Social Practices: Organization And Features Of The Tainos’

Communities

The Tainos’ Communities

• The Tainos communities were small, although a few had more than a thousand

houses that could be classed as large villages.

• The Tainos established settlements near the coast and rivers.

• These settlements were usually on an elevated piece of land (Hills close to rivers

and seas).

• Their villages were well planned, usually circular in shape, with a ball court or

ceremonial plaza as their central feature (the chief’s house was built next to the

plaza).

• Not only were their villages well planned, their settlements were highly

organized.

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 The Tainos’ Houses

• There are two types of houses that were in the Tainos’ village

o Bohio (Rectangular in shape) – This was the Chief or Cacique’s house.

o Caneye (round in shape) – This was the house for regular Taino families.

• There houses were made in the following way:

o Wooden posts were put in the ground in a circle. Canes were woven

between them and tied creepers.

o The roof was thatched In a conical shape and a hole was left in the top

through which smoke would escape.

o There were no windows and one opening for a door.

o They had little furniture except for hammocks made from cotton in which

they slept on. Some houses which did not have hammocks had cotton mats

which they also slept on.

o Other materials that were used to build their houses were: mud, vine and

thatch palm.

• Their houses were not built as permanent structures since every few years they

moved to new areas for farming.

• Their houses were strongly built to withstand fierce hurricanes.

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 The Tainos’ Additional Furnitures

• They made a basket out of thatch palms.

• They made polished clay pots for cooking and other food vessels.

• They had stools (duhos) and tables which were found, but these were very rare .

• Their tools were very small and were made of stone. They were well shaped and

highly polished.

• They also had a small statue of a Zemi made of wood, stone or cotton. Or a

basket of bones serving as Zemi.

• They had cradles for children .

Social Practices: Roles Of The Taino Men, Women And Children

Role Of Men In The Taino Society

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 • The men in the Tainos’ society were responsible for:

o Building houses and canoes (Canoes were built from silk cotton trees).

o Building weapons such as: flint, arrows and spears.

o Clearing the lands for cultivation.

o Fishing and Hunting .

o War.

Role Of Women In The Taino Society

• The women in the Tainos’ society were responsible for:

o Child rearing.

o House choruses such as: cooking, cleaning and washing.

o Planting the crops (reaping).

o Weaving baskets, mats and hammocks.

Role Of Children In The Taino Society

• The children in the Tainos’ society were responsible for:

o Reaping crops.

o Fetching water.

o Girls helped their mother with the weaving.

o Boys learnt the art of fishing and hunting.

Social Practices: Recreational Activities Or Leisure Time

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 Leisure Time Activities

• Some of the Tainos recreational activities included:

o The smoking of tobacco (Cohiba).

o They played a ball game called Batos (the field was called Batoy).

o Singing and dancing called

o Conch shell for musical instruments.

Social Practices: The Tainos’ Social Structure

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 • Cacique – The leader of the society who had many responsibilities.

• Nitaynos/Nitanos – Nobles and warriors who participated and voted in the

village councils concerning village matters.

• Behique – Guided the village’s activities and performed sacred rituals.

• Naboria – These were the common people in the society.

Social Practices: The Tainos’ Food

Foods Eaten By The Tainos

• They planted: cassava (manioc), maize (corn), sweet potato, cotton,

groundnut and tobacco.

• Meat: fish, crab, lobster, turtles, shell fish, parrots, iguanas, yellow snail

and ducks.

• Special Dishes: pepperpot, cassava bread, barbecue or jerk and cassava

wine.

• Fruits: pineapples, star apples, mammy apple, hog plum, guava and paw paw.

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