BGCSE History Theme I
Topics:
•Migration of the Arawaks
•Fate of the Arawaks
•Reasons for survival of the Caribs and some Arawaks
•Reasons of the two worlds
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The first inhabitants of North America arrived to the
continent from Asia about 40,000 years ago.
This group of persons came from Amerindians who fell into
one of four groups:
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Hunters
Gatherers
Fishermen
Farmers
The first Amerindians of the Caribbean settled around 4000
BC.
A more advanced group settled in South America around
1000 BC.
This same group then travelled from South America
through the lesser Antilles to the greater Antilles.
The Arawaks/Tainos and Kalinagos are known as they
Caribbean’s Amerindians.
Introduction to Caribbean People
Basic Facts
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Beginning Around 250 BC more of the
Amerindians of Mesoamerica, migrated to the
Caribbean via the Orinoco River of Venezuela.
The groups was characterized by their
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small villages
carved wood
pottery
Woven Cotton
Religion based on nature and
Arawakan language
The language evolved as the name by which the
people were called, but not refer to themselves
as.
Like their ancestors the move to the Caribbean
was a time of adaption to the new environment.
Discussion: List some ways that this group would have had to adapt to
the new surroundings.
The Arawaks
Objective: To discuss the migration of
Arawak culture in the Caribbean
The Taino Arawaks became one of the best-adapted and
advanced cultures of the Caribbean.
 This was case particularly in areas around Hispaniola .
 The impact of this culture varied in the throughout the
Caribbean especially in the Greater Antilles, Windward
islands and the Bahamas.
 The Lucayans, the Taino Arawaks native to the Bahamas
practiced a culture called Tainan.
Description of the Arawaks:
 This group of people were short to middle height well
shaped but slightly built.
 These mongoloid persons had olive skin and according to
Columbus were naturally good looking but had features
distorted by artificial means.
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They foreheads were flattened.
They wore pudding basin hair cuts
Bound their limbs with cotton threads.
They painted themselves with paints
Wore ornaments of items easily found, cacique wore gold and
guanin
The Lucayans roamed completely naked with the exception
of the married women who wore nagua.
Subsistence Life
 The Lucayans lead subsistence lives, which
meant that they only cultivated enough food
for themselves and their families to survive.
 In this way they maintained very balanced
diets; consisting of fish, shellfish, turtle and
manatee as well as iguana, utia, and alcos
Classwork
1. Describe the Arawak Method of catching
turtle.
2. Describe the customary cuisines of the
Arawaks, ensure to list some of the local
vegetation that they would have eaten.
Community
Lucayans often built their communities far enough from the
beach to avoid sudden attacks and hurricanes, but close
enough in order to keep lookout.
 In a typical village were two types of houses, the caneye
and the bohio.
N.B. Describe the similarities and differences between the
caneye and the bohio.
 There were few pieces of furniture the houses with the
exception a hammock, a few pieces of polished pottery and
zemis.
 Directly outside of the caneye was a conuco, a cultivated
plot, which bore maize, cassava, groundnuts, sweet
potatoes and other crops.
 The cotton and tobacco were grown separately.
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Arawak Life
Objective: Review the collective life of the Arawaks
covering the political and religious organization
Political Organization
The head of the Arawak society was the cacique, who
had a greater role in the religion than politics.
 The role was hereditary and there were many
privileges to it.
 N.B. describe some of the privileges given to the
Cacique [at least 10].
 His responsibilities consisted of:
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Distribution of land
Ordering of labour
Planting and distributing crops
Leader of war
The keeping of the law was really a matter of the
individual.
 Some of the known caciques of the Caribbean are:
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◦ Guacanagari of Hispaniola [greeted Columbus]
◦ Guarionex ruled Magua [the middle of Hispaniola, dies a
Spanish prisoner en route to the mainland.]
◦ Anacaona was the Arawak wife of a Carib leader.
◦ Hatuey was a famous Cacique in Cuba who was ultimately
burned alive by the Spaniards in 1511.
