What was the population of the Tainos at the Spanish conquest?
At the time of the Spanish conquest, the largest Taíno population centers may have contained over 3,000 people each. The Taíno were historically enemies of the neighbouring Carib tribes, another group with origins in South America, who lived principally in the Lesser Antilles.
Who are the Taíno people?
Taínos are descendants of the South American Arawak population, and evolved from the earlier Osteonoid population, with Saladoid influence. Many times, Taíno is used to refer to pre-Taíno groups. Who lived in the Caribbean before the Spanish conquest? Most people, including locals, will answer with the Taínos. This answer is not entirely wrong.
Are We direct descendants of pre-Taíno and Taíno groups?
From these data, researchers have concluded that current Caribbean inhabitants are indeed direct descendants of Pre-Taíno and Taíno groups, and that indigenous matrilineal heritage is strongly present today. Indigenous patrilineal heritage, on the other hand, is much less present today than the matrilineal counterpart.
How many wives did the Taíno have?
He was more important in the lives of his niece's children than their biological father; the uncle introduced the boys to men's societies in his sister and his family's clan. Some Taíno practiced polygamy. Men, and sometimes women, might have two or three spouses.
How many Taíno people were there?
The Taíno were declared extinct shortly after 1565 when a census shows just 200 Indians living on Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
What percentage of Puerto Rican is Taíno?
According to a study funded by the National Science Foundation, 61 percent of all Puerto Ricans have American Indian mitochondrial DNA, probably from a common Taino ancestry.
What is the settlement pattern of the Tainos?
James Petersen (1991) explains that initial Taino settlements were primarily along the coastal areas, allowing them to focus more on the sea rather than land. As time progressed, they gradually moved inward to settle other areas of the landscape (129-130).
What countries did the Tainos settle?
At the time of Columbus's exploration, the Taíno were the most numerous indigenous people of the Caribbean and inhabited what are now Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
How do you say hello in Taíno?
2:016:06Let's Talk Taíno 4 - Basic Greetings & Phrases with "tai" - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt so let's take a look at an example word so the first example word is actually means good peopleMoreIt so let's take a look at an example word so the first example word is actually means good people so how do we know well taino has two word parts dai which means good.
Is Taíno still spoken?
Taíno is an extinct Arawakan language that was spoken by the Taíno people of the Caribbean. At the time of Spanish contact, it was the most common language throughout the Caribbean.
What are the types of settlement?
The four main types of settlements are urban, rural, compact, and dispersed. Urban settlements are densely populated and are mostly non-agricultural. They are known as cities or metropolises and are the most populated type of settlement. These settlements take up the most land, resources, and services.
Why did the Tainos settle?
Jamaica became the perfect spot for them to settle due to the consistent climate, as well as the abundance of food from the ocean, and the crops that they were able to produce. The Tainos people live off of the sea food but also what the island had to offer them, such as a mix varieties of fruits, and vegetables.
What are the types of settlement patterns?
There are three main settlement patterns: nucleated, linear and dispersed.
What language did Tainos speak?
Arawakan languagesArawakan languages Taino, a now-extinct Arawakan language, once predominated in the Antilles and was the first Indian language to be encountered by Europeans. Spoken languages of importance are Goajiro in Colombia, Campa and Machiguenga in Peru, and Mojo and Bauré in Bolivia.
What is Tainos English?
The Taíno were an Arawak people who were the indigenous people of the Caribbean and Florida. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), and Puerto Rico.
Did the Tainos fight back?
The Taínos fought back. Their resistance began as early as Columbus' first trip back to Spain.
What is the bloodline of a Puerto Rican?
As a result, Puerto Rican bloodlines and culture evolved through a mixing of the Spanish, African, and indigenous Taíno and Carib Indian races that shared the island. Today, many Puerto Rican towns retain their Taíno names, such as Utuado, Mayagüez and Caguas.
Are most Puerto Ricans indigenous?
Research data shows that 60% of Puerto Ricans carry maternal lineages of Native American origin and the typical Puerto Rican has between 5% and 15% Native American admixture.
Does Puerto Rican show up on DNA test?
In short, can you find out if you have Puerto Rican ancestry? Yes, absolutely! Depending on if and when in your past you had some Puerto Rican ancestors, Genetic DNA Testing can reveal some very interesting information.
What are Puerto Ricans made of?
Unauthorized use is prohibited. Puerto Ricans' heritage is a mix of Taíno Indian, African, and European (mostly Spanish)—and the island's food reflects this. The Taíno people farmed yuca (a potato-like vegetable), African people brought plantains (sort of like bananas), and the Spanish brought rice.
How many people were the Taino?
Once the most numerous indigenous people of the Caribbean, the Taino may have numbered one or two million at the time of the Spanish conquest in the late 15th century. They had long been on the defensive against the aggressive Carib people, who had conquered the Lesser Antilles to the east.
What were the traditional Taino settlements made of?
