page_title: Kalina people
section_title: Pre-Columbian era
hierarchical_section_title: Kalina people / History / Pre-Columbian era
caption_attribution_description: English: One of the tests to become a chief of an Amazonian tribe, probably Kali'na. Français&#160;: Epreuve pour devenir chef d'une tribu amazonienne, probablement des Kali'na. Español: Prueba para ser jefe de una tribu amazona, probablemente Kali'na. Italiano: Prova per essere capo di una tribù amazzonia, probabilmente Kali'na.
context_page_description: The Kalina, also known as the Caribs, mainland Caribs and several other names, are an indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in villages on the rivers and coasts of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil. They speak a Cariban language known as Carib. They may be related to the Island Caribs of the Caribbean, though their languages are unrelated.
context_section_description: Making up for lack of written records, archaeologists have to date uncovered 273 Amerindian archeological sites on only 310 km² of the land recovered from the Sinnamary River by the Petit-Saut Dam. Some date back as far as two thousand years, establishing the antiquity of the Amerindian presence in this area.
  The weak historical clues available indicate that before 1492, the Kali'na inhabited the coast (from the mouth of the Amazon River to that of the Orinoco), dividing their territory with the Arawak, against whom they fought during their expansion toward the east and the Amazon River.
  They were prolific travelers even though they weren't nomads. They often traveled by land and by sea as far as the area around the Orinoco river to visit family, trade, and marry. They often went to the area surrounding the Essequibo river (now in Guyana) to collect pebbles of red porphyry (takuwa), which Kali'na women prized for polishing their pottery. The term takuwa also refers to jade, which was often traded in the Americas in general.
caption: Drawing of a Kali'na ritual.
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