Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas : The Rise of the Kalinagos

Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas  

The Rise of the Kalinagos

LOCATION OF SETTLEMENTS

 Brazil, Guiana, Venezuela Puerto Rico and Lesser Antilles

APPEARANCE

  Kalinagos were taller than the Arawaks.

 Brown in complexion
  Stronger than the Arawaks due to emphasis place onphysical training for fighting
 Both women and men painted their bodies with dyes(roucou). The men wore
head dress (colourful) and jewellery through their lips and nose
 The kalinago women wore rassada (bracelets) around their arms and legs. They
flattened the foreheads of their babies by placing the babies on their mother's breast.

DIET

 The Kalinagos ate almost the same food as the Tainos. Couii and Taumalin were
pepper sauces. Taumalin were made from pepper, lemon juice and green meat of
crab.
 The Kalinagos diet also consist of great deal of proteins, pepper was heavily used by
Kalinagos (almost in all dishes)
  They were good fishermen and poor farmers.

POLITICAL ORGANISATION

 A few laws existed in the Kalinagos society and these laws were made by the
Tiubutuli Hauthe (village headman)
 The Tiubutuli Hauthe was the head of the family and lived in a separate village.
 The Kalinago men lived together in large house called the carbet, as they were
undergoing warrior training. The Oubutu was responsible for the planning of raids on
the Tainos community. The Ubutu also had the responsibility of rewarding the
Kalinago men who were successful in raids and hunting.
Piraga (canoe) were used to raid the Tainos villages and the Ubutu would chose individuals
to captain the Piraga (canoe).

RELIGION

 The Kalinagos believed in evil spirits known as Maboya: The priest (boyez) had the
power to avert evil. The priest (boyez) presided over ceremonies and sacrifices.
 Death for the Kalinagos meant a special journey to either a heaven or a hell.
However, the souls of the brave Kalinagos warriors went to the "fortunate" islands
where they were waited on by Tainos slaves; cowardly souls went to a dreary desert
where they became the slaves of Tainos masters.

THE ROLE OF OUBUTU

 This position was inherited by the amount Tainos he had to kill or the measure of his
strength
  He was responsible for the planning of raids on the Tainos villages
 He chose the captain of the piragas (canoes) and distributed prizes among
the Kalinago men who successful in hunting and raids.
 He was assisted by the Ouboutou or a (commander inchief)
 He made few laws.

QUESTION:

Describe Columbus' views on the race of people living in the Lesser Antilles.
Columbus visited the West Indies, he found two groups of people living in the
Caribbean or West Indies. The Tainos and Kalinagos (Arawaks & Caribs).

The Kalinagos lived mostly in the Lesser Antilles (Trinidad, St. Lucia, Dominica
etc.). The name Kalinagos or Caribs were given to these people because they were
fierce and warlike people who ate their enemies when they captured them.  
Columbus described the Kalinagos/Caribs as uncivilised people who lived by
hunting, fishing and feeding on wild fruit and berries and the cassava root which
they planted. They moved from island to island in small boats called piragas
(canoes) which they made from the trunks of large trees, mainly the silk cotton
tree. These canoes were propelled by wooden paddles. Some of these canoes were
quite big, measuring up fifty feet in length. However, since the Kalinagos were
hunters, they were always on the move and are known to have made voyages as
far as the Greater Antilles; in fact, at the of discovery of the West Indies, they had
already raided eastern Puerto Rico in pursuit of the gentler Tainos who were
peace-loving and quiet and whom the Kalinagos had driven over a period of years
from the north coast of South America up the islands of the Caribbean. 
The Kalinagos were warlike and took great pride in their ability to hold out against
their enemies. Their resistance against the Europeans who later landed in these
islands was fierce. 
However, in spite of the superior weapons, the Europeans were even afraid of the
Kalinagos who were not hesitant to attack. 
The Kalinagos lived in thatched-roofed huts built in clearings on the sea coast, as
fish was their main food. They also feed on conches, cockles and mussels.
Wherever they lived there could be found nearby large heaps of shell of these
crustaceans. 
The Kalinagos were able to make cloth and rugs from cotton. Some of these rugs
were beautifully dyed from the juices of trees. They also made baskets and mats
from straw, bark of trees and bamboo strippings. This craft is still carried on today
by Caribbean people. 
However, the Kalinagos did not know the use of iron for the making of tools and
weapons. Their tools were made by stone, hardwood and bones. Their weapons
were bow and arrow and spears which were made more deadly by attaching a
pointed fish bone at the end of their arrows and by hardening the ends of their
spears with fire. 
They also dipped their weapons in a poisonous substance made from trees, in
order to kill their enemies more quickly. The Kalinagos made periodic raids on the
Tainos villages to replenish their supplies of food and women. As they gloried in
their marital prowess, they choose their Ubutu (chief) not by heredity, but by his
strength and fighting skills. 
Moreover all of the Kalinagos warrior lived together in a commune or house called
the carbet in which they had to undergo warrior training, to test their courage and
bravery.