Arawak

The Arawak were the Native American tribe which Chistopher Columbus encountered on his first voyage to America. They occupied the Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola (and probably other islands). They lived by farming and fishing, smoked tobacco and gave Columbus a friendly reception. They had coarse black hair which they wore in bangs in front and long in back. They wore some gold jewellery which excited early Spanish explorers.

The Arawak are culturally extinct today, although some mixed-blood descendants survive on Cuba. At the time of discovery the Arawak were under pressure from the Carib whom they warned Columbus about and shared Cuba with the Ciboney, a tribe with a more primative culture.

The Arawak made dugout canoes and lived in small villages. They spoke the Taino language and used the words: "barbecue," "canoe," and "tobacco" which have been incorporated into the English language.