Island Caribs

The Island Caribs, also known as the Caníbales or simply Caribs in English, are a group of people that descends from the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean islands. In the early colonial period Caribs had reputation as warriors who raided neighboring islands. Early Europeans claimed that they practiced cannibalism – the word "cannibal" derives from a corruption of their name. Early European sailors such as Christopher Columbus stumbled upon an island in the Caribs, his crew couldn't comprehend what they saw, and were shocked at what appeared to be cannibalism. In the book "Myths and realities of Caribbean history" the author Basil A. Reid concluded that "No evidence, either archaeological or from firsthand observations by Europeans, conclusively proves that Island-Caribs ever consumed human flesh."