Analysis of categories “Taíno” and “Carib”
For next weekend’s class, when we will be discussing the Indigenous Caribbean, please complete the assigned reading and do some supplementary online research on the terms “Taíno” and “Carib.” These names have both been applied to Indigenous people in the Caribbean. Spend some time looking them up, doing some subsequent searches based on key phrases you find in either popular or scientific sources (for instance, a search for “Carib people” might turn up articles mentioning “Dominica Kalinago people” – look up that phrase and see what you learn). Take some notes on patterns you observe in the information you find, focusing especially on these questions:
What differences, if any, are presented between the cultures of Taíno and Carib people?
Do these groups appear to have occupied different areas, or to have lived at different times?
Are these the only terms used to describe these people? If not, what other terms exist?
Are these people presented as still existing today? If so, how are they said to have evolved since European contact? If not, what is said to have caused their demise?
In your opinion, based on this research and any independent knowledge, is the division of Indigenous Caribbean people into Taínos and Caribs a valid one? Why or why not?
Please remember that you are not necessarily trying to learn and report correct information, but simply analyzing the information that is freely available about these people. Therefore, if you find contradictory info or assertions that you believe are false, you should simply make a note of this discrepancy and include your analysis in your report.
Answer
Analysis of categories “Taíno” and “Carib”
By: Essayicons.com
The Taíno and the Carib were two indigenous groups that inhabited the Caribbean islands before the arrival of Europeans. One cultural difference between these two groups was the social structure. The Taíno had a hierarchical social structure, while the Carib had a democratic structure (Torres, 2021). Secondly, they spoke different languages, with the Taíno speaking Arawakan, and the Carib language was part of the Cariban language family. Further, the two groups had different warfare strategies; Torres (2021) states that the Carib were more war aggressive than the Taíno.
Stone (2017) states that the Taíno and Carib occupied different areas. He argues that the Taíno are believed to have “occupied the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico), while the Carib occupied the Lesser Antilles (Virgin Islands to Trinidad and Tobago)”. However, despite inhabiting different regions, they lived during the same time period.
Taíno and Carib are also described using other terms. These terms include Arawak or Taino-Arawak for the Taíno and the Island Carib or Kalinago for the Carib (Torres, 2021). Although these terms are unpopular, they provide more specific or alternative descriptions of these indigenous groups.
The Taíno and the Carib are said to have gone extinct. Although some Caribbean people are considered to have the ancestry of the groups, these people do not exist in the original form of the Taíno and the Carib. Torres (2021) argues that their demise is said to have been caused by European contact through diseases, conflicts, and forced labor.
Based on this research and my independent knowledge, I think the divisions of Indigenous Caribbean people into Taínos and Caribs are valid. While there is a controversial debate and a lot of criticism regarding the division, the historical evidence and tones of scholarly research validate it.