Antigua Stone Age People

The history of Antigua's indigenous people dates back to around 2900 B.C., with the first settlements of the Siboney, (Ciboney) which means "stone people" in the Arawak language. These Meso-Indians were excellent craftsmen, creating beautiful shell jewelry and stone tools. Such artifacts of these ancient people have been found around the island.

Following the Siboney, the Arawak made their appearance on Antigua and inhabited the island from 35 A.D. to 1100 A.D. The Arawaks were the first well-documented group of Antiguans. They introduced farming to the islands of Antigua and Barbuda and planted crops such as pineapples, peppers, corn, sweet potatoes, guava, cotton, and tobacco.

The Arawaks were replaced by the Saladoid, a ceramic-using agriculturalist people who migrated from Venezuela moving through the caribbean chain of islands. The Saladoid people were later replaced by the Island Caribs around 1500 A.D.