Guazabara: Notes on Warfarein the Pre-Columbian Caribbean

Carib warrior with butu ware/ub and barbed

poisoned arrows. 17th Centwy French illustration.

of any age and sex as possible, andmoving out quickly before a counterattack would be launched.

Upon returning to their homeisland, the warriors would divide thecaptives among themselves and a feastwould take place in which selected male,captives would be cooked and eatenas part of the victory ritual.

After the arrival ofthe Europeans,the Caribs continued to raid Spanish,French, English and Dutch settlements.Many Taino from Hispaniola and PuertoRico, escaping the encomiendas andharsh Spanish rule, sought refuge amongthe Caribs and served as guides for raidsinto Spanish settlements on those islands.Runaway African slaves also joined theCaribs. Carib raids lasted until the 18th

century, when they were finally defeatedby the British.

Further reading:Samuel L. Wilson, Ed., The indigenous Peopleof the Caribbean (Gainesville: University Press

of Florida, 1997); Irving Rouse, The Tainos:Rise and Dee/ine of the of the People whoGreeted Columbus (New Haven: Yale University

Press, 1992); Hulme, P(fter and Neil L.

Whitehead, editors, Wild Majesty: Encounterswith Caribs from Columbus to the Present Day,(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992); SebastianRobidou Lamarche, Tainosy Caribes; Las

Culturas Aborigenes An/illanas, (San Juan,Puerto Rico: Editorial Punto y Coma, 2005).

Francisco 1. Gonzalez, from lsabela, Puerto Rico,currently living in Minnesota; BA in history fromthe University ofPR-Mayaguez, MA in historyfrom Minnesota State University-Mankato.

Butu or macana, Taino/Caribwooden ware/ub.

The Carib way of war

enemy, raining arrows on an unsuspectingenemy party or encampment beforerushing in for combat at close quarters.

In combat with the Europeans,however, Taino tactics and weaponryproved to be no match for the highlytrained and experienced Spanishsoldiers, and by 1520 AD, effectiveTaino resistance had ended.

The Caribs may be called the originalpirates of the Caribbean, whose enslavingraids and ritualistic cannibalism struck

fear amongst their neighbors, bothindigenous and later European. However,the reality is more nuanced than that,since the Caribs were also merchants

and traders engaged in long-rangetrade networks across the region.Nevertheless, Carib society wasindeed geared towards promoting andrewarding raiding and success in battle.

A particularly brave and respectedwarrior could be recognized by hisvillage as an ubutu, or "captain," whocould persuade other warriors to followhim on further expeditions. These wereusually composed of between eight or tenlarge canoes or piraguas, and between300 to 500 warriors.

The characteristic Carib weapon wasthe butu, or warclub, and was similar to

the macana used by the Taino.The Carib were renowned

archers, with large bows thatwere described as similar to

the famed English longbow,capable of accurately firingpoisoned arrows at greatdistances.

Carib raiders, however,were more interested in takingcaptives, so they stressedsurprise attacks on unwaryor poorly defended villages.Painted in black to blend with

the shadows, the Carib raiderswould wait until just beforesunrise to land and attack,

rounding up as many villagers

By Francisco J. Gonzalez

Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, theislands of the Caribbean were inhabited

by two principal ethnic cultural groups:the Taino and the newly arrived Carib,who had displaced the Arawak-speakingTaino from the Lesser Antilles.

In order to defend their yukayekes(villages) from Carib raids, the Tainoemployed an array of deadly weapons:for hand-to-hand combat, the weaponof choice was the macana, a hardwoodwarclub about three feet long similarin shape to the Aztec macuahuiti,but without the obsidian cutting edge.

Other characteristic missile weaponsincluded bows and arrows, severalexamples of which have been recoveredin Cuba. Bows tended to be about five

feet tall, made from a single piece ofwood; arrows were about three feet long,with shell, fire-hardened wood, stingrayspines, or fish teeth as points and as barbs.

Light spears or javelins, about sixfeet tall, and dart-throwers (similar to theMesoamerican atiatl) were also employed,the latter launching darts four-to-five feetin length with great penetrating powerat close range. A toxic coating of ajies(hot chili peppers), or poisonous tree sapwas added to both arrows and darts. The

Taino also employed a form of tear gasgrenade in the form of hollow gourdsfilled with a mixture of crushed ajl seedsand ashes.

Taino rituals and organization

Spiritual ceremonies or areytos, whichincluded song, dance, poetry, and theinhalation of cohoba (hallucinogenicherbal mixture) and tobacco smoke,dancing enhanced the morale of theyoung warriors preparing for guazabara,or armed combat.

There is little evidence of fightingamong the Taino, so presumably theirmain (and perhaps only) enemy priorto the arrival of the Europeans were thefearsome Caribs, and their tactics werethus designed to frustrate enemy raidsor to recover captives.

The cacique or chieftain wouldusually lead any retaliatory expeditionor counter-raid. The Taino favorite tactic

•••• was to ambush the