History of the Taino People

The Taino, meaning “the men of the good,” are the indigenous people who make their home in many parts of the Caribbean islands. The Taino have origins which can be traced back to the Arawak tribe of the Orinoco Delta. It is said that the Taino started to settle in the Caribbean around 400 B.C. They established communities on the island of Hispaniola. Today Hispaniola is known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Taino also settled in Jamaica, eastern Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands along with the Bahamas. It is estimated that the Taino population may have reached more than three million people, with smaller settlements throughout the Caribbean.

As a whole the Taino people were a wildly creative and inventive culture. They learned to make a multitude of different substances and objects with the earthly materials that were available to them. For example they learned how to strain the Yuca plant for cyanide; they also developed a pepper gas which was said to be used in battles with the Carib tribe. They also had an extensive medicinal supply, as they learned how to make holistic medicine from plants and fruits. Not only were they masters of pharmacology for their time, they were also excellent craftsman. They would build huge oceangoing canoes, large enough to hold 100 people. Many talk about their beautiful pottery, woven clothing and impressive carvings.

The Taino spoke the Arawakon language, which may also be known as Maipurean. This language family was developed among the ancient people in South America; it soon spread to most of the Caribbean islands. Taino was one of the most important sources of the Native American vocabulary, in Spanish. Their language involved hundreds of words for plants, animals and their cul...

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...ing refuge. It is thought that as many as three million people some 85 percent of the Taino population were obliterated by the early 1550’s. I say this subject is still of debate because according to experts there has been a recent genetic study conducted that concluded 15-18 percent of Dominicans had DNA supporting their ancestral presence of Taíno genes. I found this to be a fascinating discovery.

Sources

1. http://oconnoranthropology.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/the-taino-indians-an-examination-of-politics-and-belief-systems/

2. http://oconnoranthropology.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/the-taino-indians-an-examination-of-politics-and-belief-systems/

3. http://www.lehman.edu/vpadvance/artgallery/gallery/taino_treasures/mendez_essay_a.html

4. Pictures, compliments of Google Images

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