Amerindians
The original Amerindians in the Caribbean consisted of three groups of people: the Ciboney, the Arawak, and the Caribs. These three groups are all linguistic, all speaking similar languages that are mutually comprehensible. Their cultures, however, are different. It is estimated that around 750,000 to 10 million Amerindians occupied the Caribbean at the time of Columbus' arrival. Today, there are probably no more than 3-4,000 people of Amerindian descent living there.
The Ciboney were the earliest of the three groups who migrated into the Bahamas send throughout the Greater Antilles as early as 2000 B.C. The Ciboney were hunters, gatherers, and fishers, they did not practice much agriculture. They were very primitive. They survived by collecting things like shellfish, wild fruits, herbs, and hunted things like fish, turtles, and reptiles like iguanas. The Ciboney wore few clothes and painted on their bodies, they also used stone as tools that they chipped and grounded. Unfortunately, most Ciboneys disappeared by 1500 A.D.
The Arawaks came in the second wave to the Caribbean, arriving around 300 B.C. They traveled through the Lesser Antilles and into the Greater Antilles, but evidence shows that they mainly occupied the Greater Antilles. Evidence also shows that they also absorbed or annihilated most of the Ciboneys. Anyways, the Arawak were a little more advanced than the Ciboney. They hunted and gathered and fished, but they also developed a well working agricultural system. Their farming strategy was known as "Conuco", a variation of shifting cultivation systems, or changing the crops that they planted. They planted yucca, yams, arrowroot, peanuts, maize, beans, squash, cacao, spices, cotton, tobacco, and numerous indigenous fruits. Because of the climate they lived in, they didn't need elaborate houses or to create much heat. Also, because of their great farming system their food needs were met easily, and they had time to make pottery, baskets, woven cotton
The Ciboney were the earliest of the three groups who migrated into the Bahamas send throughout the Greater Antilles as early as 2000 B.C. The Ciboney were hunters, gatherers, and fishers, they did not practice much agriculture. They were very primitive. They survived by collecting things like shellfish, wild fruits, herbs, and hunted things like fish, turtles, and reptiles like iguanas. The Ciboney wore few clothes and painted on their bodies, they also used stone as tools that they chipped and grounded. Unfortunately, most Ciboneys disappeared by 1500 A.D.
The Arawaks came in the second wave to the Caribbean, arriving around 300 B.C. They traveled through the Lesser Antilles and into the Greater Antilles, but evidence shows that they mainly occupied the Greater Antilles. Evidence also shows that they also absorbed or annihilated most of the Ciboneys. Anyways, the Arawak were a little more advanced than the Ciboney. They hunted and gathered and fished, but they also developed a well working agricultural system. Their farming strategy was known as "Conuco", a variation of shifting cultivation systems, or changing the crops that they planted. They planted yucca, yams, arrowroot, peanuts, maize, beans, squash, cacao, spices, cotton, tobacco, and numerous indigenous fruits. Because of the climate they lived in, they didn't need elaborate houses or to create much heat. Also, because of their great farming system their food needs were met easily, and they had time to make pottery, baskets, woven cotton