The history of Jamaica was carved out by the first inhabitants, the Tainos were known as the Arawaks. These people were from South America and it seems they settled in Jamaica in and around the 1000, BC. They affectionately called the land “Xamayca” which reflects what they saw of the terrain of this island and this means “land of wood and water”. It is believed to have travelled from northern South America to Guyana and then to Venezuela by canoes until they settled in Jamaica. They are descendants from the people of Indian Asia.
The Tainos built settlements along the coastline and close to source of food and water and avoided the forest areas. The coastline was important to them as it was used to do fishing, for travelling and trade with Cuba and use as a lookout for Caribs. They utilize the natural materials of land to make their houses, wood house with a thatch roof in octagonal shapes. The chief or cacique house was rectangular in shape. They slept in beds called Hammock (made from cotton), hammocks are still popular today and sold mostly in the resort towns.
Tainos were good hunters and they hunted iguana, conies, agouti, fish, turtles and waterfowls. They also grew crops in the form of corn, potatoes, cassava, arrowroot and Sea Island cotton. The preparation of food for the Tainos was without water, the meat was placed on a wooden grill over a slow fire, and this method was called “Barbosa”, which means Barbecue today. The jerk that is so popular today in Jamaica’s cuisine is said to be from this East Indian way of cooking.
These peaceful people did not believe in using sharp implements and yet they build extensively. They get their wood by building fire at the base and at the top of the trees to fall it, and then this wood would be used to make canoes. These canoes were then propelled by oars and use as a means of transport and for trades. Trade was not the only thing that they did; they were also skilled potters and weavers.
The main food for the Tainos was cassava; the pulp was made into flat bread, called Bammy and the cassava juice made intoxicating drink. This legacy is passed down to Jamaican food today and is usually served with fried fish. Some other cuisine that was left with the Jamaicans is sweet potato, corn, naseberry and pineapple.
Religion was also practiced by the Indians; they worshiped two supreme Gods (Zemis), one female and one male. The chief or cacique (also the political and religious head) use tobacco in worship and the gods communicated to the priest through the Zemis. Their belief was in life after death.
The Tainos met their demise by enslavement, European diseases (this was the greatest killer in these times and was in the form of small pox, malaria, chicken pox, gonorrhea and syphilis), suicide (by drinking the cassava juice) and infanticide. It was also said that when the Spaniards arrive in Jamaica, they chased the inhabitants away. |