltd.
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