Jamaica's Ethnic Heritage
The
ethnic composition of Jamaica is largely reflected in its motto, ‘Out of Many,
One People’ and is inextricably linked to the nation’s socio-economic history,
especially that concerning enslavement and colonization, which resulted in mass
immigration and started from as early as the sixteenth century. Until the
1500s, Jamaica’s inhabitants were predominantly Amerindians, that is, Tainos.
However, with the arrival of the Spaniards in 1494, the aboriginal population
drastically declined. Today there are no Tainos in Jamaica (Roberts, 1979,
p.30).
The
Spanish population significantly decreased following the arrival of the English
in 1655. For over three centuries, the island was a colony of the England until
it acquired independence on August 6, 1962. Throughout English rule, the
occurrence of particularly periodical mass immigration by coerced and
contractual means served to introduce other ethnic groups into the
island. Such migratory movements are to a great extent historically
responsible for the mélange of different ethnicities that is seen in Jamaica
today; African, European, Chinese and Indian. Although these ethnicities exist
to varying degrees in the society, they have all contributed to its ethnic
heritage.
The
Tainos, previously referred to as the Arawaks, have often been described as the
earliest inhabitants of Jamaica and the first to have come into contact with
the Spaniards. It is said that they originated from mainly Venezuela and Guyana
in the Orinoco region of South America and were related to the Tainos of
Hispaniola and Puerto Rico (Sherlock, 43; Bercht et al, 18).
Existing
knowledge about the culture of the Tainos is largely based on archaeological
evidence and the written records of Europeans (Spanish and English) who
colonized the island. This is mainly a result of the decimation of the Taino
population by enslavement, warfare, as well as diseases. Prior to Spanish
encounter in 1494, the Taino population, though possibly exaggerated, is
estimated to have been between five and six hundred thousand, a figure that was
recorded by Fray Bartholome de las Casas (Bercht et al, 18). By the
end of Spanish colonization, the population was reduced to what many have
termed extinction. Nonetheless, the Tainos are considered to be a part of Jamaica’s
historical heritage. The Taino society was primarily agrarian and
fishing based. They cultivated maize, squash, papaya, custard apple, hog
plum, pineapple, sweet potato, and cassava, in addition to other food crops.
Cassava, however, was their main staple and was an essential part of various
rituals and observances. It was also used to make cakes called cazabe and in
making these cakes, the Tainos processed the staple and removed the toxins from
it (Bercht et al, 20). Today, cazabe is a part of Jamaican cuisine,
but it is more popularly known as bammy.
With
the abundance of sea water on the island, it is not surprising that fishing was
common among the Tainos. They harvested conch, oysters, crabs as well as other
edible sea creatures. This, of course, was facilitated by their fishing
techniques and navigational and canoe making
skills.
In
terms of social organization, the Taino society was stratified and matrilineal
(inheritances were passed from mothers and grandmothers rather than fathers and
grandfathers). Nevertheless, the head of the society was a male who was called
a cacique ((Bercht et al, 21).
Where
religious life was concerned, Tainos had various religious and ancestral
representations—what some have referred to as gods—that were of critical
importance to them. Such representations were made in the form of wood,
petroglyphs and pictographs, which symbolized different aspects of their life
including: social status, political power, fertility and productivity (Bercht et
al, 21).
In
general, the Tainos were a simple, but also generous and peaceful people who
were skillful.
Interestingly,
the name of the island ‘Jamaica’ is believed to be of Taino origin as it was
derived from their reference to the island as Xaymaca—land of wood and water. Besides,
the Jamaican coat of arms bears the images of two Tainos, as well as the
symbols of the pineapple, a fruit that was common part of Taino diet. Among the other remnants
of the existence of the Tainos that have become a part of Jamaica’s historical
heritage are:
- Artistic objects- pottery,
shell implements, mealing stones, ornaments, wooden images, and celts
(Sherlock, 1939). These and other objects can be found at the Taino museum
in White Marl, St. Catherine.
- Apellatation- hammock,
hurricane, canoe, and tobacco (Senior, 7).
- Geographical landmarks-
Mountain River Cave in St. Catherine, Arawak Cave in Trelawny, and Green
Grotto Caves in St. Ann.
Sources
Arawak Vibrations: Homage to the Jamaican Taino. Kingston: Jamaica
National Heritage Trust, and National Gallery of Jamaica, 1994.
Bercht, Fatma, Brodsky, Estrelita, Alan, John
& Dicey Taylor. Taino Pre- Columbian Art and Culture from the
Caribbean. NY: Monacelli Press & E Museo del Bario, 1997.
Senior, Olive. A-Z of Jamaican Heritage.
Kingston: Heinemann Educational Books and ‘The Gleaner’, 1987.
Sherlock, Phillip M. The Aborigines of
Jamaica. Kingston: Institute of Jamaica, 1939.
Sherlock, Phillip & Bennett, Hazel. The
Story of the Jamaican People. Kingston & London: Ian Randle &
Markus Weiner, 1998.
Social Plugin