How Accurate Is It to Define the Caribbean Ancestors as Primitive

652 Words3 Pages
1. In older anthropology texts and discussions, the term "primitive culture" refers to a society believed to lack cultural, technological, or economic sophistication or development. A society lacking culture, technology and economic sophistication may never be referred to the early settlers of the Caribbean since today their culture, technology and development are what keeps our society together and make us the Caribbean a unique domain. Being primitive means that you lack an identity and is unable to relate anything to our present life, therefore I stand on the grounds that the early settlers of the Caribbean aren’t primitive because today their mode of transportation, diet and division of labor are evidently used among us in maintaining our daily lives. The neo- Indians who are our Caribbean ancestors have left their trademarks with us right here today, like in the text which states that they made canoes from trunk of trees which could accommodate up to 50 people (p.38) and that they used for trade. If these people were primitive how was it visionary to produce such a great piece of art hence making trade possible? Today it is trade that has continued to support the Caribbean and the world by extension with marketable produce. I won’t forget to mention also here in my homeland Dominica, that the canoes are evident and continues to be our main source of fishing equipment and one of our fascinating tourist transportation to explore the flora and fauna of our beautiful Indian river. Yet with these developments would you continue to think the neo Indians are primitive? Secondly, with the growth of manioc or cassava as it is known, we as a Caribbean people can identify with our very own staple but also a fibre crop which can be used in so many ways. This cassava today is used as a cereal in comparison to what we call cream of wheat which is more economical and

More about How Accurate Is It to Define the Caribbean Ancestors as Primitive

Open Document