A little historical background on Trinidad, and how the island came to be
Before the discovery of Trinidad and Tobago by the European powers, a simpler, more primitive culture ruled the islands. In Ieri (Trinidad), the Arawak Amerindian tribe lived peacefully on the island, cultivating foods such as maize and cassava root (Williams 3). The other Amerindian Tribe, known as the Caribs, mainly lived on the island on Tobago, where they cultivated tobacco ("Trinidad & Tobago History"). They were cannibalistic and aggressive, known to poison the tips of their spears (Williams 3). When Christopher Columbus arrived and claimed Trinidad in 1498, he realized that the land was uneconomically viable for habitation. Hence, for almost three centuries Arawaks and Caribs that survived deadly European diseases such as smallpox were taken from the islands as slave labor and forced to work in mines far from their home (Elvington).
Traditional Amerindian Dancing
In attempts to revive the island, the Spanish introduced the Cedula de Población in 1783. This gave citizens of other friendly catholic countries the right to immigrate to Trinidad, bringing along with them slaves and equipment to start plantations. Increasing tensions in France and French colonies attracted many French to immigrate, bringing along African American slaves, the French language as well as the famous tradition of Carnival that Trinidad and Tobago is most famous for (Scher; Elvington). After a decade and a half of French influence, the British took over Trinidad in 1802, once again adding to the diversity of the island. With the inception of British rule Trinidad and Tobago were finally joined together British plantation owners and their slaves brought English to the island, Spanish peon laborers came to work the cocoa plantations, about 144,000 indentured Indian laborers started to replace Africans on the farm, Africans moved toward skilled labor, and more indentured workers from Portugal and China helped with trading (Elvington). Trinidad’s previously distinct society of Amerindians, Spanish and French expanded into a smorgasbord of culture with the arrival of the British Empire.
Spanish Conquest
Images from http://www.amazing-trinidad-vacations.com/trinidad-and-tobago-history.html
