The Indigenous People of the Caribbean (Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series)

"This volume brings together nineteen Caribbean specialists to produce the first general introduction to the indigenous peoples of that region. Writing for both general and academic audiences, contributors provide an authoritative, up-to-date picture of these fascinating peoples - their social organization, religion, language, lifeways, and contribution to the culture of their modern descendants - in what is ultimately a comprehensive reader on Caribbean archaeology, ethnohistory, and ethnology."--Jacket

"A survey of the current state of study of indigenous Caribbean people by archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists. . . . Emphasizes that even though indigenous people were the victims of genocide, they helped to establish a persistent pattern of relations between other Caribbean settlers and their environment, and became central symbols of Caribbean identity and resistance to colonialism. . . . Strongly recommended for every library concerned with Caribbean and native American studies."—Choice

"An excellent introduction to native peoples of the Caribbean region. . . . Will be useful to anthropologists, historians, and other social scientists working in the Caribbean."--Jerald T. Milanich, Florida Museum of Natural History

This volume brings together nineteen Caribbean specialists to produce the first general introduction to the indigenous peoples of that region. Writing for both general and academic audiences, contributors provide an authoritative, up-to-date picture of these fascinating peoples--their social organization, religion, language, lifeways, and contribution to the culture of their modern descendants--in what is ultimately a comprehensive reader on Caribbean archaeology, ethnohistory, and ethnology.

CONTENTS
1. Introduction, Samuel M. Wilson Part 1: Background to the Archaeology and Ethnohistory of the Caribbean
2. The Study of Aboriginal Peoples: Multiple Ways of Knowing, Ricardo Alegría
3. The Lesser Antilles Before Columbus, Louis Allaire Part 2: The Encounter
4. The Biological Impacts of 1492, Richard L. Cunningham
5. The Salt River Site, St. Croix, at the Time of the Encounter, Birgit Faber Morse
6. European Views of the Aboriginal Population, Alissandra Cummins Part 3: The First Migration of Village Farmers, 500 B.C. to A.D. 800
7. Settlement Strategies in the Early Ceramic Age, Jay B. Haviser
8. The Ceramics, Art, and Material Culture of the Early Ceramic Period in the Caribbean Islands, Elizabeth Righter
9. Religious Beliefs of the Saladoid People, Miguel Rodríguez
10. Maritime Trade in the Prehistoric Eastern Caribbean, David R. Watters
11. Notes on Ancient Caribbean Art and Mythology, Henry Petitjean Roget Part 4: The Taino of the Greater Antilles on the Eve of Conquest
12. "No Man (or Woman) Is an Island": Elements of Taino Social Organization, William F. Keegan
13. Taino, Island Carib, and Prehistoric Amerindian Economies in the West Indies: Tropical Forest Adaptations to Island Environments, James B. Petersen
14. The Material Culture of the Taino Indians, Ignacio Olazagasti
15. The Taino Cosmos, José R. Oliver
16. Some Observations on the Taino Language, Arnold R. Highfield
17. The Taino Vision: A Study in the Exchange of Misunderstanding, Henry Petitjean Roget Part 5: The Island Caribs of the Lesser Antilles
18. The Caribs of the Lesser Antilles, Louis Allaire
19. Language and Gender among the Kalinago of 15th Century St. Croix, Vincent O. Cooper Part 6: Indigenous Resistance and Survival
20. The Garifuna of Central America, Nancie L. Gonzalez
21. The Legacy of the Indigenous People of the Caribbean, Samuel M. Wilson
22. Five Hundred Years of Indigenous Resistance, Garnette Joseph

Samuel M. Wilson is associate professor of anthropology at the University of Texas, Austin. He is author of Hispaniola: Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus (1990), coeditor of Ethnohistory and Archaeology: Approaches to Postcontact Change in the Americas (1993), and a contributing editor and columnist for Natural History magazine.

"A survey of the current state of study of indigenous Caribbean people by archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists. . . . Emphasizes that even though indigenous people were the victims of genocide, they helped to establish a persistent pattern of relations between other Caribbean settlers and their environment, and became central symbols of Caribbean identity and resistance to colonialism. . . . Strongly recommended for every library concerned with Caribbean and native American studies." Choice "An excellent introduction to native peoples of the Caribbean region. . . . Will be useful to anthropologists, historians, and other social scientists working in the Caribbean."--Jerald T. Milanich, Florida Museum of Natural History This volume brings together nineteen Caribbean specialists to produce the first general introduction to the indigenous peoples of that region. Writing for both general and academic audiences, contributors provide an authoritative, up-to-date picture of these fascinating peoples--their social organization, religion, language, lifeways, and contribution to the culture of their modern descendants--in what is ultimately a comprehensive reader on Caribbean archaeology, ethnohistory, and ethnology. CONTENTS 1. Introduction, Samuel M. Wilson Part 1: Background to the Archaeology and Ethnohistory of the Caribbean 2. The Study of Aboriginal Multiple Ways of Knowing, Ricardo Alegra 3. The Lesser Antilles Before Columbus, Louis Allaire Part 2: The Encounter 4. The Biological Impacts of 1492, Richard L. Cunningham 5. The Salt River Site, St. Croix, at the Time of the Encounter, Birgit Faber Morse 6. European Views of the Aboriginal Population, Alissandra Cummins Part 3: The First Migration of Village Farmers, 500 B.C. to A.D. 800 7. Settlement Strategies in the Early Ceramic Age, Jay B. Haviser 8. The Ceramics, Art, and Material Culture of the Early Ceramic Period in the Caribbean Islands, Elizabeth Righter 9. Religious Beliefs of the Saladoid People, Miguel Rodrguez 10. Maritime Trade in the Prehistoric Eastern Caribbean, David R. Watters 11. Notes on Ancient Caribbean Art and Mythology, Henry Petitjean Roget Part 4: The Taino of the Greater Antilles on the Eve of Conquest 12. "No Man (or Woman) Is an Island": Elements of Taino Social Organization, William F. Keegan 13. Taino, Island Carib, and Prehistoric Amerindian Economies in the West Tropical Forest Adaptations to Island Environments, James B. Petersen 14. The Material Culture of the Taino Indians, Ignacio Olazagasti 15. The Taino Cosmos, Jos R. Oliver 16. Some Observations on the Taino Language, Arnold R. Highfield 17. The Taino A Study in the Exchange of Misunderstanding, Henry Petitjean Roget Part 5: The Island Caribs of the Lesser Antilles 18. The Caribs of the Lesser Antilles, Louis Allaire 19. Language and Gender among the Kalinago of 15th Century St. Croix, Vincent O. Cooper Part 6: Indigenous Resistance and Survival 20. The Garifuna of Central America, Nancie L. Gonzalez 21. The Legacy of the Indigenous People of the Caribbean, Samuel M. Wilson 22. Five Hundred Years of Indigenous Resistance, Garnette Joseph Samuel M. Wilson is associate professor of anthropology at the University of Texas, Austin. He is author of Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus (1990), coeditor of Ethnohistory and Approaches to Postcontact Change in the Americas (1993), and a contributing editor and columnist for Natural History magazine.