Dating back to approximately 4000 BC there was evidence that there were persons living in the Caribbean in islands such as Trinidad, Antigua, Hispaniola and Cuba. There were many indigenous people inhabiting the lands of the Caribbean however they all weren’t considered civilizations as they did not display all the characteristics of a civilization such as the group informally called Ciboneys. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary a civilization a relatively high level of cultural and technological development; specifically: the stage of cultural development at which writing and the keeping of written records is attained or the culture characteristic of a particular time or place. For a group to be considered a civilization they must have a religion, written language, technology, art and architecture, politics, social stratification and job specification. Hence out of all the inhibitors there were only two civilizations within the Caribbean before the arrival of the Europeans. Coming from the Orinoco region Amerindians arrived to Trinidad as much more innovative hunter-gatherers. They had villages, wove cotton, made tools from stone and wood and also practiced their religion which …show more content…
Similarly to the other pre-Columbian cultures the Tainos perceived the world as a channel for the embodiment of supernatural power (Taylor-Kanarick, 2009). Within their perceptions it included topographies of the land such as caves, trees, mountains, rivers and the sea. They also believed that they were descendants from the unification of a male “culture hero” called Deminán and a female turtle. The female turtle was considered the ancestral mother in Taino mythology. While a female turtle carapace is worn by Deminán on his back. The Taino people honored and respected their ancestors. Hence the dead was buried under the houses except those of the high- ranking noble men and the
The Mayan, Aztec and Incan civilizations each contributed major accomplishments to the world today. These accomplishments established them as advanced societies during their time. The Incans built a large road system, devised a complex irrigation system and developed their own language. The Mayans constructed the largest structure known until modern times, made drastic accomplishments in mathematics, studied astronomy and formed a calendar. The Aztecs built well-organized cities and developed a writing system based on pictures.
• Trace the development of relations between Amerindians and Europeans in North and South America from the Colombian encounters through the 19th century.
According to the New World Encyclopedia, Civilization refers to a complex human society, in which people live in groups of settled dwellings comprising cities. Whit that being said,the conception that Europeans discovered the Americas is wrong. The Mesoamericas had a complex civilization built, so complex many of their discoveries and accomplishments are used in todays society. Although the routes of migration are not completely sure, people migrated from Asia into the Americas through the Bering Strait 12,000 B.C.
During the sixteenth century European pilgrims migrated across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in North America. North America had just been introduced to the Western Civilization. The America’s were home to the indigenous people, that were made up of several tribes that were called Indians by the early settlers. Together the Indians and settlers began to thrive. Growth and development in the new world was made possible by the abundant amount of natural resources.
Although Mesoamerica and South America had complex Native American civilizations, there were other civilizations that were just as complex as the ones mentioned before. These civilizations include the Mogollon, Hohokam, and Anasazi which were all located in North America. From 50 BCE to
The Americas were discovered after humans discovered the Western Hemisphere, which took a long time to find. Olmec, a Mesoamerican civilization, worked hard in the areas of agriculture, craft specialization, and social stratification. The Olmec did many things, such as producing collective labor so that the commoners were able to have various meals, having religious rituals with many diverse people, and studying the stars to come up with an accurate calendar. In Chavín, they increased in trading, which benefited them with new produces such as quinoa, potatoes, and llamas. Llamas, which were domesticated, were very important in Chavín because they were the source of transporting goods to different places.
The Ottoman Empires blockage of the once popular trade route to the east, led to the exploration of the America’s. In the late 15th century, with the European’s goal to find a new trading route, the Portuguese, with their strong maritime power, were the first to venture out. Not only was the establishment of a new trade route crucial, but so was the discovery of resources to exploit for European gain. Land empires formed, bringing about the enslavement of native populations, and control of production and labor. No more was this evident than in the Caribbean Islands. Small but crucial assets to Europe, why did the Caribbean islands have such a big impact on the slave trade? Many European countries had colonized several regions in North and South America, yet there was something about the Caribbean’s that made them indispensable to their respective economies. The politics in Europe, the Caribbean’s fertile soil, and its demographics were key factors in the Caribbean’s importance. All three factors were essential in the Caribbean becoming a staple in the slave trade.
A civilization refers to “a particular and distinctive type of human society” (Strayer, pg. 90). Civilizations aren’t always different from one another nor are they the exact same. Each civilization has some form of a unique characteristic that differentiates itself from the rest. For example, the Ancient Egyptians and the Hindus from Ancient India. They both have a permanent arrangement of societal roles, yet they aren’t constructed or operated in the same manner. These two locations are the main topics of this discussion/comparison.
The Caribbean is a vastly diverse area representing the effects of colonialism, slavery, and the combination of many cultures.
According to archaeologist in order to be defined as a civilization certain criteria must be met. Early archaeologists believed in order to be considered a civilization a society must have cultural superiority, which meant they must have the ability to read and write. If this was the sole criteria used to judge if a society was labeled a civilization, then you could say the Inca of South America, who constructed cities on top of mountains and had a complex system of irrigation canals, were not one because they did not have a system for reading or writing. Modern archaeologists now think of civilization as not better but different. The modern definition of civilization consists of the development of cities,
(c) State one way by which some Amerindian groups passed on their custom to other Amerindian groups in the region before 1492.
Civilization is a word that cannot be used too loosely. How then, is civilization defined? It is difficult to define in one word or phrase because a complex society or “civilization” depends on many different aspects. There are characteristics of a civilization that are more essential than others, some of which may be more important to one group than to another. However, a definition for civilization can be narrowed down to a few fundamental aspects that are necessary for one to exist. For a complex society to exist, it must have means to provide for a growing population. Acquiring resources is vital for a civilization to flourish. Next, the earliest civilizations all seemed to
Challenges of Caribbean Society in Achieving National Unity There have been many attempts for the Caribbean nations to come together as one, leading to national unity in the region. Some attempts at unity include: Federation, CARICOM (Caribbean Community), CARIFTA (Caribbean Free Trade Association), CDB (Caribbean Development Bank), UWI (University of the West Indies), CXC (Caribbean Examinations Council), and recently CSME (Caribbean Single Market and Economy), which is still in the process of being carried out. The Caribbean’s aim is to come together socially, economically, and politically and to try to work as one nation. However, there are many cultural differences between the countries,
The evolution of Caribbean Literature started centuries before the Europeans graced these shores and continues to develop today. Quite noticeably, it developed in a manner which transcended all language barriers and cultures. Today the languages of the Caribbean are rooted in that of the colonial powers - France, Britain, Spain and Holland - whose historical encounters are quite evident throughout the region. The cosmopolitan nature of the region's language and cultural diversity develop from the mixture of European languages with Native American languages (mainly the Caribs and Arawaks) in the formation of creoles and local patois (hybrid languages) and those of Africans brought to the Caribbean as
“To what extent can it be argued that genocide and revolution are central themes in Caribbean History?”