At present, there are over 2.8 individuals who proudly call themselves locals of Jamaica. However, the island used to hold only a few people in the past. According to old tales, only a few thousand Jamaicans stayed on the island before Christopher Columbus landed with his crew. The ancient folks were known as the Tainos and Arawaks. These groups were said to have lived on the island from 4000 B.C. to 1000 B.C. Columbus arrived on the island in 1494 when he went to North America for the second time. Upon reaching Jamaica, they were surprised that the locals were very friendly towards them. The Arawak and Taino groups offered them gifts and food and held special celebrations because of their arrival. Through the years, the Arawaks and Tainos diminished in number. At present, most of the people in Jamaica is African. Europeans were the ones who brought Africans to the island to be traded as slaves. Some of these people were able to escape into the hills. Later on, they were recognized as Maroons. Since that time, the Maroons also passed on their own traditions that many Jamaicans still practice today. After Africans, Chinese and Indians are the most numerous.
The Europeans, namely the Irish, Scottish, English, Spanish and Germans also populated Jamaica. There are other races that you can find as well like Lebanese, Jews, Scots and Syrians, among others. Regardless of a person’s background, a Jamaican will always proudly share to you their national motto, which is, “Out of many, one people”.