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"History of the Caribbean." Caribbean History - Caribbean Music History - Caribbean Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"Washington State University." Fall 2014 The Effects of Slavery on the Caribbean Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

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The Caribbean can be described as multilingual. Some islands retained the language from colonization. Caribbean linguistic groupings include indigenous Amerindian languages, European languages, African languages, Creole languages, sign languages(indigenous and foreign), and immigrant languages of various origins, including sign and religious languages. Some islanders speak English, French, Spanish, Dutch or a mixture of some. An example of a native language is Garifuna. This language is not as widely known but it originated on the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

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The East Indians brought artifacts into the region when they came as free labourers. They were able to bring with them parts of their heritage. Slavery has influenced many artist today and early artist were influenced by European trends. The Neo Indians left Petroglyphs on islands like St. Vincent and the Grenadines which are now tourist attractions.

Below is a representation on some of these artifacts.

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The main religion brought to the Caribbean from India was Hinduism. As we look back in history at indentureship, East Indians were denied burial rights, the right to practice their own religion and marriage rights. Now all of this is possible, Hinduism is accepted like the other religions. The East Indians mainly settled in Trinidad and Guyana.
Islam was also brought into the region by workers from the middle east and India.
At the beginning of the nineteen century, during the first and second great awakening in North America, evangelical groups came into the region. Denominations like Seventh Day Adventist, Mormons, Methodist and Salvation Army arrived.
African Baptist and African culture expression is widely practiced today in many Caribbean islands. Spiritual Baptist has come a long way. During slavery and indentureship the labourers were not allowed to practice their respective religions, instead Western religions such as Christianity were imposed upon them.

I chose to use this picture to represent the Spiritual Baptist because this was my Father's thanksgiving.

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Many foods we eat today have origins in Africa such as ackee and okra.
When East Indians came from India to work as indentured labourers, they brought with them artifacts, knowledge of their cuisine, religion and their own culture. This culture has been passed down through generations. Many Indian delicacies are widely known and loved.

The picture below depicts some traditional Indian delicacies that I love such as Jamun and Jalebi.

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Music has played an important role in developing Caribbean culture. The African slaves brought aspects of their culture with them to the Caribbean. Music has been essential to Caribbean culture since in the days of slavery, when it was a mode of mental survival and a form of recreation. They told stories, danced, sang and kept alive the rhythms of their homeland. This meeting of African and European musical cultures in the Caribbean has had a major effect on the development of modern music. Firstly, it gave rise to black church songs or ‘Negro spirituals’. This mixture of music later transformed into gospel, jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and soul. Many Caribbean islands today have various jazz festivals such as Tobago, St.Vincent, St. Lucia just to name a few.
Bob Marley's 'Redemption song' is a perfect example of how slavery has influenced reggae music. Below is an excerpt from the song.
"Old pirates, yes, they rob I;
Sold I to the merchant ships,
Minutes after they took I
From the bottom less pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the 'and of the Almighty.
We forward in this generation Triumphantly.
Won’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs."

The picture below was taken during the annual jazz festival in Tobago

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The high deposition of Africans, East Indians and other races have left the Caribbean like a melting pot with a mixture of different cultures.

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The high deposition of Africans, East Indians and other races have left the Caribbean like a melting pot with a mixture of different cultures.

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Divali the festival of light is celebrated every year in Trinidad and Guyana by the Hindu community,it's origins are based in Indian and came to the region with the East Indians. At the beginning of the 18th century there was a large number of free blacks in Trinidad mixed with French immigrants, earlier Spanish settlers and British nationals. This allowed Carnival to transform from an implanted European celebration to a more heterogeneous cultural expression. With the end of slavery in 1834, they could outwardly celebrate their native culture and their emancipation through dress, music, and dancing. Carnival is now a festival celebrated in many Caribbean islands. The islands have influenced carnival activities in Notting Hill and Canada.

The picture below is a display of costumes from Ahdrenalin Carnival's for Vincy Mas 2016. It depicts my friends and I.

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How has the pre-emancipation era impacted on Caribbean Culture?

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How has the pre-emancipation era impacted on Caribbean Culture?

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Each of the Caribbean islands has an exceptional and distinct cultural identity that was formed by early European colonialist, the African slave trade, indentured labourers as well as indigenous Neo Indian tribes. The Caribbean culture consists of festivals, religion,music, food and language.