Arawaks in Barbados

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The First Inhabitants The first inhabitants of Barbados were the Arawak Indians, who reached the island around 1623 BC. They came here by open canoe from the Orinoco area of South America, known today as Venezuela. The Arawaks were short, olive-skinned people who bound their foreheads during infancy to slope it into a point. They considered this along with black and white body painting to be attractive. The CaÏques (chiefs) and influential members of the tribe wore nose plugs and/or rings made of copper and gold alloys. They were an agricultural people and grew cotton, cassava, corn, peanuts, guavas, and papaws (papaya). The cotton was woven and used for armbands and hammocks. Cassava was ground and grated to be made into casareep, a seasoning used in cooking. The Arawaks also used harpoons, nets, and hooks, to fish for food The Arawaks, a peace-loving community of farmers and fishermen, lived mainly on the coast and they established major settlements in areas like Bridgetown, Heywoods and Chancery Lane, where archaeological digs have unearthed evidence of their existence. During the next 3,000 years, several tribes inhabited Barbados at varying intervals, including the Caribs and the Arawaks. The Caribs were a warlike tribe and it was from their name that the word Caribbean was derived. The hammock and the barbeque are good examples of how we retain elements of the Arawak traditional way of life. These are both Amerindian words, as is ‘huracan’, a less welcome feature of life in the Caribbean. The Arawaks also had a ritual of impaling pineapples on two poles either side of the doorway into their homes, believing that this kept away evil spirits. This ritual was mimicked by the settlers, and today there are many gateposts with a pineapple design standing on the top, not only in Barbados but throughout the world. They were driven off the island in 1200 AD by

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