Indigenous Raiding, Captive Taking, and the Politics of Maritime Violence in the Long Sixteenth-Century Lesser Antilles

Abstract At the core of this piece lies an examination of how Indigenous people forged a system of raiding, captive taking, sea marauding, and trade that became instrumental in the exertion of political power and commercial autonomy in the formative stage of the multi-imperial Caribbean. Indigenous maritime technologies and martial skills allowed them to forge transimperial networks of raiding and trafficking of European merchandise, captives, foodstuffs, and staple commodities. These practices were tools used to repel European incursions, exploit the Spanish Empire, and maintain control over their territories. Likewise, the strategic position of the Lesser Antilles facilitated Indigenous people's integration in the northern European system that blended exploration, sea marauding, and contraband in the Caribbean. By focusing on Indigenous people, we are able to access a more exact portrayal of this archipelago, one that transcends established narratives of European privateering, settlement, and imperial competition.