ARAWAKS: HISTORY, CULTURE AND CUSTOMS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Arawaks are an indigenous group from South America that historically inhabited the territory bordering the Caribbean Sea, mainly what is now known as Venezuela and the countries located in Central America. Before the arrival of the Spanish, the Arawaks were a flourishing indigenous civilization.

The term "Arawak" is used to refer to the Lokono and Taino tribes. This term is derived from the common language that these tribes spoke. The Lokono lived mostly in South American territory, while the Taínos were located in central America and the Antilles.

The Taínos are the most significant Arawak group and about which there is more documented information. His man was first coined in 1935 by the Swedish archaeologist Sven Loven.

This tribe inhabited the territory that today is known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and they had a culture, a belief system and a religion defined at the time of the arrival of the Spanish.

Despite the fact that, with the arrival of the Spaniards, the Arawak tribes were brutally persecuted and killed, to date, many of their traditions and influence can be evidenced in the Caribbean region of the American continent.

History of the Arawac or Arahuac

It is believed that the languages ​​and, therefore, the Arawak tribes, emerged in the Orinoco River Valley, later spreading throughout the rest of the South American continent and the Antilles. In this way, they managed to develop the most common form of language in South America at the time of the arrival of the Spanish.

The Taíno Arawaks were one of the first indigenous tribes to meet the Spanish in 1492. In 1493, the Spanish settled on the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), the place of residence of the Arawaks.

In this way, the tribes were exposed to diseases brought by the Spanish, such as measles, influenza, smallpox and typhus, which quickly reduced the number of inhabitants of the island.

When the Spanish discovered the presence of gold mines in the Antilles, they quickly migrated to them, killing thousands of Arawaks each year.

By 1504, the Spanish took control of the last Arawak tribe and established their supreme authority over their territory.

At this time, they began a brutal genocide against him, subduing and killing the remaining Arawaks, enslaving them, and raping their women.

It is estimated that, by the year 1514, the population of Arawaks had been reduced from almost one million inhabitants to approximately 35,000 individuals. By 1530, only 1,148 Arawaks survived in Puerto Rico. Despite this, the influence of the Arawaks still survives in the cultures of the Caribbean.

Culture

The Arawaks were a peaceful and gentle culture, characterized by having a hierarchical and patriarchal social structure. The Arawak culture was divided into small groups, where each of them constituted its own kingdom and had a leader known as Cacique.

When Christopher Columbus arrived in America, there were five different Arawak kingdoms on the island of Hispaniola. The Arawak Indians were polygamous and each man had between two and three wives.

In the case of caciques, they could have up to 30 wives, since it was a great honor for women to be married to the cacique and their children would always be held in high esteem.

Housing and Clothing

The Arawaks used two architectural styles mainly for the manufacture of their houses. The general population lived in circular constructions with two pillars that provided the main support of the house. These supports were covered with strips of wool and palm leaves.

The houses of the Arawaks were similar to the teepees of the North American natives, however, they had a cover that, instead of keeping the temperature, was in charge of repelling heat, therefore, their cover was made of palm leaves and not on furs.

The caciques had a different and unique style of house, this was rectangular and sometimes had a small portico. Despite the fact that their size was greater and their shape was different, the materials with which the caciques' houses were made were the same as those used to make the town houses.

The use of materials such as clay was introduced by the Africans in 1507, however, there is no record that the Arawaks used these materials for the manufacture of houses.

The Arawak villas had a flat space in the center, where ball games and religious and secular festivals were held.

All the houses were located around this space. Being a hierarchical society, after the chief (to whom tribute was paid), other figures of lesser rank appeared who also held positions of honor within the tribe.

The Arawak men were generally naked, the women could sometimes wear short skirts. Both men and women adorned their bodies with paintings, seashells, and other decorative items.

Food and agriculture

The diet of the Arawaks consisted of meat and fish. They never had wild animals to hunt on Hispaniola, however, there were small animals that were frequently consumed.

This is how their diet could contain everything from rodents, to bats and snakes. In general, they could feed on any form of life that was not human.

They were growers of cotton, which they used to make their fishing nets. They also depended on agriculture within the island. In this way, they were able to develop a low-maintenance agricultural system known as a conuco.

The conuco was a mound of earth that was covered in leaves (to avoid soil erosion) and then planted with numerous species of plants. This way, no matter what the weather conditions were, something had to grow there.

The cultivation of tobacco was also common and its consumption was mainly in religious ceremonies.

Transport and defense

Its main transportation system was fluvial. They used wooden canoes with oars, made in one piece. Each canoe could carry between 70 and 80 people and was used to carry out long voyages in the ocean.

As for defense, the Arawaks were generally peaceful. His only registered enemies were the Caribs, a cannibal tribe that inhabited what is now known as Puerto Rico and the northeast of Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic.

Their main defense weapon was the bow and arrow. They also had spears, wooden clubs, and some melee weapons. They never developed shields, armor, or implements for defense or body protection.

Religion and mythology

The Arawaks were a polytheistic tribe whose gods were called Zemi. Each zemi controlled certain functions of the universe, and they operated in a similar way to the Greek gods.

There were three main religious practices, worship and respect for the zemi, dance during ritual festivals to give thanks or ask for stop, and the belief in medical priests for healing and requesting advice.

References

1. Britannica, TE (2017). Encyclopædia Britannica. Obtained from Arawak: britannica.com
2. Corbett, B. (1995). Pre-Columbian Hispaniola - Arawak / Taino Indians. Obtained from Arawak / Taino Indians: hartford-hwp.com.
3. Grenadines, GC (nd). Arawaks, the Amerindians as first settlers on Carriacou. Retrieved from History of Amerindians in the Caribbean, the Arawaks: carriacou.biz.
4. Lawler, OA (February 11, 2016). Black History Month 365. Retrieved from Arawak: Indigenous Caribbeans: blackhistorymonth.org.uk.
5. Loven, S. (2010). Origins of the Tainan Culture, West Indies. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press.
6. Steward, J. (1948). Handbook of South American Indians. Julian Steward.
7. (2017). The University of The West Indes. Obtained from Amerindian Languages ​​in Trinidad and Tobago: sta.uwi.edu.