Caribbean Studies Revision Manual, Term 1, Week 2 – The HISTORICAL PROCESS

Historical Period Themes Events, processes

Migration Indigenous peoples:
Tainos/Caribs; voyages of
Columbus and the Spanish
The encounter: the age of Conquest
discovery 15th and 16th
Genocide/oppression Genocide: enslavement of the
Amerindians, encomienda and
diseases

Resistance/resilience Caribs resisted the Europeans

Migration European migration and forced
migration of African slaves

Settling down: Colonisation 17th - Genocide/oppression Slavery: the triangular trade and
19th the sugar plantation

Resistance/resilience Maroonage, rebellions,

revolutions; passive resistance
Migration Options for ex-slaves;
indentured labourers; intra-
Caribbean and metropolitan
migrations
Emancipation: Late 19th and 20th
Oppression East Indian indentureship, social
stratification, obstructed groups

Resistance and resilience Free peasantry; diversification,

trade unions, political parties;
struggle for indepenece
Migration Changing nature of the diaspora,
refugee and the drug economy

Neo-colonialism: shifting of
Globalisation Oppression centres of domination, changing
nature of imperialism, WTO,
technology (ICT)

Regional institutions: CARICOM.

Resistance/Resilience UWI, CSME and concepts of
nativism (national identity)
which are fundamental to a
sense of belonging
The Mongoloid people in South East Asian were nomadic hunters who followed buffalo and deer. When
the herd moved the people moved because they were dependent on the animals for food. The herd led
the people north-east, across the Bering Strait (an ice-bridge) into North America over 10,000 years ago.
The Native Americans/Aboriginal/Amerindians settled throughout North America, Central America and
into South America, from where the Arawaks/Tainos and Caribs/Kalinago moved into the Caribbean. The
Arawaks settled in the Greater Antilles while the Caribs settled in Lesser Antilles

Management of the Environment by the Amerindians

The Amerindians developed their own political/government structure which helped to maintain social
order. The cacique was the religious and political leader of the Taino community while the
ubutu/ouboutou was the commander-in-chief of the Kalinago. The ubutu had to defeat or kill several
enemies in battle to be elected to the position. He was chosen based on his military prowess.

Features of the Amerindian society

 Recreational activities - Smoking, canoe racing, singing and dancing

 Religious belief played an integral role. They believed in many gods (polytheistic)
 They provided craft and developed art shown by making of hammocks, various kinds of pottery
 Influenced many Caribbean foods today like pepperpot, cassava, cassareep and provided the
names to places like Haiti, Arima, Tunapuna
 Influenced food preparation – jerk and barbeque
 They encouraged the sustainable use of the environment with the consideration of future
generations
 Slash and Burn Method for Agriculture
 They saw the Caribbean region as borderless

End of the Amerindian World and Coming of the Europeans

The arrival of Christopher Columbus to the West Indies in 1492 changed our region. Starting with Spanish,
a way was paved for the entry of other European (British, French, Dutch) to share the wealth of the region.
This wealth started with the exploitative labour system called enconmienda system – in this system
land was divided into encomiendas/specified areas and provided a number of inidigenous people (the
parcel/ repartimento) worked for the owner/encomendero. The econmendero provided housing,
clothing, food and protection. The encomendero was entitled to collect tribute in goods and gold from
the indigenous people who farmed and mined. NB The 1812 Law of Burgos stated that the indigenous
people were not be enslaved and were to be Christianised. This was ultimately not followed and many
lost their lives due to overwork, suicide, kill for sport, disease etc.

