In this blog we will tell you about our trip to Jamaica.
Jamaica picture
Blue Mountain Peak picture
Dunn’s River falls picture
Jamaican English
In 1654 Jamaica became a British colony, and they were a colony until 1962. So it has been spoken English ever since it was a colony. The reason Jamaica became a British colony was for the sugar in the country. They speak Jamaican English, which is an English dialect. It’s a mixture between American English and British English.
But they also speak another language in Jamaica called Jamaican Patois. This language was developed in the 17 th century by slaves, which came from Africa, so it’s a mix between English and African. To day is this language spoken in Jamaica, Costa Rica and Panama. In total are there 3.1 million speakers.
The Hutia
The hutia is a rodent which means it is a mammal. The hutia inhabit the Caribbean Sea, but mostly Cuba and Jamaica. Hutias looks like beavers but it is a little bit smaller. The hutia can grow up to 60cm in body length and weigh up to 8,5kg. In Cuba hutias are hunted for food, but in Jamaica it is the only extant mammal besides bats.
The hutia picture
The Tainos
The Tainos were the indigenous people that lived on Jamaica before Colombus came. They were good people that lived on the food that they found in the woods and the sea. The name Tainos came from Columbus. When he first met the people they said «Taino, Taino» that means wee are good, but Columbus didn’t know that. He tough that that was the name of the people. Columbus started calling the people Taino. Their houses were made of grass and palm leafs, it were a tall pole in the centre of the house to hold the palm leaf hut in place. The dead people was often buried in caves in their hammocks with a bit of water and cassava. Cassava is a root that you uses in food. 
