Guanajatabey
Encyclopedia
The Guanahatabey were indigenous
inhabitants of Cuba
, They numbered about 100,000 and had lived on the island since at least 1000 B.C. They are considered to be the earliest inhabitants of the island. Hunters, gatherers
, and farmers, these native Cubans cultivated cohiba (tobacco
), a crop upon which the island's economy would one day depend. They, like other Amerindians, likely migrated to Cuba
from South America
.
The name Guanajatabey is the one which the natives of the far end of Cuba applied to themselves. It is know that they constituted a separate speech community because Columbus
' interpreter was unable to understand their language. The Guanajatabeys became extinct before they could be studied, and hence it has been impossible to learn the nature and affiliation of their language.
This cultural group appears to have coincided with the ethnic group that went by the name Guanajatabey, and with the linguistic group to which that name has been applied. This was to be expected if the joint groups had survived from an earlier, more widespread population.
Archeologists have discovered that the extinct population of which the Guanajatabeys were a remnant once extended over all of the West Indies. Harrington (1921) applied the name Ciboney
to this population, not realizing that the Indians had used that name to refer to a part of the Taíno
speech community. The term Archaic, which is used by Alegria (1981:4-9) among others, avoids this error, as does Preceramic. However, both terms are too general; they refer to levels of development or ages that extended throughout the American continent (Willey and Phillips, 1958). It might be preferable to correlate the Guanajatabey people and culture with the prehistoric series of peoples and cultures also known as Redondan Casimiroid (Rouse 1986, Chap. 5).
Columbus had contact with the Guanajatabeys on the western end of Cuba, who were remnants of the original population of the islands. This ethnic group lived by hunting and fishing, was organized into bands rather than villages, and lacked pottery. Also lacking was the worship of zemi
s, which characterized the Taínos, and the warlike behavior for which the Caribs were known.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
inhabitants of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, They numbered about 100,000 and had lived on the island since at least 1000 B.C. They are considered to be the earliest inhabitants of the island. Hunters, gatherers
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
, and farmers, these native Cubans cultivated cohiba (tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
), a crop upon which the island's economy would one day depend. They, like other Amerindians, likely migrated to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
The name Guanajatabey is the one which the natives of the far end of Cuba applied to themselves. It is know that they constituted a separate speech community because Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
' interpreter was unable to understand their language. The Guanajatabeys became extinct before they could be studied, and hence it has been impossible to learn the nature and affiliation of their language.
This cultural group appears to have coincided with the ethnic group that went by the name Guanajatabey, and with the linguistic group to which that name has been applied. This was to be expected if the joint groups had survived from an earlier, more widespread population.
Archeologists have discovered that the extinct population of which the Guanajatabeys were a remnant once extended over all of the West Indies. Harrington (1921) applied the name Ciboney
Ciboney
The Ciboney were pre-Columbian indigenous inhabitants of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. The name Ciboney derives from the indigenous Taíno people which means Cave Dwellers; evidence has shown that a number of the Ciboney people have lived in caves at some time. Over the years, many...
to this population, not realizing that the Indians had used that name to refer to a part of the Taíno
Taíno people
The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. It is thought that the seafaring Taínos are relatives of the Arawak people of South America...
speech community. The term Archaic, which is used by Alegria (1981:4-9) among others, avoids this error, as does Preceramic. However, both terms are too general; they refer to levels of development or ages that extended throughout the American continent (Willey and Phillips, 1958). It might be preferable to correlate the Guanajatabey people and culture with the prehistoric series of peoples and cultures also known as Redondan Casimiroid (Rouse 1986, Chap. 5).
Columbus had contact with the Guanajatabeys on the western end of Cuba, who were remnants of the original population of the islands. This ethnic group lived by hunting and fishing, was organized into bands rather than villages, and lacked pottery. Also lacking was the worship of zemi
Zemi
A Zemi or Cemi is a Taíno concept, meaning both a deity, or ancestral spirit, and a sculptural object that houses the spirit. They were also created by neighboring tribes in the Caribbean and northern South America.-Theology:...
s, which characterized the Taínos, and the warlike behavior for which the Caribs were known.