Chapter 13Cultures of the Caribbean

Section 2

Another name for the Caribbean Islands is the

West Indies

A group of people who share the same ancestry, language, religion or cultural traditions is

an ethnic group.

The Caribbean Islands spread across more than 2000 miles from

the state of Florida to the northeast coast of South America.

The first Europeans to come to the Caribbean

Islands were the Spanish. These expeditions were under the leadership of

Christopher Columbus.

Arawaks and Caribs are two of the indigenous groups who died from overwork and disease after

the Europeans arrived on the islands.

Today, only a few hundred Caribs live on the island of Dominica.

The Caribbean, today, has a great variety of

ethnic groups. This is because so many

people came to the islands as colonists,

slaves and immigrants.

Hispaniola is the name of the island which is shared by both Haiti and Dominican Republic.

The two main

cultures of the island of Hispaniola

are Mestizo and

African.

Many in the Caribbean observe the Roman Catholic tradition of Lent. There is a lively public festival held before it called Carnival.

There is a variety of different types of food available in the Caribbean Islands because of the food variety grown on the islands and the different cultures living on the islands.

Music in the Caribbean has been

influenced by European and

African Cultures.