Before Influence
At the time of Columbus' exploration, the Taino were the most indigenous group of the Caribbean and inhabited what is now Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands {1}. They were sea travelers and focused mainly on agriculture to supply their food. Staple foods included cassava and yams {2}. The Taino eventually became land travelers, spreading across both Central and South America {3}. |
Recreation of a Taino village, Baconao Park, near Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.
[Taino Village. Michal Zalewski. Used under Fair Use.] |
Influence
The Landing of Columbus. Christopher Columbus and others showing objects to Native American men and women on shore.
[Library of Congress. Public Domain.] |
The Spanish had a large influence on the Taino people. During Spanish colonialism, Taino men were taken from their villages to work in gold mines and colonial plantations. Many Taino women married the Spanish conquistadors and created a new mestizo population {5}. The Taino people were also affected by European diseases such as smallpox. Many were also forced into enslavement {4}. There were between 20,000 and 50,000 Tainos living in Puerto RIco when the Spanish arrived in 1508. By 1515, that number was reduced to about 4,000 {3}. |
Present
As of the present, the Taino people are technically considered non-existent. However, there is no evidence that the Taino were completely eliminated {4}. There are groups of people in the Caribbean that have traced their ancestry to the Taino people. These individuals continue to push the culture and traditions of the Tainos. Presently, the Taino are now asking for official recognition as an indigenous people from the Puerto Rico government. They have formed the United Confederation of Taino People and the Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation of Boriken {4}. |
Members of Puerto Rico's Concilio Taino Guatu-Ma-Cu a Boriken presenting a dance ceremony to invite the public to recover the collective spirituality of their Native ancestors.
[Bringing Taino peoples back into History. Teresita Gonzalez-Crespo. 2017. Used under Fair Use.] |
Sources
{1} “Exploring the Early Americas, Columbus and the Taino.” Library of Congress. USA.gov. 17 November 2019. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/exploring-the-early-americas/columbus-and-the-taino.html.
{2} The Contributors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Taino.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. Last Modified January 12, 2015. Accessed December 8, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Taino.
{3} Rob, Abdul. “Taino: Indigenous Caribbeans.” BlackHistoryMonth.org. Last modified December 2, 2016. Accessed November 17, 2019. https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/pre-colonial-history/taino-indigenous-caribbeans/.
{4} "Taino." In International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, edited by William A. Darity, Jr., 2, no. 8 (2008): 260-261. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA. Gale In Context: U.S. History. Accessed November 19, 2019. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3045302687/UHIC?u=butleru&sid=UHIC&xid=6fa400e9.
{5} Poole, Robert M. “What Became of the Taino?” Smithsonian Magazine.com. Last modified October 2011. Accessed November 17, 2019. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/what-became-of-the-taino-73824867/.
{2} The Contributors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Taino.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. Last Modified January 12, 2015. Accessed December 8, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Taino.
{3} Rob, Abdul. “Taino: Indigenous Caribbeans.” BlackHistoryMonth.org. Last modified December 2, 2016. Accessed November 17, 2019. https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/pre-colonial-history/taino-indigenous-caribbeans/.
{4} "Taino." In International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, edited by William A. Darity, Jr., 2, no. 8 (2008): 260-261. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA. Gale In Context: U.S. History. Accessed November 19, 2019. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3045302687/UHIC?u=butleru&sid=UHIC&xid=6fa400e9.
{5} Poole, Robert M. “What Became of the Taino?” Smithsonian Magazine.com. Last modified October 2011. Accessed November 17, 2019. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/what-became-of-the-taino-73824867/.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE TRANSATLANTIC WORLD
Created by Clark, McGannon, Andrew, Bates and Fulton - CC 2019