Religion
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Religion played a key role in the Arawaks life and was
actually what they lived to achieve.
The Zemi was the centre of the religion an d one existed
for everything; sky gods, war gods, god of maize, etc.
Three words in the Arawak vocabulary were of great
meaning to them.
◦ Coyaba: Heaven was a place where many Arawaks aspired to be.
It is because of this so many of them travelled south, where
heaven was believed to be to meet their ancestors. In addition it
was the reason so many committed suicide which placed into the
Encomienda system.
◦ Cohoba: Powdered tobacco was used in ceremonies to bring about
a state of euphoria and allowed the Arawaks to communicate with
the zemis.
◦ Cohiba: This referred to the tobacco which was smoked as apart of
the recreation.
Assignment:
Describe the process of the Religious ceremony as
conducted by the Cacique.
2.
Describe three of the activities that Lucayans would carry
out for pleasure.
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It has been fair to say that the Arawaks were a primitive
group of people, but their impact on today's culture is
longstanding even in the smallest of ways.
In addition, the organized way of playing games and
cultivation of indications of how advanced they actually
may have been.
This culture that had no written language could not speak
for itself except through it words that remain in the English
language:
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Hammock
Hurricane
Barbecue
Buccaneer
The many techniques and used for maize have been
adopted by Africans as a means of sustenance.
Impact of Arawaks
Objective: to discuss some of the present day
aspects that have been impacted by the Arawaks
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Around 1000 BC the Kalinagos began the migration
from South America to the Lesser Antilles.
By 1492, the Kalinagos had complete control of this
area.
This is native name of the people the European
labeled as the Caribs.
To the Tainos, Carib meant “brave” or “daring”.
The Spanish took the word to mean “cannibalistic”.
A French Missionary, Father Raymond Breton, lived
amongst the Kalinagos, was able to give some insight
on the culture.
On aspect he was able to understand was the Igneri,
which was an Arawak raid which sole purpose was to
obtain Arawak wives.
The Kalinagos
Objective: Describe the customs, appearance and
culture Amerindians of the Lesser Antilles
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The Kalinagos were very similar in appearance to the
Arawaks due to some of the traditions that were
maintained by the Arawak wives.
Although, they were taller of a more muscular build.
The went naked except for the adornment of
ornaments and often panted themselves with a red
dye made from tree pigment and animal fat.
Like the Arawaks this mixture was fashionable,
protected them from rain and insects.
The most important piece of jewelry for the men was
a necklace of their victim teeth and bones.
The Kalinagos was more lean due to their diet, which
consisted of more protein but for the most part
contained the same staples as the Arawaks.
The other part of their build was attributed to the
warrior training.
Men and boys lived separately in the kabay, from the
women in order to develop them as warriors.
Appearance
Picture of a Carib family
Taino Arawaks
Kalinago
Spoke Arawakan
Spoke Arawakan and a pidgin
language used fro trading
amongst men
Peaceful people
Warriors
Government and religion headed
by Cacique
Government headed by Tiubutili
hauthe [village headman]
Religion headed by Shaman
Tree-trunk made canoes for
transport and minor trade
Large tree-trunk canoes agile for
sailing against the wind, and
large scale trading
Married Arawak women
Married Arawak women
Patriarchal
Patriarchal
Compare and Contract the Taino
Arawaks and Kalinago
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Prepare for quiz next class.
Read pages 1-6 in your textbooks.
Complete the following [turn in on folder
sheets].
1. Give an account of the Amerindian migrations
from Central Asia through North and South
America. Describe their distribution throughout
the West indies. [5]
2. Describe the way of life of the Arawaks before
1492. [5]
3. The Arawaks and Caribs made many contributions
to the way of life of other people. Do you agree
with this statement? Explain your answer. [6]
Homework
Describe the Arawak migration to the
Caribbean. [5]
2. How did the Lucayans come to be called
Arawaks? [2]
3. What was the means of survival of the
Lucayans? []2]
4. Why had the Arawaks never settled in the
Lesser Antilles? [2]
5. List two differences and similarities between
the Arawaks and the Cacique. [4]
6. List three crops grown by the Arawaks. [3]
7. Define the words:
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Coyaba
Cohiba
Cohoba
Pop Quiz
What effect did the marriage of the Kings of
Aragon and the Queen of Castile have on Spain’s
empire?
