Known by the Caribs as Hairoun (“Land
of the Blessed”), St. Vincent was
first inhabited by the Ciboney, a
grouping of Meso-Indians. The economy
of these hunter-gatherers depended
heavily on marine resources as well
as the land. They used basic tools
and weapons and built rock shelters
and semi permanent villages.
Another indigenous group, the Arawak,
who entered the West Indies from Venezuela
and moved gradually north and west
along the islands, gradually displaced
the Ciboney. They practiced a highly
productive form of agriculture and
had a more advanced social structure
and material culture.
Read
more about the history of St Vincent
& the Grenadines
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