Limits to Recognition: The Trinidadian State and Its Indigenous Population

Abstract

One prevalent issue regarding the enfranchisement of Indigenous communities within the politics of the Caribbean includes the idea that such communities cease to exist. Though the impact of European colonization in the region proved to be destructive to Indigenous ways of life, this impact was far from exterminatory, and Caribbean govern- ments and authorities who argue the contrary base their testimony upon groundless claims. This paper analyses the actions of Trinidad and Tobago’s post-independence government in curating a nationalist discourse based on the histories of its Afro-Creole population, and how that discourse was ultimately founded on a complete disregard for the country’s Indigenous population. The paper first delves into the colonial extinction narratives that have served to restrain Trinidad’s Indigenous community, then it investi- gates various biological and historical evidence that prove Indigenous diffusion beyond the limits outlined in extinction narratives. Finally, Trinidad’s Afro-Creole-based nation- alism is explored to gain insight on how such an ethnically-driven nationalism has hindered the concerns of Trinidad’s overall Indigenous community.