TAINOS

Taino Communities

● Villages and Houses: Tainos lived in small villages. Their houses, called bohios, were round, made of wooden posts in a circle, with canes woven between them and tied with creepers. Bohios were strongly built and could withstand hurricanes.

● Leadership: The cacique (chief) had the largest house. The cacique was not just a leader but also a judge who made laws and a priest. The position was hereditary (passed from father to son). Nobles called nitainos assisted the cacique.

● Furniture: Taino houses had minimal furniture, such as stools and hammocks.

● Agriculture: Outside their houses, Tainos cultivated plots of maize (corn), manioc (cassava), sweet potatoes, ground nuts, and other crops.

Taino Religion

● Polytheistic: Tainos believed in many gods.

●Zemis: They made sacred images called zemis which they worshipped.

●Afterlife: They believed in life after death in the coyaba (heaven), a peaceful place free from evil forces.

●Priest: The priest was the only one who could communicate with the gods.

• The priest had the power to communicate with the gods, used large amounts of tobacco to communicate, prayed for good harvests or to rid the sick of evil spirits, and presided over religious ceremonies.

Taino Diet

Main Foods: Tainos ate a lot of fruit and vegetables, fish (hunted and fished), agouti, and iguana meat.

Cooking: They cooked with pepper and salt. They made an intoxicating drink from cassava and maize.

Cassava Preparation: They squeezed the poisonous juice from cassava before making flour.

Farming Expertise: Tainos were expert farmers, planting a wide variety of crops.

Food Preparation: Most foods were stewed, roasted, or baked.

Gender Roles: Taino women were primarily engaged in farming activities.

Taino Recreation

Tobacco: They chewed tobacco and called the plant cohiba. Tobacco also referred to the pipe used to smoke the leaves.

Ball Game: They played a ball game called batos.

Dancing and Singing: Taino women were heavily involved in dancing and singing (areitos). Both men and women danced separately but sometimes danced together