Were the Caribs Cannibals?
Disney has a few protestors complaining about how the Carib Indians are being portrayed in the upcoming sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean. Now I don’t actually know whether they were cannibals or not but I have always been told that they were, eating their way through the Arawaks who had lived there before them. It wouldn’t surprise me all that much if they had been…remember that before Columbus there were no horses, cattle, pigs (nor even chickens I think) in the Americas. Buffalo in N America, llamas and similar in South, but no other domesticated animals other than the dog (which was certainly a source of meat). The only other meat animal that is known to have made it to the islands was the cuy or guinea pig (Mr. Snuffles, do not take that all expenses paid trip to the islands.). Corn (maize to use Europeans) is protein light, beans being the major source in the S American diet. No, it really wouldn’t surprise me (and I emphasise that I have no evidence either way) if the Caribs
