An alternative approach to examining and studying Caribbean history part II

history.

Desmond Bollers

desmond@carib101.com

The narrative appears to suggest that the Tainos and Kalinago simply wilted and capitulated without a fight. The names of their leaders are not well known, and the details of their courageous struggles are not fully described in the history books. The same holds true for the leaders of the enslaved Africans. Instead, we are regaled with tales of the exploits of: Henry Morgan, Walter Raleigh, Ponce De Leon, Juan Esquivel, D’Esnambuc or various French and Dutch pirates, privateers or administrators. The contemporary history of the Caribbean treats Native Americans and Africans almost akin to inanimate objects that are acted upon rather than actors in their own right.

As such, what is presented as 'Caribbean History' could more appropriately be titled 'History of Europeans in the Caribbean.'

We must correct this regrettable state of affairs by bringing the peoples of the Caribbean to centre stage of the region’s history instead of depicting them as bit players on the sidelines of their own story as has been the case so far, thereby installing them into their rightful place in