|
Kalinago Petroglyphs on Grenada |
|
|
 Rock carving by the Kalinago inhabitants of Grenada Kalinago petroglyphs can be found near Mt. Rich, in the North
of the island Grenada.
Caribs or Kalinago
Kalinago meaning: island
Caribs.
The name the Amerindians who migrated up through the Antilles called themselves,
to distinguish themselves from their parent tribe in north west Guyana) resisted
the Spanish rather than succumbing like the more peaceful
Arawak
speaking
Taino's who preceded them.
For this they were demonized in much the same way as the "voodoo savages" of
Haiti would later be demonized for daring to overthrow their French slave
masters and threaten the whole system of Caribbean plantocracy.
These rock carvings are a major legacy of the Kalinago.
Theys seem to be placed symbolically, possibly to catch the sun's rays and
measure seasonal progress. Unfortunately, modern scholars know little about
their true meaning.
We take them for granted on a daily basis because they are basic communicators
of meaning within our culture.
Once removed from their original context, they are just as baffling to outsiders
as the Kalinago petroglyphs are to us.
Symbols commonly used by the Kalinago included owls
(representing the underworld) manatees (once inhabitants of Grenada's bays and
inlets), simple face designs, suns, moons, and cosmological figures.
|
