• The Lucayans of the Bahamas
• The "Travelfacts" view of the Arawaks of the Bahamas
• The Barbados Hotel And Tourism Association History Of Barbados: "A brief look into the past is essential to understanding our way of life today. The first inhabitants of the island were tribes of Amerindians: the peaceful Arawaks and the more fierce Caribs for whom the region is named. It is suspected that the cannibalistic Caribs drove the Arawaks off the island but abandoned it themselves by the early 1600's."
• The Abbreviated History of Barbados: brief notes on the archaeological history of the island, the early origins of its Amerindian settlers, along with some descriptions of their physical adornments—also, again, repeating tales of Carib cannibalism
• The Arawaks of Curacao
• The Carib Reserve, Wild Side Destinations & Discover Fly-Drive Dominica: “Some of the last survivors of the Carib race, which gave its name to the Caribbean, live on the east cost of Dominica. Once these proud and warlike people held sway over the Eastern Caribbean, the few hundred remaining Caribs were forced to the remotest part of Dominica and forgotten However, in 1903 they were officially granted their own territory. Caribs still build their canoes in the traditional way of hollowing out the gommier trees…”
• A Word on the Heroic Caribs of Grenada
• Grenada’s History, SeaLink Corp, from the Internet Archive: Excerpt—“ The first people to inhabit what is now Grenada were the Arawaks. They were later wiped out by the Caribs, who occupied the island when Christopher Columbus landed there in 1498. The French built Grenada's first European settlement, initially appeasing and then slaughtering the Caribs, many of whom chose suicide over domination by the French. In 1651, the last of the Caribs leapt to their deaths from Morne de Sauteurs, a rocky promontory on the island's north coast. Grenada was a source of contention between the French and the British until 1783, when the Treaty of Versailles declared the island British….”
• Welcome to The History of Nevis page: "By the time Christopher Columbus first visited Nevis in 1493 it was already occupied by the Caribs who bare the reputation of having been cannibalistic and warlike. The gentle Arawaks had populated the Caribbean islands before the Caribs came."
• The Arawaks and Caribs of St. Lucia
• The "Travelfacts" version of the Carib history of St. Lucia
• The Indigenous History of St. Martin
• Sunset Beach Bar on Sint Maarten: "The first inhabitants of 'Sualouiga' or 'Land of Salt' were the Arawak Indians who migrated to the island from South Americas' Amazon Jungle. Here they found an abundance of salt from the islands many salt ponds. After the Arawaks came the Caribs, a warlike group, who drove the Arawaks off the island."
• The Arawaks and Caribs of St. Maarten
• St Vincent & The Grenadines, Jewels of the Caribbean: "A brief history First settled around 5000 BC by the peace-loving Ciboney, then by the Arawaks and the war-like Caribs, St Vincent has had a colourful and turbulent history. A Dutch slave ship, wrecked off Bequia in 1675, brought the first Africans who inter-married to create the Black Caribs whose descendants live here today."
• A Brief History of the British Virgin Islands: “The British Virgin Islands were initially populated by the Ciboney Indians who arrived on stone age canoes from the Americas. A few hundred years later, the Arawak Indians arrived from South America…. The Caribs were similar in appearance to the Ciboney and Arawak Indians although they plucked their beards because they believed them to be a deformity. The Caribs also flattened the fronts and backs of their children's heads to make them beautiful and, they scarred and painted their own bodies for the same purpose. The Caribs were a fierce and aggressive bunch who terrorized the entire Caribbean with their territorial and warlike behavior. When the Caribs came upon a settlement, they would raid and pillage whatever was worth removing including women and children (they fattened up young boys for eating-the Caribs were cannibals). The Caribs practiced euthanasia and blamed all unpleasant occurrences on evil spirits. The Caribs continued their warlike behavior as late as 1620, in some ways, one could say that they were the Caribbeans first true pirates” [Editor’s Note: more myth than history, to titillate the imaginations of tourists]

...AND AS WE SPEAK OF TOURISM...

