Prior to 1492 Can the Caribbean Be Described as an “… Area of Darkness?

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Prior to 1492 can the Caribbean be described as an “… area of darkness? In responding to this statement we have to first examine a very important factor. We need to understand fully, the definition of the term civilization. According to the University of the West Indies course material on Civilization, it is defined as the collective expression of a group of people expressed through the peculiar world they share (d) Oxford online defines civilization as the state of human social development organization, which is considered most advanced. For a group of people to be considered a civilization certain factors should be in place. They should have a form of government to enable and enforce law; there should be a stable food supply that would bring about growth and development. There should be some form of writing of sorts; this allows the relaying and recording of history of the particular civilization. There should be evidence of social structure within the populace; this will show the distinction of rich, poor, middle class and slaves, and of course there must be some sort of belief in God or Gods. All the aforementioned will be combined to cause the display of a distinct way of life, which is termed as that civilization culture. All that is written above is universally accepted in the definition of civilization, not just for the Caribbean or for Europe but universally. Before 1492, in fact, a many 1000 years before the arrival of Columbus, the Caribbean was occupied with many groups of people fitting to be categorized as a civilization. Let us examine them briefly. The Paleo – Indians migrated in their majestic rafts from South and Central America and settled in the region. Although they did not have no real knowledge of pottery or farming, their food staple was hunting and fishing and this was evident from fishing settlements that were

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