Chapter 13 Cultures 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.