Caquetio people

Caquetío are the Indigenous people of northwestern Venezuela, as well as the islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. The Caquetío along with their neighbors, the Jirajara and Quiriquire tribes, were largely diminished due to Spanish colonization. Although no full-blooded Caquetío remain today, notable Caquetío DNA can still be found in the modern populations of Aruba and northwestern Venezuela. The Caquetío language (Caquetío) belongs to the Arawakan family of languages, being closely related to the Jirajara language. The Caquetío language is termed a "ghost" language because little to no trace of the language survives. Only the name remains, saved in 17th-century texts. thumb|left|300px|Statue of cacique Manaure (chief of the Caquetíos) at Plaza Manaure in Coro, Venezuela.

==Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire== When the Spanish arrived in Aruba around 1500 they found the Caquetío in Aruba, living much as they did in the Stone Age. The Caquetío had probably migrated to Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire in canoes made from hollowed-out logs they used for fishing. Such crossings from the Paraguana peninsula in Venezuela, across the 17 miles (27 km) of open sea to Aruba, would be possible in the canoes the Caquetío of Venezuela built.