Settlement Patterns in the Caribbean

The first group of Amerindians to arrive in the Caribbean were the Ciboney who

settled mainly in Cuba. They migrated northwards from Suriname, Eastern

Venezuela and Guyana in South America. Archaeologists have not found much

evidence in order to describe what they were like or how they lived. This is

because they left few artefacts behind. Sometime afterwards, the Ciboney were

followed by the Tainos (Arawaks) and Kalinagos (Caribs). The Tainos’ original

homeland was in the forest between the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers in South

America. They travelled in large canoes and usually settled on each island they

encountered. Then after a few years, some would move onto another island. The

Arawaks were divided into two principle tribes which are the Lucayos in the

Bahamas and the Tainos in the Greater Antilles. The Kalinagos followed the Tainos

into the Caribbean. They lived further south in the jungles around the Orinoco.

They also moved from island to island. At each one, they fought the Tainos and

pushed them out and established themselves on the island.

The Tainos seeing from their enemies, the Kalinagos, crossed into Trinidad

and continued to move further up the island chain. By the time the

Europeans arrived in the Caribbean in 1492, the Tainos occupied mainly the

islands of the Greater Antilles which are Puerto Rico, Cuba, Hispaniola and

Jamaica. They also occupied the Bahamas and Barbados. The Kalinagos occupied

mainly the islands of the Lesser Antilles such as Trinidad, Dominica and St.

Vincent. Trinidad and Puerto Rico were occupied by both the Tainos and

Kalinagos. The Tainos and Kalinagos in the Caribbean did not develop great

civilizations like the Maya or Inca, rather they have been labelled as

‘’primitive’’ in terms of culture. The Amerindians dominated the region up until

the arrival of the Europeans in 1492. The coming of the Europeans saw drastic

changes in the way of life of the Amerindians and ensured their near

extermination.