The Taino People

There were three types of Tainos:

Western Taino who settled- in the Bahamas, Cuba, and Jamaica.
Classic Taino who settled- in Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Turks and
Caicos Islands.
Eastern Taino who settled- in the Virgin Islands and the lesser area of the
Lesser Antilles.
The Taino people who lived in the Bahamas were called Lucayans.
The Ciboney were an older group of people that came before the Tainos
but lived together with the Tainos in places (Cuba, and Hispaniola).
 Appearance of the Tainos
Short, medium height, slightly built, well shaped flat forehead.
Olive brown complexion.
They shaped their skulls up to a peak as this was a mark of
beauty.
They had long straight coarse black hair.
They painted their bodies in black, white and other colours
usually red for ceremonial events, and also for war and to protect
themselves against insect bites.
They also wore a great deal of ornaments in ears and nose.
The Physical Appearance of the Tainos (Taino
Village)
 The Social & Political Structure of the Tainos
The islands that the Tainos inhabited were divided into provinces.
The Chief of the Taino province was called a CACIQUE.
The position was hereditary (from father to son) and sometimes to daughter.
Provinces were made up of villages over which sub-chiefs and HEADMEN ruled
(Nitainos).
Settlements varied in sized. Some were small as 150 people while others were large as
4000 people.
Tainos built houses around the community square and living spaces.
A Taino was called CANEYE. There households frequently were made up of extended
families.
Although a male CACIQUE would have more than one wife (sometimes) polygamy was
not frequently practiced.
The ball court for the Tainos located in the community square was used for recreational
Hierarchal Structure of the Tainos
 Religious Beliefs (Tainos)
The Taino people practiced POLYTHEISTIC RELIGION.
They worshipped many gods and spirits whom they called ‘’ZEMIS’’.
Households usually had small figures of zemis, the more zemis someone had the higher their
social status was.
The chief of the gods among the Tainos was YUCAHU (God of Cassava and the Sea).
And his mother ATABEY (Goddess of River and Fertility).
Taino worshipped zemis by purifying themselves by inducing vomiting a forked tubed and they
sniffed a substance they called COHOBA (crushed seeds of the pipatadenia/cojobona tree- some
sources have it has being ‘’Grounded Tobacco’’ as well as which caused hallucinations).
Taino Shaman (priests) were BOHIQUE.
Large villages had temples for religious purposes, smaller villages met in CACIQUES BOHIO
(his hut) for ceremonies. They believed in COYABA a peaceful place traveled to after death
which is void of calamities.
 Religious Beliefs (Tainos)
Only the BOHIQUE (priest) could communicate with the zemis. Caciques also
served as both administrative and religious leaders allowing them to communicate
with zemis as well his were usually seen as more powerful than all other zemis.
The cacique performed ceremonial duties while seated on a STOOL called DUHO.
This duho was carved out of wood or stone in the shape of an animal.
Their leisure time was occupied with singing, dancing and recited poems which
were called AREYTOS.
They would play a ball game called BATOS. Which was played on a field called the
BATEY.
Also they practiced smoking, chewing or making cigars from COHIBA (Tobacco-
the pipe that they smoked cohiba was called TABACO). They drank alcoholic
drinks called (PIWARI) and (CASSIRI) while celebrating birthdays and any other
ceremony.
 Economic Practices or Patterns of the
Tainos
CONUCO CULTIVATION was used (wide variety of crops grown).
Cassava (MANIOC) was the main crop.
Tainos practiced agriculture along with hunting, gathering and fishing lifestyle.
Tainos were expert merchants and tradesmen and maintained a great level of
inter-island connectivity among the different Arawak groups. Their trading was
considered small and was done by bathering (not using any physical currency).
They were nomadic people and settled into communities just like the Mayans,
however their communities were not as large and advanced as the Mayans.
In doing the CONUCO CULTIVATION practice they had small plots of lands
that were cultivated cassava, maize, sweet potatoes, ground nuts and other crops.
 Artforms, Science and Technology
(Tainos)
The Tainos were not as advanced in mathematics and astronomy
as the Mayans. However they showed ingenuity in their tool
making for hunting, fishing and warfare.
The vocabulary and cooking methods have been passed on even
to this day even though there are not many persons of original
Taino decent in the Caribbean region today.
The Tainos created and used words such as maize, potato,
cassava, tobacco, hammock, hurricane, barbecue, buccaneer and
canoe.