The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-25

In the north Of Trinidad, and of my .acquaint-
ance here with a number Of pure looded Carlbs
who have been educated In the Government
schools, who live In substantial house, and cul-
cscso for market. But il was one Of these edU.
Gated and intelligent Indians VIII gave me the
Of the Csribs, and | will give his own words on
the subject as nearly as can repeat them.
"'You need only look at the map this Carib
planter said. to see where my people come
from. They did not spring up from nothing on
these Islands you know; they emisrated from
your country, which you call F~lorida'-as he
spoke he drew a rough outline Of Florida In the
here are the islands, making almost q semi
circle from Elorids TO the South American
coast, with Cuba and several other large islands
near the top and Trinidad making the lower end.
The Indians Of South America knew that these
islands were here. because they could see
them. How the northern liElians knew Of
their existence Is more than Tcsn say, but in
some way they found 1t out. Unfortunately,
my people were always engaged In wars on the
tribes sought refuge on these islands, where
they could live undisturbed. That may have
begun five centuries ago, or ten, or fifty: no man
can tell. other tribes followed them for the
same reason. and gradually the first corners
reached the smaller islands OF IT," Antilles.
They came in both directions, you understand:
coast and northern Indians from what is now
Florida. Every time the earlier arrivals were
forced to move ON there was a fight; and
to island. they gradually became ann" wariike.
They had to fight in defence of their lives
anne the Inhabitants Of the various islands
were entirely different, peoples. Up ia the
and Hayti, Jamaica. and Porto Rico, the people
were fond of peace and pleasure. Life was very
easy to them, and they asked nothing but to be
the whites, provided food for them, and traded
with them; It was the same thing, here in
fight they went naked. il is true: but that
was, the fault of the climate; in this climate
clothes are not needed for warmth: and my
people were civilized enough to build comfort
able houses, and make bridges where they were
s nsSaSd; .b ena but e T in Ise smaller sSysrn I.ISnas ,t THAT
between here and the great Islands of the north
Il was very different. Those people, living in
Antigua, st. Kits, and a dozen others, had been
driven from place to place until they were des-
Originally they were the smaller and weaker
tribes, and their only safety was in learning to
"'Tbat was the way II happened in my opinion,
that when. the whites came they found friendly
people in the big northern islands, and in Trini-
smaller islands lying between. In the large
islands of the north and south we hardly ever
abused us, bu, we put, W. witt, 1t. They took
our lands, and we could not help ourselves. But
y Yo the S sma asm islA tSn, ny r.. P sssaIa fought hs1 Srsy wals
able to conquer them. 1t was only after they
had been harassed by both Spanish and French
able to subdue them. And some OF the tribes
have never been conquered yet, though we have
learned to live in peace with the whites
There are some worse stories about the
early Caribs,' l ventured TO suggest. than ac-
have been a little too fond, some ofthem. Of eat.
Ing human flesh, You have read Robinson
Crusoe. l supposeT'
my people ATE human flesh; there is no doubt of
IT,. But did you ever stop to inquire why they
enough to know that food Is very. plenty here,
and easily procured. II could not have been for
after the ,P heat Of battle; In the first flush o. joys
after a victory. DO not, your white soldiers
sometimes cut and slash with their swords
need OF itS 1t was the same feeling
that made my people Sometimes eat their
the sam race. 1t was only after the excitement
of a fight that they ate human, flesh. while they
Robinson Crusoe, and OF course you refer to the
people landing on Tobago and eating their cap
lives. That book does a great injustice to the
SnslS1 ever Ss rr ass their enemies SSns Ss ny II t RSsop,' w on s ans
cannibalism here, it was p%ractised by people who
how that mistake was made. The savage tribes
OF the smaller islands used to come down here
and generally they defeated us. Tobago was
then an uninhabited island. because II was not
as productive as the others; and on their way
times stopped there and killed and ate them.
1t was not Trinidad people who did that. My
people here were more civilized. and they did
81 considered,' the young botanist continued.
reasonably well TO see a young Carib in his
native paint. and then to find an older Csrib
S %nG wa az f bfs s ana wdllsns B no give SI me s som leave ave-
you under the impression that this planter was
a fair sample OF the Caribs Of Trinidad. 1t is
only In Arima, as far as | could learn. that any
of them have condescended to buy land TO culti-
vate. In other neighborhoods they go to school
learn. Even In Arima there are not more
than i've or six ful-blooded Caribs who
fallen into the white mans way OF doing things.
Those five or six are the leading spirits Ia the
Carib settlements, and the Others arc about on
the level OF the negro lahDrers, working for the
weather. ones when there Is any work 10 do,
and at other times cultivatiug. their own little
squatted upon, or doing nothing at all. IL their
own statements and the stories current on the
have kept their blood pure. They are real de-
scendants OF the original owners OF all the West
Indies Rsx s.. There ahsa e. are re few ,Ts, negroes 6TD same among them for
They do not care to associate even With the
affairs. There must be. I should think, between
$50 and 600 of these pure Caribs still left in
Arima, OF whom not more than half are gathered
In the little settlements; the remainder are
scattered In the mountains, and are almost wild.
blood T ynn m : Ssfa re% 1r sIsa t ( hq 4 de mol OF 6 pure
them with my personal guarantee: They are what
are locally called the. pure Caribs, and some OF
l am not quite so sure Of. They are all what are
called the Yellow Caribs, OF course. to distin-
Ruish them from a mongrel race called tho
Black CariDs, These latter took no interest in.
In studying the aborigtnes. because they plainly
take their color AS well as other distinguishing
marks from the negroes.
such a Carib planter as the one whose opin-
with a thatch or galvanized iron roof. and with
many OF the comforts OF life about him. He
wears European clothes. has a few books on his
and takes at least one Port OF spain news
paper. 20 inform him OF the condition OF tho
cacao market, lie owns perhaps a hundred acres
Of land, of which the half Is still in forest, and
he Is an employer Of labor in crop times. Hut
he Is many steps in advance of his neighbOrs, |
most of whom live In huts built OF palm stalks
and mud, and still 80 about with no clothing but
a cloth about the loins and even this Is an un-
willing concession to the law.
THE Cards, as | saw them, are rarely tall, |
and hardly ever handsome; but there IL a good
look Il in their faces that compels one to
like them; They smile very. readily, and are al
ways willing to do any service that a stranger
may need. The men are generally broad IN the
with excellent teeth. and a complex
ion that Is called orange cOlOred, although it is
not exactly that. They wear no boards, and so far
ms ! saw there is no truth whatever ia the stories
" their hattening their children's foreheads by
Swapping boards 10 them while young. | did
nnt see a single nattenel forehead among them /