Who are the Carib People?
The Carib People
The Carib people are an indigenous people of South America, who migrated to Caribbean Islands many years ago. They were called Caribs by the Europeans who encountered them while exploring those islands; however the Caribs referred to themselves as Kalingo. This is their original name.
Appearances
According to Dominican Historian Dr. Lennox Honychurch, "the Kalinago were like the other Amazonoid tribes from South America" (23). They are light brown in complexion, had dark eyes and are well known for their straight black hair. They wore no clothes except for the feathers and ornaments used to design their hair; however, the men wore cotton aprons around their waists, during special occasions and events. The women tied bands around their legs, below their knees and at the ankle, in order to tighten their calves and make them appear to be bigger. This was seen as attractive. Also attractive to them were babies with flattened foreheads. The women would deliberately flatten the heads of their babies while their skull was still soft and not fully developed. This was said to make a stronger forehead and also a more handsome baby. The Caribs also engaged in body painting and piercing. They used red, white, black and ochre colours to design their skins with different patterns, and shell and bone ornaments in body piercing.
Gender Roles
The men in the Kalinago tribes were responsible for fishing, hunting, and fighting. They were also involved in the making of weapons, tools, crafts and canoes. They explored the sea and traveled to different islands, raiding the villages of Arawakian people such as the Taino and Igneri tribes. They killed the men of those tribes and captured their wives, who would become servants and wives in the Carib villages. The Carib men also engaged in war with Europeans, but because their women would be captured so easily, they would treat them as inferior due to their weakness. All Carib men were trained to be warriors.
The women in the tribes were responsible for baring and raising the children. They planted and gathered the fruits and vegetables, and also weaved clothes out of cotton. Women would prepare and serve the food, though they were not allowed to eat with their husbands. They adapted certain customs from Igneri women including language and the flattening of baby foreheads.
Language
The Carib people had three different languages; two spoken by the men and one by the women. The women's language was partially mixed with the Igerni language as there were captured igneri women living among them. The men spoke two different tongues because one was needed for daily life and the other for discussing battle plans among their war parties. It was also used for trading, and was incomprehensible by the women.
Weapons
For weapons the men used clubs, spears, knives and bows and arrows. The head of their arrows would be poisoned, barbed and detachable. The knives were only used violently when they were drunk.
Diet
The Kalinago people ate a lot of plant produce such as yams, cassavas and potatoes. They planted crops, gathered fruits and vegetables, fished and hunted wild animals for food. The Caribs are also known to be heavy alcohol drinkers. They did not eat turtles however, as it was thought that the consumption of turtle meat would make them stupid
Religion and Beliefs
The Caribs believed that there were gods in nature. Frog Woman and Batman were seasonal gods to the Caribs. Frog woman was believed to be the god of the rainy season, and they would worship her whenever the dry season had arrived. They worshipped by sacrificing animals captured from hunting, and also sacrificing Arawakians they had captured from raids. In this way they would please the gods and prevent hostility from evil spirits such as ‘mabouya’ and the hurricane spirit. The Kanaima was an evil spirit beneficial to the Caribs when they seeked revenge on someone who had killed a family member. The spirit is said to possess people, causing them to act like vicious animals and filling them with violent, uncontrollable anger suitable for murderous vengence. The Carib seeking revenge would call on the spirit to enter him by taking certain drugs or performing rituals. Honychurch stated that the Kalinago also kept the bones of their ancestors in their houses because they believed that their spirits would guide and protect them. (22)
Arts and Crafts
The Carib people are well known for their arts and crafts. They are quite innovative people who are very skilled with their hands. They created musical instruments from wood and gourges, wooven baskets from reed and they also used wood to make kitchen utensils. Their pottery and sculpters were painted with ground colours and symoblic images were engraved in their work. Many of their crafts are still being made today