⛵ Kalinago (Carib)

Warriors of the Lesser Antilles

Who Are the Kalinago?

The Kalinago (Island Caribs) are indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles who, at European contact, inhabited islands from Trinidad to Puerto Rico. Today approximately 3,500 Kalinago live primarily on the Kalinago Territory in Dominica—the only remaining indigenous community in the Eastern Caribbean with a designated territory. They speak an Arawakan-based language (despite being called "Caribs") with Cariban influences. The Kalinago fiercely resisted European colonization for over 200 years, longer than any other Caribbean people. Their reputation as warriors—exaggerated by colonial propaganda about cannibalism—gave the Caribbean Sea its name and shaped European perceptions of indigenous Americans.

~3,500Population
ArawakanLanguage Family
DominicaRegion
DominicaCountry

Resistance and Survival

The Kalinago were maritime people, skilled sailors who used large dugout canoes (pirogues) for trade, fishing, and warfare throughout the Lesser Antilles. When Europeans arrived, the Kalinago resisted colonization with remarkable success. While the Taíno of the Greater Antilles were quickly conquered, the Kalinago held the Lesser Antilles for over a century. They raided colonial settlements, formed alliances with competing European powers, and used their knowledge of terrain and guerrilla tactics effectively. Dominica and St. Vincent remained Kalinago strongholds into the 18th century. The British finally established control, but not before the Kalinago extracted a treaty guarantee of territory on Dominica in 1763.

"Carib" Identity

The term "Carib" comes from Spanish "Caribe," derived from the Kalinago self-designation. Europeans used "Carib" to mean "cannibal," associating the Kalinago with man-eating to justify conquest and enslavement. While ritual consumption of enemy warriors may have occurred, the cannibalism claims were vastly exaggerated colonial propaganda. Ironically, the Kalinago language was primarily Arawakan—related to their supposed Taíno enemies—with Cariban influences, suggesting complex historical relationships between Caribbean peoples. The Black Caribs (Garifuna) of Central America descend from Kalinago who intermarried with escaped African slaves on St. Vincent before British deportation in 1797.

Contemporary Kalinago

Modern Kalinago live primarily on the 3,700-acre Kalinago Territory on Dominica's east coast, established in 1903. The community has its own chief (elected since 1952) and council. Traditional crafts—particularly basket weaving using larouma reeds and canoe building—continue as both cultural practice and tourism income. The Kalinago language is critically endangered; most now speak English and Dominican Creole. Cultural revitalization programs work to preserve language, traditional knowledge, and crafts. The Kalinago Barana Aute cultural village educates visitors. Hurricane Maria (2017) devastated the territory, requiring extensive rebuilding. The Kalinago represent the survival of Caribbean indigenous identity against enormous historical odds, the only remaining indigenous community in the Eastern Caribbean islands.

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