The Indigenous peoples pt1.

Question 1

What are the two possible means that people argue that the indigenous people may have entered the American continent by?

Answer 1

1) It is believed that 25,000 years ago the Bering Strait was above sea level and formed the Beringia land bridge. Then 25,000 years ago during the Ice Age, people in Mongolia crossed the Beringia land bridge from Siberia into the American landmass of Alaska. It is believed that they were either fleeing the icy conditions or they were chasing the migratory herds of deer on which they survived.

2) It is also believed that there was no land bridge 25,000 years ago but that there was an ice bridge between Siberia and Alaska. This argument says that the Asians crossed this bridge then followed the corridor between the Alaskan and Canadian mountains, into the Canadian plains, pushing south to the very end of the continent.

Question 2

Who were the meso Indians (Ciboney)?

Answer 2

Meso-Indians were a group of migrants who travelled from the Venezuelan mainland in South America and entered the Caribbean Sea at Trinidad. They had a more advanced social structure than previous groups which settled in the Caribbean and they used advanced agricultural technologies. They were skilled navigators, great explorers of new lands and open seas and builders of large communities. They did not use agriculture or farming to survive but rather relied upon hunting animals like the manatee, fishing for turtles, crustaceans and reef fish, and gathering wild vegetables.

Question 3

Another name for the Ciboney?

Answer 3

The Guanahacabibe

Question 4

How did the meso Indians get the name Ciboney

Answer 4

the name was used in the 16th century by the Spanish priest las Casas who came across them in Cuba and Hispaniola.

Question 5

Achievements of the Ciboney?

Answer 5

they built walls, assembled large stones for cultural purposes and developed irrigation systems.

Question 6

What were the three major Caribbean groups?

Answer 6

Arawaks (Tainos), Maya (Meso Americans) and Caribs (Kalinago)

Question 7

Who were the Ciboney?

Answer 7

the earliest and smallest Caribbean inhabitants who were nomad hunter gatherers . They did not store, trade or distribute any extra surplus food and took only from the Caribbean space what they needed to survive, making minimum changes to it.

Question 8

What were the two possible ways people believed the Ciboney entered the Caribbean by?

Answer 8

1) Ciboney in Cuba and Bahamas migrated from the south via the Lesser Antilles.

2) Ciboney entered the Caribbean through the Florida peninsula.

3) The Ciboney are from pre farming cultures and entered the Antilles from South America as waves of different migrants over a very long period of time.

Question 9

What language did the Taino speak

Answer 9

Arawakan

Question 10

What language did the Kalinago speak

Answer 10

Cariban

Question 11

Where did the Taino come from ?

Answer 11

Orinoco, Venezuela

Question 12

What were the two groups of Tainos?

Answer 12

Saladoid & Barrancoid

Question 13

What was used by archaeologists to differentiate the two Taino groups?

Answer 13

The Saladoid culture group were known for their common use of white-on-red artistic pottery decorations. The Barrancoid culture group’s pottery styles were more varied and less distinctive and were widespread throughout the Lesser and Greater Antilles than Saladoid pottery.

Question 14

The Taino constructed their settlements in different environments in the Caribbean such as?

Answer 14

rainforests, mountain valleys, dry, open plateaux and to a lesser extent on savanna grasslands

Question 15

What were the three main ways in which Tainos produced enough food for survival?

Answer 15

1) conuco cultivation
2) house gardens and fishing
3) hunting and gathering

Question 16

Define the process of Conuco cultivation

Answer 16

a form of agriculture based on mounds of earth which reduced erosion, improved drainage and optimized land use.

Question 17

Another name for cassava and the two types of cassava the Tainos cultivated

Answer 17

Manioc

sweet &bitter (poison) cassava

Question 18

differentiate between the two types of cassava

Answer 18

the poison cassava was bitter in taste and contained cyanic acid which was highly poisonous. the sweet cassava had tubers which were much softer and softer and was not as high in yield as the poison cassava.

Question 19

Define the process of processing the tubers of poison cassava

Answer 19

they grated the tubers then repeatedly washed and packed them together until the poison were strained out . They then dried the grated substance and ground it into flour.

Question 20

What was used by Taino women to grind maize and cassava?

Answer 20

Mealing stones

Question 21

How did the Tainouse/ eat cassava?

Answer 21

they made unleavened and sweetened cassava flour which they used to make cakes and breads.

they boiled the cassava and ate it with fish

they also roasted it on an open fire and ate it with various types of meat.

Question 22

What was one of the main secondary staples of the Tainos?

Answer 22

sweet potato

Question 23

Why was cassava the main staple for the Tainos?

Answer 23

because of it was high in nutritional value, it was suitable in different soils and climate, and it sprung from minor roots when the major tubers were harvested. No other Caribbean content and it could thrive in humid conditions

Question 24

How long did cassava take to be harvested?