Traditional Taino settlements ranged from small family compoundsto groups of 3,000 people. Houses were built of logs and poles with thatched roofs. Men wore loincloths and women wore aprons of cottonor palmfibres. Both sexes painted themselves on special occasions, and they wore earrings, nose rings, and necklaces, which were sometimes made of gold. The Taino also made pottery, baskets, and implementsof stone and wood. A favourite form of recreation was a ball game played on rectangular courts. The Taino had an elaborate system of religious beliefs and rituals that involved the worship of spirits (zemis) by means of carved representations. They also had a complex social order, with a government of hereditary chiefs and subchiefs and classes of nobles, commoners, and slaves.
What was the Taino religion?
The Taino had an elaborate system of religious beliefs and rituals that involved the worship of spirits ( zemi s) by means of carved representations. They also had a complex social order, with a government of hereditary chiefs and subchiefs and classes of nobles, commoners, and slaves.
What were the main food sources of the Taino people?
Fish and shellfish were another important food source. Traditional Taino settlements ranged from small family compounds to groups of 3,000 people. Houses were built of logs and poles with thatched roofs. Men wore loincloths and women wore aprons of cotton or palm fibres.
What did the Taino do?
When they were first encountered by Europeans, the Taino practiced a high-yielding form of shifting agriculture to grow their staple foods, cassava and yams. They would burn the forest or scrub and then heap the ashes and soil into mounds that could be easily planted, tended, and irrigated.
How many people lived in Cuba in the early period?
Cuba: Early period. …Cuba, and the more numerous Taino inhabited the rest of the island. Estimates of the total population range as high as 600,000; however, the actual total was probably about 75,000. The Taino were a peaceful people and were highly proficient agriculturalists, related to the Arawakan peoples of South America who….
Where are the Taino zemi found?
The Taino culture is famous for these zemi carvings, which are found in many of the islands, notably Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. Carved stone pestles with human and animal designs are also common, along with strange “stone collars”—oval carvings that may be related to the yugos ….
When did the Taino population decline?
By 1548, the native population had declined to fewer than 500. Starting in about 1840, there have been attempts to create a quasi-indigenous Taino identity in rural areas of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. This trend accelerated among the Puerto Rican community in the United States in the 1960s.
Why did the Taino people go extinct?
The Taíno became nearly extinct as a culture following settlement by Spanish colonists, primarily due to infectious diseases to which they had no immunity. The first recorded smallpox outbreak in Hispaniola occurred in December 1518 or January 1519. The 1518 smallpox epidemic killed 90% of the natives who had not already perished. Warfare and harsh enslavement by the colonists had also caused many deaths. By 1548, the native population had declined to fewer than 500. Starting in about 1840, there have been attempts to create a quasi-indigenous Taino identity in rural areas of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. This trend accelerated among the Puerto Rican community in the United States in the 1960s.
What is the name of the tribe that is not part of the Arawak tribe?
Modern historians, linguists and anthropologists now hold that the term Taíno should refer to all the Taíno/Arawak tribes except for the Caribs , who are not seen to belong to the same people. Linguists continue to debate whether the Carib language is an Arawakan dialect or creole language, or perhaps an individual language, with an Arawakan pidgin used for communication purposes.
How many chiefdoms are there in Cuba?
Cuba, the largest island of the Antilles, was originally divided into 29 chiefdoms. Most of the native settlements later became the site of Spanish colonial cities retaining the original Taíno names. For instance; Havana,Batabanó, Camagüey, Baracoa and Bayamo are still recognised by their Taino names.
What tribes settled in Florida?
Other tribes are known to have settled in Florida, but their names are not known. At the time of Columbus’ arrival in 1492, there were five Taíno chiefdoms and territories on Hispaniola, each led by a principal Cacique (chieftain), to whom tribute was paid.
Where did the Black people come from?
The grouping of Black people is actually made up of a diverse and large number of indigenous peoples and tribes across the world, so no not all black people come from Africa and there were indigenous Black people living in the Americas, the Caribbean and Asia long before the European arrival.
Who was the chieftain of Hispaniola?
In Hispaniola, a Taíno chieftain named Enriquillo mobilized over 3,000 Taíno in a successful rebellion in the 1520s. These Taíno were accorded land and a charter from the royal administration. Despite the small Spanish military presence in the region, they often used diplomatic divisions and, with help from powerful native allies, controlled most of the region. In exchange for a seasonal salary, religious and language education, the Taíno were required to work for Spanish and Indian land owners. This system of labor was part of the ‘ encomienda’- the strongest protecting the weak for the purpose of economic gain .
What did the Taino do?
The Taino developed a culture based primarily on agricultural production that allowed them to craft a significant increase of utilitarian objects such as vases and other containers made of clay and wood, well-polished stone axes, objects of basketry and woven plant fibers cotton which were decorated with dyes extracted from the Jagua (Genipa Americana) and annatto (Bixa orellana), with which they also painted their bodies on special occasions. In addition, the Taino were excellent sculptors who drew up ceremonial artifacts of great artistic expression as duhos or ceremonial seats, idols or cemíes, instruments for the cohoba ritual and monolithic rings.
Where are the Taino faces?
These Taino faces are found in Barahona, Dominican Republic.