 Which religion dominated Europe at the time?
 Describe the relationship between the Crown and
the Church up during the 14th century.
 What was the cause for war between the
Christians and the Muslims that lasted 700
years?
 Define the term “encomienda”.
 Who does the term “hidalgo” refer to?
 How did the end of the war with the Moors
impact Spanish exploration?
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Reconquest and Renaissance
Objective Questions
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Instruction:
◦ Create a five minute presentation about the
biography and work of one of the renaissance men;
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Group
Group
Group
Group
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4:
Michelangelo
Botticelli
Leonardo da Vinci
Christopher Columbus
◦ The presentation may take any format and use any
medium of technology.
◦ You will be graded on:
 The objective
 Creativity
 Clarity of presentation
Group presentations
Renaissance is the Latin word for the
rebirth of Knowledge.
 Beginning at the 12th century until the
15th century, the renaissance took Europe
out of the Middle Ages, a time were life
was centered around the after life, to a
period of art, creativity, literature and
expansion.
 Italy had been seen as the center of the
Renaissance for art and literature, while
the countries of Spain and Portugal clearly
had the upper hand on sailing and
navigation.
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The Spanish had recently conquered the
Moors and had several motivations for
wanting to explore the world;
1. Vasco de Gama and Bartholomew Diaz, of
Prince Henry's school of Navigation on
Portugal, found a route to Asia by sailing
around the cape of Good Hope.
2. The war between the Moors had ended a the
Spanish were look for a new source of riches.
3. In pleasing the Church, they sought to
convert heathens into Christians.
4. The desire to expand the countries borders.
5. The search for spices for the preservation and
flavoring of food.
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The renaissance brought about many
inventions to the area of sailing.
It helped the sailors in their explorations in
three main ways:
◦ New instruments for navigation
◦ Astronomy
◦ Shipbuilding
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The new instruments included;
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The
The
The
The
compass
astrolabe
quadrant
lead
THE RENAISSANCE
Objective: To describe the single the point that
evolved the development of the world.
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The Renaissance caused many people to
begin the study of astronomy in a serious
manner.
The North Star was used to help the
navigator to learn of where they were and
where they were going.
This enabled sailors to go further away
from the shore and still be able to return
home.
European ships became much larger and
more suitable for open ocean voyages.
A new way of planking the ships was
developed and this allowed ships to be
larger and more airtight.
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The improvements developed a kind of ship
called the caravel.
Instead of using only one mast, three or
four masts were used, allowing the ships to
move faster.
A rudder was moved to the back of the boat
instead of using oars.
The larger boats allowed more provisions to
be taken for long voyages, as well as being
able to bring back more cargo.
A combination of square sails (to increase
speed) and lateen [triangle] sails (to catch
the wind from any direction) were used.
This new type of boat was called a carrack.
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In the Middle Ages man’s early life had been
seen only as a preparation for life after death.
The men of the Renaissance emphasized the
importance of man’s happiness on earth.
The new way of thinking was shown in the
works of artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci and
Michelangelo.
Copernicus the great scientist claimed that earth
was not the centre of the universe nor was it flat,
but was one of the many planets and was round.
The great astronomer, Galileo confirmed this.
The discovery of printing by Gutenberg enabled
more people to acquire books and read them for
themselves.
MEN OF THE RENAISSANCE
European Exploration and Expansion
Objective: To describe the European motives for
exploration outside of the continent
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Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans to
make a successful trip from Europe to Asia.
For nearly two centuries later, 15th there had
been little communication or travel to Asia due
to a war with the Moors.
During the war, Europeans were attempting to
take back their lands from Moors, while
converting these Muslims to Christians and in
addition to European slaves.
This increased the power of the European
countries, particularly Spain who had emerged
as powerful after the uniting of Aragon and
Castile.
