Myths and Realities of Caribbean History

Contents

Contents List of Illustrations vii Foreword xi Introduction xiii Myth 1. Caribbean History Started with the Arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 1 Myth 2.The Arawaks and Caribs Were the Two Major Groups in the Precolonial Caribbean 11 Myth 3. Columbus Met Arawaks in the Northern Caribbean 49 Myth 4.The Natives Encountered by Christopher Columbus in the Northern Caribbean Migrated from South America 58 Myth 5.The Arawaks Were the First Potters and Farmers to Have Settled in the Caribbean 75 Myth 6.The Ciboneys Lived in Western Cuba at the Time of Spanish Contact 83 Myth 7.The Island-Caribs Were Cannibals 88 Myth 8. All the Amerindians Migrating from South America to the Caribbean Island-Hopped from the Continent to the Lesser and Greater Antilles 100 Myth 9.The Spanish Introduced Syphilis into the Caribbean and the New World 111 Myth 10. Christopher Columbus Wrote the Version of His Diario (Diary) That We Use Today 117 vi / Contents Myth 11.The Spanish Colonists Brought “Civilization” to Native Societies in the Caribbean 121 Conclusion 129 Glossary 131 References Cited 137 Index 151 ...