The Changing Tide – the coming of the Africans

By the late 1500s the Amerindian population was severely depleted. Las Casas, a priest appealed to
Spanish crown to seek an alternative labour force. While some Europeans came in to work as contract
workers as punishment for crimes back in Europe, a sudden shift to the importation Africans for various
reasons became a trend that would occur for 300 years. Some of the arguments put forward included:
Africans were of an inferior race, they were better suited for hard work and agricultural work and they
were non-Christians and needed to be Christianised. But it was purely the development of the sugar
revolution – an economic model based of means and modes of production that really drove the mass
importation of Africans. As exploiters and realist exploiters, the Europeans wanted the cheapest labour
force to work of large areas of land to cultivate sugar which was a profitable product.

This led to development of the plantation society: whites at the top, mix-raced individuals in the middle
and blacks at the bottom.

African-Caribbean Contribution

a) The former enslaved were able to create an identity based on contributions they made:
b) The provided labour for the sugar industry for it to become a viable industry
c) They were the labour forced that diversified the Caribbean economy in that period
d) Rastafarian, Obeah and Voodoo religion provided forms of resistance and became an integral part
of spiritual landscape of the region – African-Caribbean Culture
e) Introduction of foods – conkies, yams, sweet potato, plantains
f) Women of African-Caribbean descent emphasise the notion of Africanity in their hair styles (corn-
row/cane-row, corkscrew) and clothing
g) Musical perspective – reggae, ska, zouk, calypso, spouge

Coming of the Indentured Labourers

 Following the dismantlement of slavery, European authorities brought in labourers from China,
Portugal, Africans and from Asia to fill the gap created by the former enslaved who had left the
plantation. The Indians were the largest grouping as reflected by the population of Guyana and
Trinidad.
 What do you think are some of contributions the Asian immigrants made to the Caribbean
society? Think along the lines of food, religion, clothing, language, festivals etc.

Responses of Caribbean People of Oppression and Genocide

 Amerindians – committed suicide, infanticide, ran away (maroonage), abortions, refused to obey,
open warfare and cultural hybridity
 Africans – non-violent resistance (illness, pretending ignorance, reopening wounds, telling lies,
deliberate carelessness, working slowly, prolonged lactations, stealing); and violent resistance
1791 Haiti, Barbados 1816, Demarara 1823, Jamaica 1831
 The indentures responded with suicide, social uprising and engaged in revolts. They began gain
political consciousness

Rise of Peasants Groups and their impact

The rise of the peasantry after 1838 can be seen as journey in which the former enslaved sought to re-
invent themselves as individuals. They engaged themselves in the planting of bananas, limes and coffee
in the Windward Islands and Jamaica, nutmeg in Grenada, arrowroot in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
rice in Guyana among others for export. The introduction of these new crops helped with the
diversification of economy from the monoculture of sugar.

The peasants also contributed to the development of beginning of collective associations, trade
unions/labour movements bent on addressing the living and working conditions of the poor which led to
the emergence of political parties and black consciousness.
Contemporary Era - Movement Towards Independence: adult suffrage, internal self-government,
economic enfranchisement, entrepreneurial activities

The transition from a colonial system to a representative government and full self-government began in
the post-World War 2 (1939-1945) era as a series of social problems were highlighted and were sought to
be addressed via royal commission led by Lord Moyne. Some of the ills identified by the commission were:

 Widespread unemployment
 Wages were low and poverty was everywhere
 Health service was negligible
 Improper sanitation with diseases such as hookworms, yaws and malaria
 Racial disharmony accompanying the rigid class structure
 Denial of rights to the masses. Eg - participation in elections due to barriers such as property
qualifications

Constitutional Changes

They were a series of strikes in the 1930s due to the social ills mentioned above. The commission
recommended that these be addressed. These radical demands meant that a way was paved for mass
participation in the electorate and this came with adult suffrage (Jamaica 1944, Trinidad 1945, Barbados
1950, Guyana 1953). This led to formation of representative governments and removed the qualification
of persons to vote by land, gender and class.

Other factors that led to self-government include:

 The strong surge of trade unions and political parties

 The United Nations pressure on Britain to give her colonies independence
 Britain was financially weak following the world wars
 Pressure from the USA to have independence of all British colonies