Map of the Caribbean Showing Where the Kalinagos Settled/Lived

Introductory Activity
The Kalinagos/Caribs’ Physical Appearance
 The Kalinagos were taller than the Tainos, but still
only of medium height. They were described as
being strong and built due to the emphasis placed on
training for fighting.

 Their skin was brown and usually went naked. The

women painted their bodies with roucou (a red dye)
and made fantastic decorations in many colors.
The Kalinagos/Caribs’ Physical Appearance
The men would also paint their
bodies would wear headdresses and
jewelry. Very rarely you would also
find them wearing cotton clothes
around their waist.

They had short heads and, like the

Tainos, they flattened the foreheads
of babies. They had a complete
absence of body hair.
 Political Organization of the Kalinagos

 The Kalinagoes ad no such organization as the Tainos with their

caciques. In peacetime, they had only a few laws, only those made
by the Tiubutuli Haute (village headman) who was the head of the
family since each family lived in a separate village.

 However, in war, the Kalinagos became more strictly organized.

Each piraga (canoe) was captained by its owner and one of the
captains was chosen as Ubutu or Ouboutou (commander-in-chief).
 Political Organization of the Kalinagos
If the raid was successful, he would keep this title for the rest of
his life. The Ouboutou planned the raids, chose the captains, and
distributed the prizes. He was greatly feared among his men for his
power.

The ouboutou became chief either by right of birth or through

being an outstanding warrior. The village men along with the chief
made plans for fishing, trading, and war or for organizing the
settlement.
 The Political Organization of the Kalinagos (continued)

 Kalinago men lived together in a  The Kalinagos slept in hammocks,

large, rectangular house called a
carbet because they were
undergoing warrior training.
 The women carried food to the
carbet but otherwise lived
separately.
but they also had a kind of bed
called amais.
 Their utensils were not so well made
or polished as those of the Tainos.
 Social Organization of the Kalinagos
 The Kalinagos’ social organization was quite loose as their culture
focused on physical ability and individuality. A Kalinago village was
made up of a small number of houses, with a Karbay or big meeting
house as the central building.

 The Karbay was where the men assembled, but the only way in was
through a small door. There were many stout posts supporting the roof,
and from these posts, the hammocks were slung.

 The roof was thatched with palm fronds or caribou leaves, which were
tied down by mahoe, rope, or cords. These cords were made from the
bark of mahoe trees.

 The houses which surrounded the Karbay were oval in shape and much
smaller. The walls were made of reeds. There was only one room for the
family, which included the father, wives, and unmarried children.
 The Social Organization of the Kalinagos (continued)

 There were however separate  The rest of the furniture consisted of

huts for cooking and storing
precious objects such as cotton hammocks, small stools, and
hammocks, bows, and arrows. four-legged tables of basket-work
called matoutou.
 In the kitchen, there were
utensils such as pottery and
calabashes, or couris.
 Duties of Kalinago Men

 The men cleared the forests

to prepare gardens, built
 Most of this work was done
houses and collected the in the dry season and so this
palms for thatching the roofs was the men’s time during
and cut trees to build canoes. the first part of the year.
Throughout the year they
secured food for the
community.
 Duties of Kalinago Women

 The women prepared and

cooked the food. When the rainy
season started, it was the
women’s duty to plant crops.
 The women also spun thread,
wove hammocks, and made clay
pots for holding food and liquid.
 This is because it was women who
attended births and it was thought
that all things that need fertility to
grow must come from women’s
hands.