Carib
The Carib are originally indigenous people from South America. They spoke the Arawak language and are believed to have left the Orinoco jungles of Venezuela to settle in the Caribbean. Later on, on arriving on the shores of the Caribbean Islands in the 16th century the Europeans found them aggressive and practises of cannibalism were found among them. They used to inhabit various Caribbean islands but were later pushed out by European colonist and were able to retain only two islands Dominica and Saint Vincent. By their unwillingness to surrender they delayed the settlement of Dominica by Europeans, where a few thousand of them still remain.
Some common words in use in English were borrowed from the Carib language, such as "hammock," "iguana," and "maize."
The word "cannibalism" is derived from Caniba, another name for the Carib, although through a different process than word-borrowing. Although some Native Americans have practiced cannibalism (as have some Europeans), Christopher Columbus's characterization of the Carib as eaters of human flesh more likely reflected his desire to represent them as savages; in 1503 Queen Isabella ruled that only cannibals could be taken as slaves legally, which encouraged Europeans to identify various Native American groups as cannibals.
The Carib were at the time of European discovery aggressively advancing against the Taíno, who lived in the northern Caribbean.
Referenced By
American Indian | American Indians | American Native | Amerind | Amerindian | Amerindians | Amerins | Antigua & Barbuda | Antigua And Barbuda | Antigua and Barbuda/History | Black Carib | Black Caribs | Caliban (character) | Cannibal | Cannibalism | Caribbean | Caribbean nation | Carribean | Christopher Colombus | Christopher Columbus | Christopher Columbus/Mythology | Cocos Island | Colón, Cristóbal-- Explorer | Countries of the Carribean | Cristobal Colon | Cristoforo Colombo | Cristopher Colombus | Cristopher Columbus | Cristóbal Colón | Demographics of Dominica | Demographics of Grenada | Dominica | Dominica/History | Dominica/People | Gari'funa | Garifuna | Garifune | Garífuna | Grenada | Grenada/History | Grenada/People | Guadaloupe/History | Guadeloupe/History | Guyana | Guyana/History | History of Antigua and Barbuda | History of Dominica | History of Grenada | History of Guadeloupe | History of Guyana | History of the Caribbean | ISO639 | ISO 3166-1:AG | ISO 3166-1:DM | ISO 3166-1:GD | ISO 3166-1:GY | ISO 3166-1:LC | ISO 639 | ISO 639-1 | ISO 639-2 | ISO language code | Indian Slavery | Indyans | Injuns | Isla del Coco | Language code | Language codes | List of ethnic groups | Mexican Indians | Native America | Native American | Native Americans | Nevis | North American Indians | Perceptions of Christopher Columbus | Perceptions of Columbus | Red Indians | Saint Croix | Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands | Saint Lucia | Salem Witch Trials | Salem Witchcraft Trials | Salem witch trial | St. Croix | St. Lucia | St Croix | St Lucia | Taino | Tainos | Taíno | Taínos | The Nature Island | Turey | West Indian | West Indies | Yaws
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