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.
Columbus arrived to the area in the 1490s. During this time, there were approximately five chiefdoms and territories of Taino that tribute was paid. These were located in the area once known as Hispaniola and now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The people were historically known as the enemies of Carib tribes, another group that has its origins in South America and primarily in Lesser Antilles. The relationship between the groups has been a topic of discussion and subject of study. For most of the fifteenth century, Taino tribes were driven to northeastern Caribbean because raids by Carib tribes. Women were even taken captive, which resulted in many Carib women eventually speaking Taino.
Spaniards went to Cuba, Bahamas and Hispaniola before arriving in Puerto Rico earlier. On this first excursion, they did not bring along their women. However, they took Taino women as their wives in common law, producing a lot of mestizo children along the way. There was much sexual violence directed toward these women by the Spaniards in Haiti. It is believed that a lot of cultural and racial mixing also took place in Cuba around this time.
The culture went extinct once the Spanish colonists settled. This was mostly due to the infectious disease that spread and the lack of immunity. The first epidemic with smallpox that was recorded in the region of Hispaniola occurred in December 1518 or 1519 in January. The situation in 1518 killed 90 percent of natives who had not already died. Warfare and enslavement by the colonists was another reason many died. By 1548, native population was below 500.
The society had been divided into classes: nitainos or nobles, and naborias or commoners. These two classes were governed by the chiefs who were called caciques, and could be male or female. Caciques, who were advised by healers or priests called bohiques, were given special privileges. Bohiques were known for their powers to heal and ability to speak with the gods. These were consulted and granted permission to participate in specific tasks.
This culture had a matrillneal system that was used when it came to inheritance, kinship and descent. If the male heir was not present, the succession or inheritance was then granted to the oldest child, be it female or male, of a deceased individual's sister. In society, married couples lived in the home of the maternal uncle because there was belief that the uncle had a more important role in the life of the woman than her biological father. Both men and women were known to have participated in polygamy in this culture. They might have up to three spouses, although caciques were recorded to have as much 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.
Columbus arrived to the area in the 1490s. During this time, there were approximately five chiefdoms and territories of Taino that tribute was paid. These were located in the area once known as Hispaniola and now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The people were historically known as the enemies of Carib tribes, another group that has its origins in South America and primarily in Lesser Antilles. The relationship between the groups has been a topic of discussion and subject of study. For most of the fifteenth century, Taino tribes were driven to northeastern Caribbean because raids by Carib tribes. Women were even taken captive, which resulted in many Carib women eventually speaking Taino.
Spaniards went to Cuba, Bahamas and Hispaniola before arriving in Puerto Rico earlier. On this first excursion, they did not bring along their women. However, they took Taino women as their wives in common law, producing a lot of mestizo children along the way. There was much sexual violence directed toward these women by the Spaniards in Haiti. It is believed that a lot of cultural and racial mixing also took place in Cuba around this time.
The culture went extinct once the Spanish colonists settled. This was mostly due to the infectious disease that spread and the lack of immunity. The first epidemic with smallpox that was recorded in the region of Hispaniola occurred in December 1518 or 1519 in January. The situation in 1518 killed 90 percent of natives who had not already died. Warfare and enslavement by the colonists was another reason many died. By 1548, native population was below 500.
The society had been divided into classes: nitainos or nobles, and naborias or commoners. These two classes were governed by the chiefs who were called caciques, and could be male or female. Caciques, who were advised by healers or priests called bohiques, were given special privileges. Bohiques were known for their powers to heal and ability to speak with the gods. These were consulted and granted permission to participate in specific tasks.
This culture had a matrillneal system that was used when it came to inheritance, kinship and descent. If the male heir was not present, the succession or inheritance was then granted to the oldest child, be it female or male, of a deceased individual's sister. In society, married couples lived in the home of the maternal uncle because there was belief that the uncle had a more important role in the life of the woman than her biological father. Both men and women were known to have participated in polygamy in this culture. They might have up to three spouses, although caciques were recorded to have as much 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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