Kalinago Groups

I believe that the Taino and Kalinago groups were specialized in their own particular way. They were stratified into individuals who performed specialist functions. Each group of people had specific rituals and ceremonies that were used to transfers knowledge, skills and training in order to perform their duty. The Taino groups were trained to be Caciques/Cacica (rulers), Nitainos (warriors), Naboras (labourers) and Bohikes (medicine men). The Kalinago groups were trained to be warriors, if they showed no pain when they had undergone the special ceremony they would be rewarded their right while the Boye was a hereditary position.
b) Everyone, more or less, learnt the same skills. List three (3) skills that were taught to the young people by their parents. (3 marks)
Three skills that were taught to the young people by their parents were healing the sick with herbs, hunting and craft making.
c) Indigenous populations living in Trinidad had ‘institutions of education’. Explain the meaning of this term. (2 marks)
The term “institution of education” is meant to show the systems or practices used in the transfer of

Studying History about our ancestors can be quite interesting to see how their attitudes, thoughts and practices have developed and differs so drastically from those of today. For example the indigenous people did not have a formal schooling system therefore they were unable to write their own language in a way we understand literacy in Western context but they survived in their own habitat perfectly and educated themselves by using various specialization ceremonies and