As a child one of the first stories that
were told to me was Jamaican first settlers, and every child heard stories
about the Arawaks. We all, from the least educated to the
most widely read, accept it almost instinctively that there were, before the
Europeans landed on these our islands, a peaceful and gentle tribe of
Amerindians called the Arawaks who had inhabited the entire Caribbean
archipelago.
The Arawaks were very simple and primitive tribe of
people, they excelled in farming and hunting. They hunted little mammals or lizards with sticks,
and birds with stones. They had domesticated a breed of dog, which they used
for hunting, and occasionally as food, the sea was close and it provided them
with great access to fishing and also navigation. The Arawaks were
great at crafting and making tools, they made tools that helped them to be
better hunters and builders. Their art of weaving was highly developed and the
cotton hammock in which they slept was one of the few long lasting
contributions they made to European culture. They made good baskets and
agricultural tools; and sometimes sculpted wooden seats. Their pottery was
extremely refined and of real artistic value; even though they ignored the
potter's wheel. Their clothing was very
limited, women wear shirts. The way the shirt were cut and the color of it will
indicate social status and age. Being the first settlers on the island they
basically had their own way of living and they form their own Utopia. The Arawaks were
a very skilled tribe of people and a lot of their creations are still very
prominent even to this day.
The Arawaks were considered by many as "animists",
which means that they believed in the inner connection of the two worlds (the
visible and the invisible one) and in the existence and survival of the soul in
the environment (tree, rivers, etc.). They loved the moon, sun, stars, their
priest and their doctor, The Arawaks believed in eternal life for the virtuous.
The Arawaks settled and lived in Jamaica for almost
900 years, the Spaniard invaded Jamaica around 1494 and they lived with the
Arawaks, not too long after that the Spaniards turn the Arawaks into slaves and
slowly take over the island. The virgin soil epidemic caused by the arrival of
smallpox and other diseases from Europe, combined with Spain's harsh policies
of enslavement, resettlement, and the separation of families. After 50 years
the tribe almost became extinct, People were killed, some died of hunger, and some were unable
to survive the diseases brought in by the Spanish. Many committed suicide to
escape being enslaved by the Spanish.
Our first settlers had it pretty good until the Spaniards
took over, they pretty much make the bed and the Spanish settlers slept in it
and the rest is history, so if someone tell you Jamaica was discovered by
Europeans just tell the Arawaks was here first, and to quote from the
blockbuster movie Avatar “those people sits on a goal mine” the Arawaks were
the Blue People of the 1400.
Interestingly the
word Jamaica has been derived from the Arawak word 'xaymaca' which means the
'land of wood and water' or the 'land of forest and water'.
(http://www.mapsofworld.com/jamaica/language/arawak.html)
Tomorrow I will let you get to meet one of the biggest opportunists
in World History.
Thanks for reading.
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| Arawak Chair |
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| Village |
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| Warriors |
Big thanks to all the readers.
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