🌴 Taíno

Who Are the Taíno?

The Taíno were the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean who first encountered Christopher Columbus in 1492. Inhabiting Puerto Rico (Borikén), Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas, the Taíno numbered perhaps one million at contact. Though colonial narratives claimed the Taíno went extinct within decades, DNA studies and cultural research reveal significant Taíno ancestry in modern Caribbean populations. Today, a growing movement of Taíno descendants works to reclaim and revitalize their ancestral heritage, with estimates of up to 35,000 people identifying as Taíno.

Surviving Genocide

The Taíno experienced one of history's most devastating population collapses. Within 50 years of contact, Spanish enslavement, violence, and especially Old World diseases reduced populations by 90% or more. Yet the Taíno did not disappear—they intermarried with Spanish colonizers and African slaves, and cultural practices persisted in rural communities. Modern genetic studies find substantial indigenous ancestry in Caribbean populations, especially in Puerto Rico. The narrative of extinction served colonial ideology; the reality was survival through adaptation.

Cemí and Spirituality

Taíno spirituality centered on cemí—sacred objects and representations of spiritual forces including ancestral spirits, nature deities, and cosmic powers. Carved from stone, wood, bone, and shell, cemí took many forms including the three-pointed stone (trigonolith) now a symbol of Taíno identity. Behiques (shamans) used cohoba—a psychoactive snuff—to communicate with the spirit world. Archaeological sites preserve elaborate ceremonial plazas (batey) used for religious gatherings and the ritual ball game. These spiritual traditions survive in modified forms in contemporary Caribbean folk practices.

Words That Survive

Taíno language lives on in words now common worldwide: hurricane (hurakán), canoe (canoa), hammock (hamaca), barbecue (barabicu), tobacco (tabaco), and many others. Caribbean Spanish retains hundreds of Taíno terms for plants, animals, and geography. These linguistic survivals demonstrate that the Taíno shaped not just Caribbean but global culture. Language revitalization efforts attempt to reconstruct Taíno from colonial records and related Arawakan languages, with some activists learning and teaching reconstructed vocabulary.

Neo-Taíno Revival

Since the 1970s, a Taíno revitalization movement has grown across the Caribbean and diaspora. Organizations in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, New York, and elsewhere research genealogy, reconstruct ceremonies, and advocate for recognition. Participants learn about Taíno history, create cemí, and practice reconstructed rituals. Critics question the authenticity of reconstruction; activists respond that all cultures change and that Caribbean peoples have every right to reclaim suppressed heritage. This movement represents broader indigenous resurgence worldwide.

References

• Rouse, I. (1992). The Tainos: Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbus
• Guitar, L. (2002). Documenting the Myth of Taíno Extinction
• Haslip-Viera, G. (2001). Taíno Revival: Critical Perspectives on Puerto Rican Identity