Answer 24

5-8 months

Question 25

Why was sweet potato a secondary staple to the Tainos

Answer 25

the yield was not as high as the cassava but it had a shorter harvesting cycle of 2-4months.. It was suited to the moisture and conditions of conucos in rainforest and mountain valleys.

Question 26

How did the Tainos use/eat sweet potato?

Answer 26

because of its high sugar content they used it to make cakes and puddings

but was mainly eaten boiled or roasted

Question 27

What some of the other less starchy foods that the Taino produced as supplements to sweet potato and cassava in order to balance their diet?

Answer 27

yam, tania, protein-rich peanuts, arrowroot, maize, peppers, and beans

Question 28

Importance of conuco agriculture in Taino society?

Answer 28

it provided an exceptionally ecologically well-balanced and protective form of land use. Because of this form of well balanced land use, the demand for any one nutrient within the environment complex never became excessive and in turn helped to preserve soil fertility for as long as possible

Question 29

Name some of the fruits which the Taino cultivated

Answer 29

guava, hog plum, sweet sop, sour sop, mammey apple, cashew, paw paw and different types of pineapples

Question 30

Name some of the animals that the Taino hunted for eating

Answer 30

pigs, wild pigeons, doves, iguanas, snakes, parrots, SMALL BROCKET DEER, AGOUTI

Question 31

What tools did Taino use for hunting

Answer 31

nets and traps, slings, darts, and spears

THEY DID NOT USE THE BOW AND ARROW

Question 32

What were the technologies that the Taino used to fish?

Answer 32

hooks and lines, small nets and spears

Question 33

What were the sea animals that Taino hunted?

Answer 33

GREEN TURTLE- staple
fish, manatee
cat fish, mullets, eels - reef fish
conch, oysters- shellfish

Question 34

What was the name given to the chief Taino’s ceremonial seat?

Answer 34

Duho

Question 35

Name some other technologies and household stuff that taino produced/made

Answer 35

they weaved baskets, manufactured tobacco, cotton, dyes, powders, medicines and poisons

ceramics, bowls, pots, and ornaments

jewelry- gold nose rings and necklaces, masks of gold

Question 36

What was the most common material the Taino used for basket weaving and why was it used?

Answer 36

palm leaf which was used in both the green and dried form

it was known for its durability, strength, and ability to absorb indigo-based dyes

Question 37

How was tobacco used by the Taino?

Answer 37

they grew the plant and dried the leaves, and they chewed and sucked on the leaves. They also made a powder from the tobacco leaf which is now called snuff.

Question 38

What did Taino cultivate indigo for?

Answer 38

it was used as a dye in body painting, fabric coloring, and to decorate ceramics.

There was a common red, blue and black dye which was used in clothing, pottery, and body art

Question 39

ceramics were not made using a wheel but rather by the coil method. Elaborate

Answer 39

the clay was prepared, rolled into finger-like coils and used to build objects from a solid base.

Question 40

What was the most impressive creation of the Taino and why was it impressive?

Answer 40

making dug out canoes from tree trunks

the canoes had to be long enough to carry up to 50 persons, light enough to facilitate speed and effectively balanced to negotiate turbulent waters.

Question 41

What trees were used by the Taino to make dug out canoes?

Answer 41

SILK WOOD TREE, cedar, mahogany

Question 42

occupations/skills of the Taino?

Answer 42

artisans, carpenters, fishermen, goldsmiths,

Question 43

How did the Taino construct their canoes?

Answer 43

they burnt certain parts of the tree trunk, then hacked those parts with stone tools. They used mainly waterproof or porous woods to make the canoes last. If pitch and tar was available, it was used to coat the canoes as a water resistant seal.

Question 44

What was the name of one of the most important Taino carvings?

Answer 44

The Bird Man

Question 45

How was gold used for hierarchical purposes in Taino society

Answer 45

the amount of gold a person had was an indication of social status or rank

Question 46

Which two Caribbean islands were the centres of goldsmith technology and why?

Answer 46

Trinidad and Hispaniola, Cuba*
because the metal was available on these islands

Question 47

The name of the religious spirit that Taino worshipped

Answer 47

Zemis

Question 48

Define the Taino religious life

Answer 48

Their politics promoted peaceful co-existence rather than hostile wars. There were very religious and had distinctive theological ideas. They expressed religious beliefs through rituals and ceremonies. The recognized a spirit world in which both humans and gods were both classified and ranked. They called their spirits Zemis and displayed these gods in the form of images made from gold, wood, stones and bones. Each person had his or her own Zemi images. They believed that different gods gave them certain capabilities.

Question 49

The main factors in community development for Tainos

Answer 49

availability of fresh water, fertile land for conuco and ease of travel across the territory

Question 50

What were the names given to taino houses and what were they made from?

Answer 50

Bohios- MAHOGANY, hardwood