Representations of Indigenous People: Carib Customs

A Peaceful Sunday at Home

This Carib family is depicted in their own settlement, gathered in front of the homes they have constructed from branches of the rich foliage that surround them. In one dwelling, we can see a hammock suspended between the walls. All eight people wear loincloths; one toddler who drinks milk freely from one woman’s breast; while another toddler eats from a bowl. At the far left, a woman carries a heavy basket while a male observes, his back facing the viewer. Despite the obvious artistic richness of the Carib culture, portrayed through the jewelry and textile decorations worn by both men and women, this image likely functioned to promote the necessity of the colonial endeavor to bring Christianity and culture to the Carib “heathens.”