Kalinagos Flashcards
What is another name for the kalinagos?
Caribs
Where did the kalinago come from?
They came from the Orinoco region in South America and entered the Caribbean via Trinidad.
Who were the kalinago?
They were a nomadic group and (more aggressive than the Taino/warlike)
By the time Columbus arrived, what did they have control of?
They had taken over north western Trinidad and eastern Puerto Rico. They also had control of the lesser Antilles.
Why did the kalinago not have large groups?
Because they were warriors and suffered many loses in war.
Where were their villages located and why?
Their villages were located near rivers, on the windward side of the island to guard against attacks from other tribes like the Tainos.
Were the kalinagos the first group to enter the Caribbean?
No, they were the last. The Taino was first.
What is was the political structure of the kalinago?
The kalinago had a hereditary leader called a trubutuli hauthe, nobles and priests.
What is the difference between the ouboutou and the trubutili hauthe?
The ouboutou ruled in times of war and the trubutili hauthe ruled in times of peace.
What was the duties of the trubutuli hauthe?
The economical and political planning, supervising fishing and cultivation of crops and leading the village in ceremonies and entertainment.
Who was the ouboutou and how did he get his position?
He was the commander-in-chief of all the warriors and to get his position he had to be treated with great respect, kill several enemy warriors, kill at least one cacique.
What was the dutie of the ouboutou?
He made multiple decisions on different aspect of war like against who and when raids and war take place.
Where did the kalinago men live?
They lived together in a house called a karbay.
From what age did the boys have to go live in the karbay?
From the age of 4
Why could women not raise a boy to become a warrior?
Because it was believed that women were weak and could not raise a boy to be a warrior.
What type of training did the kalinago undergo?
They were taught how to make and use weapons like the bow and arrow, apply poison to the arrowhead, and to bear pain without showing it.
What happened to some kalinago women who could fight?
They were trained as warriors because they knew how to fight and use the bow and arrow.
What language did the kalinago speak?
They spoke a branch of the arawakan language, but later developer a trading language and A men’s language developed which was only taught to boys.
How did one become a warrior?
At the age of 14-15 a kalinago boy had to go through an initiation process where salt was rubbed into scratches caused by an agoutis claw and during this the boy had to fast and could not cry or flinch and he had to shoot a bird of a tree.
What weapons did the kalinago use for war?
Clubs, spears, bows and arrows and long knifes.
What is a butu?
A club with sharpened flints in its head.
What happened before the kalinago went on a raid?
They held a big feast, war arrows were prepared, Food and weapons were piled into large canoes and the warriors painted their bodies and put on decorations.
In what did kalinagos travel for raids?
They travelled in canouas, leaving their village and traveling in bad weather and paddling for long distances.
What were the reasons for the kalinagos raiding taino villages?
food, to transfer the taino heroes bravery to themselves, they saw them as a weaker group, militarism, to take over villages or territories and take revenge for wrong committed.
