What name did Christopher Columbus give Jamaica?
Xaymaca
Columbus had heard about Jamaica, then called Xaymaca, from the Cubans who described it as “the land of blessed gold”. Columbus was soon to find out that there was no gold in Jamaica. On arrival at St Ann’s Bay, Columbus found the Arawak Indians inhabiting the island.
Who brought maypole to Jamaica?
slaves
The dance was introduced to the island by slaves and was usually on May 27, Queen Victoria’s Birthday. Maypole, also referred to as the Long Ribbon Pole in rural areas, was a part of outdoor social festival of old England and Jamaica and was performed at fairs, garden parties or picnics.
Who was the first group to come to Jamaica?
the Arawaks
Jamaica’s first inhabitants, the Tainos (also called the Arawaks), were a peaceful people believed to be from South America. It was the Tainos who met Christopher Columbus when he arrived on Jamaica’s shores in 1494.
What was Jamaica’s original name?
Christopher Columbus, who first sighted the island in 1494, called it Santiago, but the original indigenous name of Jamaica, or Xaymaca, has persisted.
Who introduced slavery to the Caribbean?
Between 1662 and 1807 Britain shipped 3.1 million Africans across the Atlantic Ocean in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Africans were forcibly brought to British owned colonies in the Caribbean and sold as slaves to work on plantations.
What part of Africa did most Jamaicans come from?
Jamaican enslaved peoples came from West/Central Africa and South-East Africa. Many of their customs survived based on memory and myths.
When did slavery start in Jamaica?
In the early years of the 16th century the practice of importing slaves from West Africa to work in Jamaica began. Jamaica’s first town was built by the Spanish in Saint Ann’s Bay and was called Sevilla Nueva. In 1538 the Spanish moved the capital of Jamaica to Spanish Town.
Where did most Caribbean slaves come from?
West Africa
Africans carried to North America, including the Caribbean, left mainly from West Africa. Well over 90 percent of enslaved Africans were imported into the Caribbean and South America.
Why do people dance around maypole?
Maypole dance, ceremonial folk dance performed around a tall pole garlanded with greenery or flowers and often hung with ribbons that are woven into complex patterns by the dancers. Such dances are survivals of ancient dances around a living tree as part of spring rites to ensure fertility.
Who brought ackee to Jamaica?
Captain Bligh also brought the first breadfruit to Jamaica. Before this, the ackee was unknown to science. In 1778, Dr. Thomas Clarke, one of the earliest propogators of the tree, introduced it to the eastern parishes.