Jamaica today is one of the most popular Caribbean destinations known for its beautiful beaches, relaxed lifestyle and the music of Bob Marley. Though it is a fairly popular country in terms of travel and cruise stops, not too many people really know the deep and rich history that made Jamaica what it is today. The earliest settlers, called the Tainos, the Arawak Indian's ancestors, arrived about 2,500 years during the stone age. They came in two waves, one around 650 AD by the "redware people", and one between 850 and 900 AD.
The Arawaks were originally from the coast of South America, stretching as far as what is now Venezuela. These people came up from the Antilles for reasons that historians do not really know too much about. Because these people did not write any of their history down, the only information historians used to find information from are from artifacts, and from the written journals and such form the Spaniards who conquered the island. The Arawaks came to the island and named it Xaymaca, meaning the land of wood and water. They lived all over the island, but mainly along the rivers and coastline.
The Arawak Indians were very simple people, much like the Jamaicans that inhabit the island today. They had light brown skin, and short, structured, coarse black hair. They typically had broad faces and flat noses. They loved living a relaxed, and peaceful life where smoking was their favorite pastime. They were so dedicated to their relaxed life, that they created the hammock from the abundance of cotton!
The island of Jamaica is perfect for growing massive amounts of food with little care due to the warm, wet climate. The women in the family grew many different types of plants. These include cotton, tobacco, cassava, sweet potatoes, maize, arrowroot, strapple, naseberry, cashews and guava. For protein, however, was not hard to find. The reefs that make Jamaica beautiful and famous is home to an abundance of beautiful different kinds of fish. The Arawaks were skilled fisherman and hunted not only fish in the reefs, but conch, shellfish along the shoreline, and additional fish from the bush and salt ponds. Though there are many palm trees and coconuts and bananas in Jamaica, they weren't introduced to that area until the Spaniards came and took over.
Having the Spaniards invade their land was the last, big thing that they encountered, leaving behind small pox and syphilis after raping, lynching, and enslaving the people. They were the second reason that the Taino people became extinct. What was almost the biggest killer was a tribe called the Caribs. Known for their excessive aggression, their name came for the Spanish word for cannibal. They often came to the island and attacked the men women and children, almost killing them off before the Spaniards came in search for gold.
The Arawaks were originally from the coast of South America, stretching as far as what is now Venezuela. These people came up from the Antilles for reasons that historians do not really know too much about. Because these people did not write any of their history down, the only information historians used to find information from are from artifacts, and from the written journals and such form the Spaniards who conquered the island. The Arawaks came to the island and named it Xaymaca, meaning the land of wood and water. They lived all over the island, but mainly along the rivers and coastline.
The Arawak Indians were very simple people, much like the Jamaicans that inhabit the island today. They had light brown skin, and short, structured, coarse black hair. They typically had broad faces and flat noses. They loved living a relaxed, and peaceful life where smoking was their favorite pastime. They were so dedicated to their relaxed life, that they created the hammock from the abundance of cotton!
The island of Jamaica is perfect for growing massive amounts of food with little care due to the warm, wet climate. The women in the family grew many different types of plants. These include cotton, tobacco, cassava, sweet potatoes, maize, arrowroot, strapple, naseberry, cashews and guava. For protein, however, was not hard to find. The reefs that make Jamaica beautiful and famous is home to an abundance of beautiful different kinds of fish. The Arawaks were skilled fisherman and hunted not only fish in the reefs, but conch, shellfish along the shoreline, and additional fish from the bush and salt ponds. Though there are many palm trees and coconuts and bananas in Jamaica, they weren't introduced to that area until the Spaniards came and took over.
Having the Spaniards invade their land was the last, big thing that they encountered, leaving behind small pox and syphilis after raping, lynching, and enslaving the people. They were the second reason that the Taino people became extinct. What was almost the biggest killer was a tribe called the Caribs. Known for their excessive aggression, their name came for the Spanish word for cannibal. They often came to the island and attacked the men women and children, almost killing them off before the Spaniards came in search for gold.
This is a map showing the different people of the Caribbean. It shows where the Tainos inhabited the islands as where as the enemy Caribs were living in relations to Jamaica.
This is a map showing the different areas of the island of which the lands were used. It is clear that most of the island was used for agriculture, proving the theory found by historians when doing archaeological digging. Backing up what was earlier stated, most of the land used and lived on was the coastal areas.
Citations:
Arawak Indians - An Anguillan History. (2012, July 22). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
Arawak and Taino. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
Earliest Inhabitants: The Dynamics of the Jamaican Taino. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
Jamaican Arawak History. (2012, September 30). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
The History of Jamaica. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
Arawak Indians - An Anguillan History. (2012, July 22). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
Arawak and Taino. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
Earliest Inhabitants: The Dynamics of the Jamaican Taino. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
Jamaican Arawak History. (2012, September 30). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
The History of Jamaica. (n.d.). Retrieved September 18, 2015.
This is a photo of the population in Jamaica in 1950, the lowest on the grid. The men outnumber the women from 0-15, but the women come back and outnumber the men from 20-85 which is the life expectancy.
This is the graph of Jamaica with the population that it is expected to get in 2030, which would be it's highest number on the table. The men outnumber the women from birth- 40, but the women outnumber the women from 45-100, which is the life expectancy. Women, however, tend to live longer. Because of more technilogical advances, people are able to live longer, but once those numbers have peaked, the population will go down because the rate of birth will drop as well, possibly with use of birth control.