Arawak
The Arawak were a group of indigenous peoples originally from South America, whose influence spanned from present-day Florida and the Caribbean to Brazil. They migrated from the eastern slopes of the Andes through the Amazon and Orinoco valleys into the Antilles, demonstrating remarkable navigational skills. The term "Arawak" encompasses various tribes sharing a linguistic heritage rather than a unified cultural identity. Historically, they were often distinguished from the more aggressive Carib peoples, with Europeans using these terms to categorize the tribes based on their interactions with colonizers.
The Arawak economy was primarily based on fishing, hunting, and agriculture, with staple crops including corn, cassava, and sweet potatoes. Socially, they had a complex structure led by caciques, or kings, who held significant power and privilege. Their society was matrilineal, with inheritance traced through the female line. The Arawak's spiritual beliefs emphasized a deep respect for nature, viewing the environment as imbued with the souls of the deceased. Over time, their population suffered drastic declines due to conflict, disease, and the impacts of colonization. By the year 2000, an estimated thirty thousand Arawak people remained in Guyana, highlighting the resilience of their cultural identity.
Arawak
Date: 300 b.c.e.-700 c.e.
Locale: Caribbean and South America
Arawak
The Arawak (AR-uh-wahk) were a group of South American Indians whose influence stretched from Florida and the Caribbean to Brazil in South America. They migrated from the eastern slopes of the Andes to the Amazon River into the Orinoco Valley, Venezuela, and Columbia. From there, they went out into the Antilles and perhaps even to the Florida Keys. They were superb navigators of the sea. The name “Arawak” refers to a number of indigenous peoples who spoke a similar language but lacked cultural or racial cohesiveness. This linguistic heritage was shared by the warlike and cannibalistic Carib, who lived in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean and in northern South America.
Europeans used the term “Arawak” to describe any Indian people who were not hostile to them; they used the term “Carib” to describe any Indian people who were hostile to them. The correct term for the Arawak would have been Locono, or Lokono. The Locono lived in what became Venezuela and called their homeland Aracauy. The original Arawak came from northern South America and were forced out of the area by hostile tribes. They reached the Greater Antilles around 300 c.e. Because all the tribes in the Caribbean and northern South America had a common linguistic heritage, linguists prefer to call all these Indians Arawak.
The economy of the Arawak centered on fishing, hunting, and agriculture. They grew an adequate amount of corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, and various root vegetables. In the Caribbean, the Arawak used trees, plants, and animals for food and supplies. From trees, they made bowls, chairs, baskets, and agricultural and hunting tools. They also developed a very sophisticated political and social structure. Their leaders were caciques, or kings, who ruled with absolute power. The caciques had numerous privileges such as living in special houses, eating certain foods, and receiving special treatment from the groups below them. In the matrilineal Arawak society, rank was inherited through a female line, which meant that a king was succeeded by his eldest sister’s eldest son. The caciques ruled over a stratified society in which slaves (naborias) made up the lowest tier. In addition to the slaves and the caciques, there were commoners and nobles (nitaynos). The Arawak praised and respected not only their caciques but also their priests and medicine men. The Arawak believed strongly in the power of nature during and after death. They revered local wildlife such as deer, dogs, frogs, turtles, and birds. They believed that the soul survived in the trees, rivers, and the rest of the surrounding environment, and they celebrated the beauty of the stars in the heavens.
After 700 c.e.
The Arawak population, once estimated to be as high as three million, fell to a few thousand in the sixteenth century because of takeovers (the Carib and Spaniards), enslavement, disease, and damage to their way of living. Some groups died out; however, by 2000, the number of Arawak in Guyana had topped thirty thousand.
Bibliography
Farabee, William Curtis. The Central Arawaks. Oosterhout N.B., Netherlands: Anthropological, 1967.
Olsen, Fred. On the Trail of the Arawaks. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1974.
Rogozinski, Jan. A Brief History of the Caribbean: From the Arawak and the Carib to the Present. New York: Facts on File, 1992.