Before the ships, before the sugar, before the noise — there was rhythm.

The Caribbean’s first people — the Taíno, Arawak, and Kalinago — lived by the drumbeat of the land and the ocean. Their medicine grew wild, their food healed, and their balance came from the roots beneath their feet.

In this episode, we go deep into the pre-colonial Caribbean — the real Caribbean.

We uncover what the ancestors actually ate before global trade and colonization reshaped the islands: cassava, papaya, guava, fish, and coastal greens that powered their bodies and grounded their spirits.

You’ll also hear the science behind their wisdom.

🎧 Listen now to reconnect with the real Caribbean — where food was medicine, culture was balance, and rhythm was survival.

Because remembering where we come from… is how we heal where we are.

Reconnection is Power.

YT & TikTok: @THERIPSUPPLY

Instagram: @swankszn_

References:

1. Newsom, L. A., & Wing, E. S. (2004). On Land and Sea: Native American Uses of Biological Resources in the West Indies. University of Alabama Press.
2. Keegan, W. F., & Hofman, C. L. (2017). The Caribbean before Columbus. Oxford University Press.
3. Murphy, R., et al. (2018). Ancient starch evidence of plant foods in the pre-colonial Caribbean. Antiquity, 92(364), 1205–1222.

1. Pagán-Jiménez, J. R. (2011). Early plant use in the Caribbean: a view from precolonial Puerto Rico. Latin American Antiquity, 22(4), 533-563.
2. Mohidin, S. R. N. S. P., et al. (2023). Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz): A systematic review for pharmacological activities, traditional uses, nutritional values, and phytochemistry. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, 28, 2515690X231206227. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37822215/
3. Mohanty, B. P., et al. (2019). Nutritional composition of fish and its role in human health. Frontiers in Life Science, 8(4), 290-299. https://doi.org/10.1080/21553769.2015.1043657
4. Ghosh, S., et al. (2014). Dietary omega-3 fatty acids and brain health. Nutrients, 6(12), 6005-6026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25412151/ ”

1. Morton, J. F. (1987). Fruits of Warm Climates. Miami, FL: Creative Resource Systems, Inc.
2. Lim, T. K. (2012). Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Vol. 2: Fruits. Springer.
3. Gunn, B. F., et al. (2011). Genetic evidence for the origin of the coconut (Cocos nucifera L.). PLoS ONE, 6(8): e21143. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021143
4. Mohidin, S. R. N. S. P., Moshawih, S., Hermansyah, A., Asmuni, M. I., Shafqat, N., & Ming, L. C. (2023). Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz): A Systematic Review for the Pharmacological Activities, Traditional Uses, Nutritional Values, and Phytochemistry. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, 28, 2515690X231206227. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37822215/
5. Oboh, G., et al. (2019). Soursop (Annona muricata) fruit and leaf extracts ameliorate hypertension by improving antioxidant status and nitric oxide bioavailability. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 43(1), e12777. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31462727/