• Amerindian and Wildlife Adventure, Guyana: A Guyanese tour operation offering eco-tourist and Indigenous features.
• Carib Territory Guest House--Crayfish River, Carib Territory, Dominica, West Indies, Tel/Fax: (767) 445 7256, E-Mail: Caribgh@Hotmail.Com
• DeltaAir: tour packages for the Orinoco Delta, organized by this regional airline; the special focus of this airline site is its focus on visits with the Warao.
• Education through Travel>Elder Hostel in Dominica: a site featuring tours of Dominica and its Carib Territory, featuring photographs of the Caribs as well.
• First Nations Vacations, Specializing in Guided Eco-Adventure Tours: First Nations Vacations is part of First Nations Investments - a joint partnership between Damon Gerard Corrie and the Grand Council of Village Chiefs of the Pan-Tribal Confederacy of Amerindian Tribal Nations of Amazonia. The business is headquartered in Barbados W.I.
• La Grande Savane et le delta de l’Orinoco: a French tour package centred on the Orinoco Delta and the Warao.
• Sun and Forest Tours, Suriname: Palumeu Tours— “Palumeu jungle-resort, near an Amerindian village bearing the same name, lies at the Upper Tapanahony river in the midst of the Amazon rainforest….The Amerindians live a reserved life and are not very prone to communication with others. The century old lifestyle and the language barrier inhibits their contact with most foreigners. Because of this they are often shy and only after several days will they attempt communication.”
• Movement for Eco-Tourism in Suriname, Other Tours: Galibi - Christiaankondre Tour—“Christiaankondre and Langamankondre are two traditional Amerindian villages, located next to each other along the Marowijne river at the estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. Both villages are located at an extensive sandy beach on which you can enjoy long walks. These villages were set up in the post-slavery times and have expanded into rather large Amerindian villages with a population of approximately 750 inhabitants…”
• The Orinoco Delta: a tourism page featuring this region and its Warao inhabitants—“ The Warao Indians – literally the ‘Canoe People’- are the native inhabitants of the delta. With a population of 24,000, the Warao constitute the second largest indigenous tribe in the country. Family groups reside in palafitos (wooden houses raised on stilts) along the banks of the river, and spend most of their daily lives in canoes fishing the nearby caños and hunting and gathering in the surrounding forests. Skilled craftspeople, the Warao build their palafitos and canoes from forest wood using traditional techniques, and, owing to increased contact with tourists, have also begun to carve figurines from balsa wood and to make necklaces, baskets and hammocks from the leaves and seeds of the ubiquitous moriche palm. The moriche palm, however, supplies more than just the basis for artesania. Otherwise known as the ‘tree of life’, the moriche provides the Indians with fruit, juices and a sweet pulp that can be made into a type of bread. Moreover, the trunk of the palm is used to cultivate a thumb-sized beetle grub, the moriche worm, a nutritious dietary supplement”.
• The Orinoco, from Rainforest to Delta, by Geodyssey: “….The history of the Warao dates back perhaps 6,000 years and maybe much longer. Once more widely scattered, they have remained secluded in the labyrinth of the Delta for centuries, weathering Arawak and Carib conquests of the West Indies, and the arrival of the Europeans….”
• Toledo Ecotourism Association of Belize Home Page: “The Toledo Ecotourism Association (TEA) is a group of Mayan and Garifuna villages located in the rainforest and other endangered eco-systems in the southern part of Belize.”
• Tours of Dominica: this site is mostly interesting for its photographs of Dominica and the Carib Reserve.
• Venezuela, Le Delta de L’Orénoque: this tour site by Chrystel Nercessian and Jérôme  Bernard-Abou features photographs of Warao individuals, families and scenery from the Orinoco.

This page last updated: Thursday, 01 May, 2003.

HOME