The Indigenous peoples pt.3 Flashcards
Describe the appearance of the Arawaks
they were of short to middle length, well shaped, but slightly built or plump.
their skin color was olive
they had broad noses and nostrils which were widely flared
their hair was black and straight but coarse and was usually worn long
their head was flattened at the forehead
Some went completely naked
married women wore a piece of cotton cloth called nagua over their loins
they painted their faces, eyes , nose and bare parts of their heads
they wore a lot of jewelry, the cacique wore more jewelry than others. their jewelry was made of gold or an alloy of gold and copper called guanine
Modern day San Salvador, in the time of Columbus was called?
Guanahani
Arawaks had only one domestic animal which they used for hunting?
A dog called alcos. it could not bark but made a growling noise
Seasoning with ______ and _______ was common among the Arawaks
salt, pepper
Arawaks made a sauce from cassava called ________
cassareep
The Arawaks favorite dish?
pepperpot soup
Cassava was known to the taino as ?
yucca
Why would Arawaks often choose sites at the top of hills?
as a precaution against surprise attacks
The two largest buildings in an Arawak village?
bohio, dwelling place of the cacique
caney, village meeting place for public activities and ceremonies
Central plaza in the Arawak village?
Batey
How was a usual Arawak house constructed?
the usual house was round with a roof that was thatched in conical shape.
wooden posts were put into the ground in a circle and canes were woven between them then tied with creepers.
In the thatched roof, there was a hole left in the top to allow smoke to escape
there were no windows and only one opening for a door
the houses had little furniture except for hammocks made of cotton in which the inhabitants slept
there were a few clay pots and other few vessels
other items that could be found were stools or tables but they were very rare
there would always be a small statue of a zemi/idol made of wood, stone, cotton, or a basket of bones serving as a zemi.
outside the house were conucos where maize, cassava, groundnuts, sweet potatoes, yautia and other crops were grown.
lesser chiefs in an Arawak society
Nitainos
the labor force in a taino society
Naborios
The Arawaks were _________ by custom, although the Cacique was allowed to have many wives
monogamous
Name some responsibilities of the Cacique
he dealt with the distribution of land, the ordering of labor, and the planting and distribution of crops.
he made decisions of peace and war and was the leader in war
he was a religious leader
he fixed the day of worship and led ceremonies playing a wooden gong
What were some privileges that a cacique had?
His wives could wear longer skirts than other women
he could have many wives
His house was built for him and was larger than the others. His canoe was also built for him by his tribesmen
He was given the best food and carried in a litter
He was buried in a marked grave and some of his wives were buried with him
He had a special ceremonial stool called the duho
He had his own zemis which were thought to be more powerful than any others
The special ceremonial stool for the cacique
duho
The Arawak word for mother
toa
Arawak word for heaven
coyaba
Arawak word for powdered tobacco
cohoba
