Ortoiroid people
Encyclopedia
The Ortoiroid people were the first human settlers of the Caribbean, who peaked culturally from 5000—200 BCE. They are believed to have originated in the Orinoco
valley in South America, migrating to the Antilles
from Trinidad and Tobago
to Puerto Rico
. The name "Ortoiroid" comes from Ortoire, a shell midden site.
before moving to the West Indies. The earliest radiocarbon date
for the Ortoiroid is 5230 BCE from Trinidad.
The two earliest Ortoiroid sites in Trinidad are the Banwari Trace
and St. John site in Oropouche, which date back at least to 5500 BCE. At this time, Trinidad might have still been connected to the South American mainland.
The majority of archaeological site
s associated with the Ortoiroid are found near or on the coasts. Tobago has at least one Ortoiroid site, Martinique
has two, and Antigua
has 24 Ortoiroid shell-midden sites. Ortoiroid peoples settle on St. Kitts from 2000 BCE to 400 BCE.
In the north, two distinct Ortoiroid subcultures have been identified: the Coroso culture, which flourished from 1500 BCE–200 CE, and the Krum Bay culture, which spanned 1500—200 BCE. The Coroso people lived in Puerto Rico
, where the oldest known site is the Angostura site, dating from 4000 BCE. The Krum Bay people lived in the Virgin Islands
. Krum Bay culture, which emerged between 800 BCE and 225 BCE, also extended to St. Thomas
.
The Ortoiroid are considered the first settlers of the archipelago of Puerto Rico
; however, recent reexamination of date, artifact, and agricultural evidence and of assumptions about culture has suggested a more complex picture.
s. Shellfish
remains have been found in these sites indicating that they constituted an important part of the Ortoiroid diet. They also ate turtles, crabs, and fish.
They were known for their lithic technology but did not have ceramics. Ortoiroid artifacts include bone spearpoints, perforated animal teeth worn as jewellery, and stone tools, such as manos and metates, net sinkers, pestles, choppers, hammerstone
s, and pebbles used for grinding.
Ortoiroid people lived in caves and in the open. They buried their dead in soil beneath shell middens. Red ochre was found at some sites and may have been used for body paint.
in the West Indies. In many regions, they disappeared by approximately 400 BCE; however, the Coroso culture survived until 200 CE.
Orinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
valley in South America, migrating to the Antilles
Antilles
The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
from Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The name "Ortoiroid" comes from Ortoire, a shell midden site.
Settlement patterns
The Ortoiroid are believed to have developed in South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
before moving to the West Indies. The earliest radiocarbon date
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
for the Ortoiroid is 5230 BCE from Trinidad.
The two earliest Ortoiroid sites in Trinidad are the Banwari Trace
Banwari Trace
Banwari Trace, an Archaic site in southwestern Trinidad, is presumably the oldest archaeological site in the Caribbean. The site has revealed two separate periods of occupation; one between 7200 and 6100 BP and the other between 6100 BP and 5500 BP.-Origins:Dated to about 5000 BCE or 7000 B.P ,...
and St. John site in Oropouche, which date back at least to 5500 BCE. At this time, Trinidad might have still been connected to the South American mainland.
The majority of archaeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
s associated with the Ortoiroid are found near or on the coasts. Tobago has at least one Ortoiroid site, Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
has two, and Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
has 24 Ortoiroid shell-midden sites. Ortoiroid peoples settle on St. Kitts from 2000 BCE to 400 BCE.
In the north, two distinct Ortoiroid subcultures have been identified: the Coroso culture, which flourished from 1500 BCE–200 CE, and the Krum Bay culture, which spanned 1500—200 BCE. The Coroso people lived in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, where the oldest known site is the Angostura site, dating from 4000 BCE. The Krum Bay people lived in the Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
. Krum Bay culture, which emerged between 800 BCE and 225 BCE, also extended to St. Thomas
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
.
The Ortoiroid are considered the first settlers of the archipelago of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
; however, recent reexamination of date, artifact, and agricultural evidence and of assumptions about culture has suggested a more complex picture.
Lifeways and material culture
Ortoiroid peoples were hunter-gathererHunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s. Shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
remains have been found in these sites indicating that they constituted an important part of the Ortoiroid diet. They also ate turtles, crabs, and fish.
They were known for their lithic technology but did not have ceramics. Ortoiroid artifacts include bone spearpoints, perforated animal teeth worn as jewellery, and stone tools, such as manos and metates, net sinkers, pestles, choppers, hammerstone
Hammerstone
In archaeology, a hammerstone is a hard cobble used to strike off lithic flakes from a lump of tool stone during the process of lithic reduction. The hammerstone is a rather universal stone tool which appeared early in most regions of the world including Europe, India and North America...
s, and pebbles used for grinding.
Ortoiroid people lived in caves and in the open. They buried their dead in soil beneath shell middens. Red ochre was found at some sites and may have been used for body paint.
Decline
The Ortoiroid were displaced by the Saladoid peopleSaladoid
Saladoid culture is a pre-columbian indigenous culture of Venezuela and the Caribbean that flourished from 500 BCE to 545 CE.-Name:They have been given the name of the sites where their unique pottery styles were first recognised. The suffix "oid" has been added in this cultural classification...
in the West Indies. In many regions, they disappeared by approximately 400 BCE; however, the Coroso culture survived until 200 CE.
See also
- History of the CaribbeanHistory of the CaribbeanThe history of the Caribbean reveals the significant role the region played in the colonial struggles of the European powers since the 15th century. In the 20th century the Caribbean was again important during World War II, in decolonization wave in the post-war period, and in the tension between...
- History of Puerto RicoHistory of Puerto RicoThe history of Puerto Rico began with the settlement of the archipelago of Puerto Rico by the Ortoiroid people between 3000 and 2000 BC. Other tribes, such as the Saladoid and Arawak Indians, populated the island between 430 BC and 1000 AD. At the time of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New...
- Indigenous peoples of the AmericasIndigenous peoples of the AmericasThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
Further reading
- Ferguson, James: Far From Paradise. Latin American Bureau, 1990. ISBN 0-906156-54-8.
- Kurlansky, Mark. 1992. A Continent of Islands: Searching for the Caribbean Destiny. Addison-Wesley Publishing.
- Rogozinsky, Jan: A Brief History of the Caribbean. Plume, 1999. ISBN 0-452-28193-8.