Essay question: Describe how migration is a cultural trait of Caribbean people.
Migration is said to be a cultural trait of Caribbean people. Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. It allows for the diffusion of ideas and cultural traits. Culture is the way of life of people, while traits speak to habits or customs of people. Therefore cultural traits refer to the habitual activities such as, values, attitudes, norms and beliefs, which characterizes the way of life of people. When people migrate there is a transfer of these traits and because the Caribbean people are known for migrating, it can be said that migration is a cultural trait of Caribbean people.
There are a number of reasons why migration is a cultural trait of Caribbean people. These reasons include: the fact that migration has been occurring over a long period of time with the Caribbean, it is a consistent response to the economic and social situations faced by the Caribbean people, it is a part of the belief system of the people of the Caribbean that migration can provide social stability, and the number of people who have migrated. In writing this essay I will examine the history of the Caribbean people and migration from 1492 to present.
Migration has been occurring over a long period of time, from 1492 to present, and as such it is a cultural trait of the Caribbean people. In 1492 during the encounter period, the Tainos migrated from Asia along the bearing strait to the Caribbean where Christopher Columbus found them. Columbus had migrated from Spain to the Caribbean which he referred to as the ‘New World’. He was in search of fortune and wealth. Shortly after Columbus settles in the Caribbean, other Europeans migrated to the Caribbean. These include the British and the French who came, fought for power and colonized territories. When they colonized the islands they imported slaved from Africa to work on plantations. During the slavery period