HISTORY
Columbus landed in Trinidad
in 1498, and the island was settled by the Spanish a century later.
The original inhabitants--Arawak and Carib Indians--were largely
wiped out by the Spanish colonizers, and the survivors were gradually
assimilated. Although it attracted French, free black, and other
non-Spanish settlers, Trinidad remained under Spanish rule until
the British captured it in 1797. During the colonial period, Trinidad's
economy relied on large sugar and cocoa plantations.
Tobago's development was
similar to other plantation islands in the Lesser Antilles and
quite different from Trinidad's. During the colonial period, French,
Dutch, and British forces fought over possession of Tobago, and
the island changed hands 22 times, more often than any other West
Indian island. Tobago was finally ceded to Great Britain in 1814.
Trinidad and Tobago were incorporated into a single colony in
1888.
In 1958, the United Kingdom
tried to establish an independent Federation of the West Indies
comprising most of the former British West Indies. However, disagreement
over the structure of the federation and Jamaica and Trinidad
and Tobago's withdrawal soon led to its collapse. Trinidad and
Tobago achieved full independence in 1962 and joined the British
Commonwealth.
Trinidad and Tobago's people
are mainly of African or East Indian descent. Virtually all speak
English. Small percentages also speak Hindi, French patois, and
several other dialects. Trinidad has two major folk traditions--Creole
and East Indian. Creole is a mixture of African elements with
Spanish, French, and English colonial culture.
Trinidad's East Indian culture
came to the island with indentured servants brought to fill a
labor shortage created by the emancipation of the African slaves
in 1833. Most remained on the land, and they still dominate the
agricultural sector, but many have become prominent in business
and the professions. East Indians have retained much of their
own way of life, including Hindu and Muslim religious festivals
and practices.
