Kalinago Genocide of 1626


The Kalinago Genocide of 1626 was the genocidal massacre of some 2,000 Island Caribs by English and French settlers.

Event

The Carib Chief Tegremond became uneasy with the increasing number of English and French settlers occupying St. Kitts. This led to more confrontations, which compelled him to plot the settlers' elimination with the aid of other Island Caribs. However, his scheme was betrayed by an Indian woman called Barbe, to Thomas Warner and Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc. Taking action, the English and French settlers invited the Caribs to a party where they became intoxicated. When the Caribs returned to their village, 120 were killed in their sleep, including Chief Tegremond. The following day, the remaining 2000-4000 Caribs were forced into the area of Bloody Point and Bloody River, where over 2000 were massacred, though 100 settlers were also killed. One Frenchman went mad after being struck by a manchineel-poisoned arrow. The remaining Caribs fled, but by 1640, those not already enslaved were removed to Dominica.