What Techniques Are the Arawak Indians Known For?
- When European travelers on ships slept, they did so on beds made of straw. The straw could become moldy and unusable fairly quickly, so it was an inefficient way to provide sleep comfort. When Columbus arrived in the Caribbean, he found the Arawaks slept in hammocks made of cotton. The hammock was used throughout the Americas, but it was with the Arawaks that Europeans first discovered them. Columbus adopted the bedding technique to the ships and it became the predominant bedding technique for sailors for centuries.
- The conuco is a farming technique first discovered by Europeans with the Arawaks. The conuco is a mound about 15-feet wide and about six-feet tall. The Arawaks packed the mounds with leaves for drainage and erosion control. The conuco is considered an environmentally friendly way to grow crops and is almost maintenance free. Perhaps more noteworthy was one of the crops grown in the conuco -- corn. Cassava, a plant used to make flatbread, was the most commonly grown crop in the conucos, but corn is what the Europeans noticed. They also took interest in chili peppers and spices, because part of the journey Columbus took was designed to overcome a Turkish blockade of existing spice trade routes.
- The Arawaks introduced tobacco to the Spaniards, presenting dried tobacco leaves as gifts to Columbus and his crew. The Arawaks were reported to love smoking it. The word "tobacco" itself actually had its root in a pipe the Arawaks used. Europeans believed the plant had healing powers and was even able to cure cancer. In some places it even became currency.
- Many words commonly in use in European languages have their roots in Arawak history. A "savanna," or tidal flatland, came from the Taino word "sabana." "Huracan" became "hurricane" in English. "Mahisi" became "maiz" (corn) in Spanish. And "barbacoa" became "barbecue."