In South America, Taino people are recognized as Arawak people. Even their language falls under the Arawakan family of the northern region in South America. Typically, Taino culture is used to describe anything related to the indigenous, seafaring people of Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles or Bahamas.
When Columbus arrived in 1492, there were five known Taino chiefdoms and territories in which tribute was given. These existed in the area formerly known as Hispaniola. Today it is recognized as Haiti and Dominican Republic.
These people were known as the enemy to Carib tribes, historically. This group also had origins in South America and was mostly located in Lesser Antilles. The relationship between these tribes is a topic that many have discussed and studied. For a good portion of the fifteenth century, Taino people were forced to the northeastern area of the Caribbean because of raids by the Carib tribes. Women were held in captivity, which is why many Carib women started to speak Taino.
Spaniards first went to Hispaniola, Cuba and Bahamas around the 1490s. They later arrived in Puerto Rico and on these first excursions, did not bring their women along. Instead, the Taino women were taken in as common-law wives, resulting in many mestizo children. There was a lot of sexual violence against these women by Spanish men, especially in Haiti. It has been said that a notable amount of racial and cultural mixing took place around this time in Cuba as well.
This culture became extinct after settlement by the Spanish colonists. This was primarily caused by infectious disease in which there had been no immunity. The first smallpox epidemic recorded in Hispaniola took place in December of 1518 or January of 1519. In 1518, it killed nearly ninety percent of natives who had not already passed away. Enslavement and warfare by colonists also led to many deaths. By the year 1548, the population of natives had been reduced to less than 500.
There were two main classes in this society: naborias, also called commoners, and nitainos, also known as nobles. Chiefs were responsible for governing these classes and were given the title of caciques. These people may have been female or male, and were known to be advised by healers or priests called bohiques. The bohiques were thought to have special abilities when it came to speaking with the gods and healing. They were often the ones consulted and giving permission for the society to participate in practices.
The culture followed a matrillneal system in terms of kinship, descent and inheritance. When a male heir was not present, inheritance or succession was automatically granted to the eldest child, male or female, of the deceased person's sister. In the society, couples who were recently married lived in the household of a maternal uncle. The belief was that the uncle was more important to the life of a woman than her birth father. Some people, men and women, engaged in polygamy. They could have two or three spouses, and caciques were known to have as many as 30.
Women had a lot of skill in agriculture and society depended on this. Men fished and hunted, using palm and cotton to make fish nets and ropes. Bows and arrows were also employed for hunting purposes, and arrowheads with poison were used too.
When Columbus arrived in 1492, there were five known Taino chiefdoms and territories in which tribute was given. These existed in the area formerly known as Hispaniola. Today it is recognized as Haiti and Dominican Republic.
These people were known as the enemy to Carib tribes, historically. This group also had origins in South America and was mostly located in Lesser Antilles. The relationship between these tribes is a topic that many have discussed and studied. For a good portion of the fifteenth century, Taino people were forced to the northeastern area of the Caribbean because of raids by the Carib tribes. Women were held in captivity, which is why many Carib women started to speak Taino.
Spaniards first went to Hispaniola, Cuba and Bahamas around the 1490s. They later arrived in Puerto Rico and on these first excursions, did not bring their women along. Instead, the Taino women were taken in as common-law wives, resulting in many mestizo children. There was a lot of sexual violence against these women by Spanish men, especially in Haiti. It has been said that a notable amount of racial and cultural mixing took place around this time in Cuba as well.
This culture became extinct after settlement by the Spanish colonists. This was primarily caused by infectious disease in which there had been no immunity. The first smallpox epidemic recorded in Hispaniola took place in December of 1518 or January of 1519. In 1518, it killed nearly ninety percent of natives who had not already passed away. Enslavement and warfare by colonists also led to many deaths. By the year 1548, the population of natives had been reduced to less than 500.
There were two main classes in this society: naborias, also called commoners, and nitainos, also known as nobles. Chiefs were responsible for governing these classes and were given the title of caciques. These people may have been female or male, and were known to be advised by healers or priests called bohiques. The bohiques were thought to have special abilities when it came to speaking with the gods and healing. They were often the ones consulted and giving permission for the society to participate in practices.
The culture followed a matrillneal system in terms of kinship, descent and inheritance. When a male heir was not present, inheritance or succession was automatically granted to the eldest child, male or female, of the deceased person's sister. In the society, couples who were recently married lived in the household of a maternal uncle. The belief was that the uncle was more important to the life of a woman than her birth father. Some people, men and women, engaged in polygamy. They could have two or three spouses, and caciques were known to have as many as 30.
Women had a lot of skill in agriculture and society depended on this. Men fished and hunted, using palm and cotton to make fish nets and ropes. Bows and arrows were also employed for hunting purposes, and arrowheads with poison were used too.
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