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Native American Tribes of Bonaire

This is an index to the Native American language and cultural information on our website pertaining to Bonairean Indian tribes. Some pages contain more information than others. If you belong to an indigenous tribe from the country of Bonaire that is not currently listed on this page and you would like to see it here, please contact us about contributing information to our site.

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The name "Bonaire" comes from Arawakan words meaning "lowland." In historical records the name was spelled Bonay, Bonai, Bunari, or Bojnaj. The indigenous Cariban and Arawakan speaking peoples of the Caribbean Islands were disastrously impacted by colonization. By the 1600's the majority of the native Caquetio population had either died of disease or been captured by the Spanish and brought to other islands as slaves. Many of the indigenous people who did survive intermarried with colonial Europeans or with Afro-Caribbeans, so although there are no distinct Native American tribes remaining on Bonaire, nor have any of the indigenous languages survived in this region, there are still people of indigenous ancestry living on the island and Arawakan culture has influenced that of Bonaire.

The original inhabitants of the area that is now Bonaire included:

The Caquetio Indians

What about Papiamento Creole? Does that have indigenous roots?

No. Papiamento, which is one of the primary languages of Bonaire and is spoken by the majority of Bonaireans, is actually a mixture between Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish. Only a few Arawak loan words exist in Papiamento, just as they do in English (hammock, hurricane, tobacco, etc.)

More resources about American Indian history, culture and society in Bonaire:

Terramar Museum and Cultural Center
Bonairian national museum with information and photos about the Caquetio and other local Arawak people.

Indigenous Languages of the Caribbean
Collection of materials about the lost and endangered Indian languages of the Caribbean region.

Review of the Indigenous Caribbean
Online journal of cultural information about the Native people of Bonaire and the Caribbean.

Onima Pictographs of Bonaire

Exploring Bonaire’s Cave Art:
Pictures and information about the Arawakan cave paintings and rock carvings of Bonaire.

The Arawakan meaning of Kunuku
Article on the possible origins of the Bonaire word "kunuku" or "cunucu."

Dutch Caribbean Roots
Historical images and information about the culture of the Amerindian natives of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao over time.

Informal commerce in the colonial Caribbean
News article about archaeological research in Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire.

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American Indian homes Maps of Georgia Corn dolls

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