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The war ended in 1492, and at this
encouraged the Europeans to seek out other
lands.
They set their interests on Asia.
The only route to Asia was known as the Silk
Route.
Only few were successful persons before the
Ottoman Turks closed the route to the
European.
Additionally, the treasures that they hoped to
get would be too much to take back this way.
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Prince Henry of Portugal, established a school
of navigation at Sagres, of the coast of
Portugal.
Bartholomew Diaz and Vasco de Gama, two of
his students, were able to find a route to Asia,
around the cape of Good Hope.
The Spanish and the Portuguese, although
neighbours, these two countries were enemies.
Learning that Portugal had found a route made
Spain want to establish its own route.
Christopher Columbus was a Sailor from Genoa
Italy who had read about the riches of China
from a book written by Marco Polo.
He took his theory of the world being round to
the King and Queen and promised that he
would be able to sail to the Indies by sailing
west into the ocean.
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Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451.
In may of 1476, Columbus has an encounter with
persons presumed to be Pirates, and this
changed the course of his life into one of greater
adventure.
Initially Columbus joined his brother,
Bartholomew and became a Cartographer in
Portugal.
He soon took advantage of the era of discovery
that plagued Europe at the time and became a
master-mariner for the Portuguese service.
He life as a sailor further intrigued his interest in
the locating the world outside of Europe.
He had a comfortable life, but was interested in
finding the treasure of China.
Enterprise of the Indies
Objective: To describe the discovery on the New World
and the first voyage of Christopher Columbus
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Columbus estimated that the coast of Japan
would only be 2,400 miles from the coast
Europe and the trip would only take three
weeks.
Columbus found great difficultly in securing
financing for the “Enterprise of the Indies” in
Portugal.
When his wife died in 1483, he sought aid
from Spain.
The Spanish court took six years to reach a
negative decision.
The still motivated Columbus, decided to
head for France.
On the day he was to leave he received word
from the Queen that his proposal was indeed
accepted.
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After three months of preparation Columbus
and his crew of 90 men set sail from Palos,
Spain on August 3, 1492 with three ships. The
Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.
A first stop was made in the Canary Islands,
this took one week.
The journey was delayed but to a broken
rudder on the Pinta.
The repair took another three weeks and the
crew left for ‘The Indies” on September 9,
1492.
During the stopover on the canaries, lanteen
sails had been put onto the Nina.
Life on the ship was miserable as only the
captains had sleeping quarters and the sailors
had to sleep where they could.
This voyage was aided through the compass ,
the quadrant and the hourglass.
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There had been several false alarms on the ship where
sailors thought that they had spotted land.
An issue arose on the ship when the compass changed
directions and the sailors were concerned that they
were no longer sailing North.
This matter was calmed by Columbus.
On October 7th, the direction of the ships was altered in
order to follow a flock of birds that had flown over the
ship.
The crew had not seen land for more than 28 days.
On October 9th, Columbus and the crew, who was at a
point of mutiny, decided to turn back if land had not
been sited in three days.
At 2am on the morning of October 12th land was sited
by Rodrigo de Triana.
The island was called Guanahani by its natives and San
Salvador by Columbus.
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Where did Columbus think he had
landed?
Who did he meet there?
Describe this encounter like?
How was Columbus able to locate other
islands in the Caribbean?
What incident occurred at Hispaniola and
how was this matter resolved?
What did Columbus take back to Spain
with him as evidence of his trip?
East meets West
Objective Questions
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What was Columbus given by the Crown in
preparation for his second voyage?
How did Columbus respond to the Kalinago
settlement?
What was the fate of the Spaniards left at Fort
Navidad?
Describe the Taino weapon technology.
What were conditions of the encomienda system?
What was the fate of the Arawaks who resisted
servitude?
List four circumstances of the encomienda system
that led to Arawak genocide.
Describe the following persons impact on the
Encomienda system.
a. Nicolas de Ovando
b. Bartholeme de las Casas
c. Antonio de Montesinos