In the middle of the seventeenth century, several French missionaries began to study the Island Caribs or as the French called them the Callinago. Callinago was the name for the men and Callinpuna was the name for the women. Today, anthropologists have determined that the Island Carib's culture, language, and society is a seventeenth century phenomenon. The Island Caribs, commonly known by the ethnic names of Kalinago or Kalina, live on the island of Dominica. They paddled northward along the chain of the Antilles and settled there around 400 A.D. Dominica is now home to about 3,000 Island Caribs.
The language of the Island Caribs is Arawakan, which was acquired in Trinidad during the times they fought for food and directed their seasonal trade. Anthropologists still disagree over which language the Kalinago spoke, but they do agree that the origin of their language was in Trinidad. The Caribs were farmers and fisherman. They planted small manioc and sweet potato gardens and fished and collected shellfish. There was no large game to hunt on the islands, so they became proficient at hunting several small species of animals such as iguanas and turtles.
Weapons were a major part of the Carib's culture. They used metal objects such as knives, needles, sickles, hoes, and axes. The weapon most commonly used by the Caribs was the longbow. In several of their battles they were known to have used a noxious gas taken from the hot chili pepper. The Island Caribs worshiped an evil being or devil named Mabouya. Shamanistic practices were incorportated into their everyday life. Shamanism was also used for healing by what is called a boye, a spiritual doctor. Today, there are a few Kalinago and Kalina societies that still survive on the island of Dominica.
"The Caribs in Dominica." Kevin Menhinick. (1996). http://www.delphis.dm/caribs.htm.(1997).
Wilson, Samuel M. The Indigneous People of the Caribbean. Gainesville: Univ. Press of Florida, 1997.
Written by: Carrie Martin