What is Arawak customs?

Answer 1

Columbus described the Arawaks and Caribs "as a people in their original simplicity…stark naked as they were born, men and women." The Arawaks were short medium height, well shaped, but slightly built, except in Hispaniola where they were plump. It appeared that they were physically weak in comparison with the Africans and Europeans. Their skin was "olive" meaning smooth and brown. The Arawaks were considered naturally good-looking but distorted their features by artificial means. Their heads were flattened at the foreheads as babies when the skull was bound between two boards. This elongated head was considered as a mark of beauty. This may have been done to thicken the skull thus it could withstand heavy blows. Tales were told of Spaniards who broke their swords on Arawak heads. The Arawaks had broad noses and their nostrils probably flared wide. Their hair was straight and black, but coarse, and was usually long.

The Arawaks were subsistence farmers, growing food mainly for their own needs. They cut down trees to make room for planting and used the "slash-and-burn" method of farming. This is a simple method where the land was burnt to clear it of weeds and bush. The ash produced was mixed with fish and urine (pea) to produce fertilizer to help prolong the productiveness of the land. Crops were then planted in the ashes among the blackened tree stumps. These primitive farmers did not practice crop rotation, after about five to ten years, the soil would become exhausted, and the village would proceed to clear fresh land.

Women did the planting and were responsible for the preparation of food. The women worked in rows, each woman carrying a bag of soaked grain around her neck. The woman made a hole with her digging stick, threw a few grains of corn into it with her left hand, covered the hole with her foot, and repeated the process until her share of the planting was done. Corn was planted on the hillsides during the period of new moon and after the start of the rains.

Crop also known as yuca. slips were cut from the stem and planted in mounds on the level earth. Cassava was planted twice a year when the soil was damp. Cotton and tobacco were also grown. The Arawaks ate a variety of other fruits and vegetables including pineapples, mammy apples, apples, naseberries, guavas and cashews. the Arawaks didn't touch the mammy apples cause they believed that it was food for the dead.

Answer 2

Arawak customs included farming, fishing, and hunting to sustain their communities. They also had intricate social structures, with clear gender roles and hierarchies. Arawaks practiced a polytheistic religion involving ceremonies and rituals to honor their gods and ancestors.