Seafaring in the Pre-Columbian Caribbean

Seafaring, or traveling by sea, has been important in human history and helped people move to new places. In the Caribbean, it was especially important because the only way to reach the islands was by boat. New research shows that many people moved to the Caribbean before Europeans arrived. One big reason they may have done this was to find useful natural materials like flint, clams, and oysters. Even though few ancient boats have been found, experts have been able to guess what early Caribbean canoes looked like.

## Problems with studying ancient seafaring

The Caribbean includes many islands, such as the Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, and Lucayan Archipelago. These islands are surrounded by sea, so people had to use boats to get there.

Learning about prehistoric (very old) seafaring is hard because:
- There are no written records from that time.
- Canoes and paddles were made of wood, which usually rots away.
- However, finding the same tools in places separated by water shows that people traveled by sea.

## How people spread across the Caribbean

The Caribbean islands are arranged like stepping stones between North, Central, and South America. For many years, experts thought people moved from one island to the next, starting near the mainland and going further out. This idea is called the stepping-stone model.

Today, more support is given to the southward route theory. This says that people first came from South America directly to the northern islands (like the Greater Antilles), and then moved south through the Lesser Antilles. This idea is backed by radiocarbon dating and computer models that simulate sea travel.

### First islands that were settled

The first island settled was Trinidad, around 8000 BCE. Back then, the sea level was lower, so Trinidad was close to South America and may not have needed boats to reach.

Later, between 3850–550 BCE, people moved to many other islands. These include:
- Greater Antilles: Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico
- Northern Lesser Antilles: Guadeloupe, Sint Maarten, Vieques, Saint Thomas, Barbuda, Antigua, Montserrat
- Southern Lesser Antilles: Barbados, Grenada
- Near South America: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Tobago

Other islands like Haiti, Anguilla, and Margarita may have also been settled during this time. Evidence like signs of human-made fires shows that many of these islands were visited by 3190 BCE.

### Second wave of colonization

Between 150–1450 AD, there was another wave of movement:
- People settled Jamaica, Saint John, Saint Eustatius, Saint Lucia, and Carriacou.
- This period had more complex travel, likely because of increasing trade between islands.

During this time, island communities had:
- Resource systems that changed with the seasons
- Trade and social networks with other islands and the mainland

Modern studies, like canoe experiments and social network analysis, have helped scientists understand how these people traveled and lived.

## Reasons for traveling

One big reason for traveling to the islands was to find useful materials:
- Antigua had high-quality flint, which was used to make tools.
- Flint from Antigua has been found on many other islands, showing there was trade.

Some islands were visited only at certain times of the year. For example:
- Plum Piece on Saba had lots of remains from black crabs and seabirds.
- People may have come there during the crabs' and birds' breeding season (Feb–July).
- The island also had good soil and many useful plants.

People probably moved between islands each year depending on what resources were available.

Another site, Spanish Water on Curaçao, had shell heaps from clams and oysters. These were likely processed to be stored or traded.

By using travel models, scientists found:
- July was the best time to travel from Saba to Long Island.
- January was best for the return trip.

This shows that travel was based on wind, current, and safety.

### Pre-Columbian canoes

The best proof of sea travel comes from finding items like pottery and tools on islands. Few actual boats have been found, but the ones that have are dugout canoes (carved from one tree trunk). Trees used for making canoes include:
- Mahogany
- Ceiba (kapok tree)
- Cedar

Canoes came in different sizes:
- Small ones for fishing
- Large ones for traveling between islands, holding up to 40–80 people

Columbus described the canoes he saw as fast and able to carry many people. He said some were bigger than European barges.

We don't know if canoes from 5000 years ago were the same as those in Columbus' time.

### Canoe paddles

Only a few paddles have been found. One writer described them as:
- Paddle blade about 2.5 feet long
- One hand on the handle and the other near the blade
- Paddlers faced forward and pushed water behind them

Like in the Pacific, different paddle shapes may have been used for calm rivers or open sea.

### Did they use sails?

There is debate about whether ancient Caribbean canoes used sails. Some researchers think sails were needed to cross oceans. But:
- No sails or sail-using canoes have been found
- No historical records mention sails
- Long-distance trade continued even after Europeans arrived, using only paddling

So it is likely that early travelers used canoes without sails.

The main vessels used were dugout canoes, crafted from large trees like mahogany, ceiba, and red cedar. These ranged from small fishing canoes to large ones capable of carrying dozens of people.

Historical accounts, including those from Columbus, describe canoes holding up to 70–80 people and being faster than European barges.

Canoes were paddled, not rowed, with paddlers facing forward. Paddles had a distinctive design, with a handle and a crosspiece at the top.

There is no archaeological or historical evidence that Pre-Columbian Caribbean canoes used sails; long-distance voyages were accomplished by paddling and careful navigation using currents and stopover points.

## Other websites

- Long Teaching Module: Caribbean Seafaring in the Archaic Age (2000-400 BC)