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Maps of the Distribution of Indigenous Groups in Pre-Colonial
and Early Colonial Trinidad, Chieftancies in Trinidad, and
Missions in Late Colonial Trinidad
© Maximilian C. Forte, 2002
All rights reserved.
INDIGENOUS GROUPS IN
PRE-COLONIAL AND EARLY COLONIAL TRINIDAD
As many
as 14 different names have been recorded with reference to the indigenous
groups inhabiting Trinidad. What follows are excerpts from historical sources
concerning these names, followed by an interactive map showing the geographic
distribution of some of the major groups that are listed most often.
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(1)
From:
Borde, Pierre-Gustave-Louis.
1876. The History of the Island of Trinidad under the Spanish Government,
Second Part (1498-1622). Paris: Maisonneuve et Cie, Libraires-Editeurs
(republished in 1982 by Paria Publishing Co., Ltd., Trinidad)
"In fact, while the other islands
of the Antilles, even the largest, were inhabited by onle one or two, or
at most, three Indian tribes, Trinidad had an agglomeration of the greater
part of those found on the neighbouring continent….These tribes it seemed,
flocked to the island, as much by reason of its nearness and insularity,
as perhaps to escape the vengeance of the victorious in their tribal wars”
(p. 39)
There were seven “tribes”: Aruacas,
Chaimas, Tamanaques, Chaguanes, Salives, Quaquas, Caraïbes—Caraïbes
divided into four “sub-tribes”: Nepoios, Yaios, Carinepagatos, Cumanagotos
(p. 40)
Re: Indians in Trinidad in Late
1800s
Chaimas, “of which some still
remain in the country”; Pariagotos, “a few of whom still exist” (p. 40)
Re: Caribs in Trinidad
“Carib was the dominant language
in the country” (p. 41); similarity between Carib and other languages:
“the Aruaca, Chaima, Salive, Quaqua experienced no difficulty in adding
to the knowledge of the language of his childhood, that of the common [Carib]
language of the country” (p. 42) |
(2)
From:
Figueredo,
Alfredo E. and Glazier, Stephen D. 1991. “A Revised Aboriginal Ethnohistory
of Trinidad (1978)”. In William F. Keegan, ed., Earliest Hispanic/Native
American Interactions in the Caribbean, 237-240. New York: Garland
Publishing, Inc.
Re: The Nepuyo in Trinidad
groups named by Sir Walter Ralegh
were the “Yaio (…Yao, a Carib-speaking group), Arwaca (…Lokono, or True
Arawak), Saluaios (?), Nepoios (…Sepoios, anither Carib-speaking group),
and Carinepagotos (a Carib-speaking group?)” (p. 238);
“It is interesting to note how
in 1732 ‘Nepuyo’ is listed as the common language of the mission Indians”
(p. 238).
(3)
From:
Espinosa,
Antonio Vázquez de. 1968. Description of the Indies (c. 1620).
Trans. Charles Upson Clark, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections Vol.
102. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Re: Nepuyos in Trinidad
“The Indian tribe of the island
of Trinidad, Nepuya by name, and those of the Province of Guiana, speak
practically the same language” (p. 37). |
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(4)
From:
Whitehead,
Neil L. 1988. Lords of the Tiger Spirit: A History of the Caribs
in Colonial Venezuela and Guyana, 1498-1820. Koninklijk Instituut,
Caribbean Series 10. Dordrecht, Holland: Foris Publications.
Re: Carib Locations and Trinidad
Groups
Paria or Pariagotos (‘goto’ meaning
people in Cariban languages) identified with the Guayanos, since they shared
the same language) (fn. 4, p. 200)
“earliest reports of Carib populations
came from the Paria Gulf, mid-Orinoco and Guayana” (p. 9)
On Trinidad itself, Whitehead
lists: Nepoyo (also in Orinoco delta), Suppoyo (also from Corentyne River
in Guyana), Yao (not listed anywhere else) (p. 10)
Immediate vicinity of Trinidad:
Paria, Chaima, Warao, Arawak, Guayanos, Nepoyos, Kalinago (p. 10). |
(5)
From:
Wise, K.
S. 1938. Historical Sketches of Trinidad and Tobago, Vol. IV.
Port of Spain, Trinidad: Historical Society of Trinidad and Tobago.
Indians of the Missions of San
Agustin de Arauca (Arouca), San Pablo de Tacarigua (Tacarigua), and the
Partido de Quare (Caura):
“They were of the Nepuyo Nation,
a part of the Carib stock who had generations before migrated from the
Lower Orinoco and settled in the northern part of Trinidad and particularly
between San Josef and Matura” (p. 87)
Total List
of Names:
Nepuyo
Cumanagoto
Chaima
Kalinago
Carib
Yaio
Shebaio
Saluaio/ Salive
Suppoyo/ Seppoio
Pariagoto
Guayano
Warao
Quaqua
Carinepagoto |
In order to highlight the different
groups dominant in different areas of the Island,
simply move your cursor across
the map. Clicking will only take you to
the top.
INDIGENOUS CHIEFS IN
EARLY COLONIAL TRINIDAD:
Chief, King, Cacique,
Acarewana, or Capitán?
There is some minor disagreement
over what chiefs in Trinidad were called, whether "cacique" or another
name. For example, in Ramos Perez, Demetrio. 1973.
El
mito del Dorado: Su genesis y proceso. Biblioteca de la Academia Nacional
de la Historia, 16. Caracas: Academia Nacional de la Historia we read about the chiefs Sir Walter
Ralegh met imprisoned at St. Joseph.
Caciques, he says, are chiefs
or kings: “in their language they are called Acarewana; and,
lately, since the English, French and Spanish have come, they call themselves
capitaynes;
this they do as they see it is the name taken by the chief of each ship”
(p. 522).
CHIEF HYARIMA is also featured
on two pages of this site, the first dealing with the facts and legend
surrounding this figure (click here), and the
second showing his statue and plaque
in Arima
today.
Based on still incomplete research,
I have found the following names and general locations of chiefs in early
colonial Trinidad, as recorded by chroniclers, missionaries, and Spanish
governors:
INDIAN MISSIONS IN
COLONIAL TRINIDAD
The following map shows all Missions
established in Trinidad in order to incorporate, govern, and exploit the
Amerindians of Trinidad:
If you wish to reproduce any of these materials,
kindly write for permission to:
Maximilian C. Forte
at
mcforte@centrelink.org |
