Barbados was first inhabited by the Arawak Indians who migrated from Venezuela. It is believed that they inhabited the island from 350-400 BC. When the British arrived in 1625 they found the island uninhabited and they claimed it in the name of King James I. This first ship, which arrived on May 14, was captained by John Powell. Two years later on February 17, 1627 the first settlement landed on the West coast of the island near what is now Holetown (formerly Jamestown).The early settlers cultivated tobacco and cotton and relied on the labour of indentured servants. By the 1630s the early settlers switched to sugar production and this diversification proved to be economically profitable. To meet the increased labour demands of sugar production, slaves were brought from Africa using the triangular slave trade to work on the sugar plantations. The arrival of black slaves resulted in a 90% black population, who provided plantation labour until their emancipation in 1838. more... See more text