What is vicini culture?
As part of its commitment to the development of the Dominican Republic, VICINI promotes art and pre-Columbian Taino culture and part of the origins of Hispaniola and the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
What did the Taino do to their skull?
Between them there was a custom of artificially deforming the skull of children, holding it with two tablets of cotton strips palm, one in front and one in the occipital, which managed to make the forehead look wider. They perforated the lower lobe of the ear in order to wear decorative pins or earrings, called in their language taguaguas. Atabey or Atabeyra was the supreme deity of the Taino, goddess of fresh water and fertility.
Why did the Tainos use irrigation ditches?
The Tainos also took advantage of the rain cycles to kick off their crops and in the final stage of their development and used certain types of irrigation ditches where needed due to the dryness of the land. With the friction of the wood Taino got fire to use it in the cooking of their food, to baked pottery and also knocked down large trees to prepare their crops or conucos and make canoes.
How did the Tainos die?
Throughout the years to follow, the Tainos were killed by the conquerors either by disease or battle , and their culture was almost completely wiped out. Most Dominicans nowadays rarely resemble what the Taino looked like, and only a few families have some Taino blood in their generations. Preserved in time, still many artifacts and stone pottery can be found in the island, and their simple art they left behind in caves. The Dominican Republic Tainos were the most peaceful of these indigenous groups.
Why were Zemies the Taino gods?
Zemies were the Taino gods to foster prosperity.
What is the Jamaican taino?
The Jamaican Taíno cultural variant, categorized by Rouse (#N#Reference Rouse#N#1948,#N#Reference Rouse#N#1992) as “sub-Taíno” or “western Taíno,” has long been recognized as distinct from the “Classic Taíno” of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and eastern Cuba. This distinction served to emphasize the elevated sociopolitical complexity of the Classic Taíno chiefdoms as well as a corresponding overlay of cultural traits. A large part of that overlay is reproduced in settlement layout, in which chiefly position and social relations are clearly defined on the landscape through village patterning, by large chiefly houses strategically positioned on central plazas, and by the construction and use of stone-lined ball courts (Alegría#N#Reference Alegría#N#1983; Deagan#N#Reference Deagan#N#2004; Keegan#N#Reference Keegan#N#2007 ). The settlement configuration we have described for Maima seems to be in stark contrast with this pattern. This, then, leads us to ask whether Maima is representative of Jamaican Taíno settlement at the time of Christopher Columbus, and if it is, what the implications are for Jamaican Taíno society in comparison to Classic Taíno culture as documented elsewhere.
What does "taino" mean in the Caribbean?
Within the paper we do use “Taíno” as a gloss in reference to indigenous peoples in the Greater Antilles who share linguistic and ancestral relationships, as do most Caribbean archaeologists. We expect, however, that there will be regional variation in culture, adaptation, and other traits. Indeed, the objective of the paper is to document a part of this variation as it relates specifically to the Jamaican Taíno.
What is stratum 2 in Maima East?
Figure 4. Stratigraphic profile from the northeast corner of the House 10 platform, Maima East, 2014. This section is an extension of a 1982 excavation unit that terminated at the Strata IIa–IIb transition. Stratum I is gray-brown loam. Stratum II includes sequential deposition of terrace fill layers, including mixed clay, limestone aggregate, and marl, with very limited cultural materials. Stratum III is the original clay soil on which the terrace was constructed.
What was the cacique's ability to mobilize labor for village expansion or improvements?
The cacique's increasing ability to mobilize labor for village expansion or improvements may well have been key to the Jamaican Taíno settlement configuration at the time of their first encounter with Christopher Columbus.
What are the materials found in House 7?
This includes petaloid adzes, a range of pestle-like handstones and manos, flat-surface cobbles for use with the handstones or as metates, net weights, abraders, flaked stone expedient tools, debitage, and branch coral sprigs. The ceramic assemblage for each is abundant; 7,215 sherds were excavated from House 7 and 11,568 pieces from House 10. A wide variety of vessel forms and sizes are present, including boat-shaped forms with notched ends, and vessels with filleted rims, punctation on the rims, and coarsely applied geometric incision. Four anthropomorphic or zoomorphic adorno pieces may represent cemi (Taíno gods, spirits) imagery as applied to household ceramics. As we have noted, in its style and decorative application this assemblage conforms closely to ceramic types of the White Marl period as documented elsewhere in Jamaica.
Where are the archaeological collections in Jamaica?
Excavated archaeological collections are retained by the Jamaican National Historic Trust and maintained in storage at the Great House, Seville Heritage Park, St. Ann's Bay , Jamaica. Original excavation documents are currently retained by D. Burley in the Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University.
What is Maima's contribution?
The work at Maima is ultimately but a small contribution to the documentation of Jamaican Taíno society at first Span ish contact. Even so, much more detail about the site will be required before we can generalize about it in a categorical way. It does provide a starting point for future examination of Jamaican Taíno peoples within the Greater Antilles region. We hope that further studies will expand upon this base, clarify the pattern, and provide greater insight than current data permit.
