The Taino people preceded the arrival of the Spanish in the area know now as Santo Domingo, on the island of La Hispaniola. The beautiful La Hispaniola is now more commonly known as the island home of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is one of only two islands in the Caribbean that is shared by two countries, making its particular configuration rather unique.
Although it is not known when the Taino arrived at the island of La Hispaniola, their existence is well document by European settlers. Taino settlements were not limited to La Hispaniola, records of their existence can be found all over the Caribbean and South America.
There was a lot of interplay between the island nations and the American mainland. The Tainos are thought to be related to the Arawak people of South American. The Taino are seafaring, pre-Columbian, inhabitants of the Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles and the Bahamas. The language of the Taino people is related to the Arawak family of languages, which exists throughout South America and the Caribbean.
Sadly, by the 18th century, the Taino were on the decline. Like many indigenous peoples of the Caribbean and the Americas, the Taino could not cope with previously unknown diseases, such as smallpox. Integration into the Spanish plantation system further reduced their numbers, as intermarriages with the settlers became common.
At one time, it is estimated, that between 100,000 to 1,000,000 Tainos lived on what is now La Hispaniola. There was also thought to be up to 600,000 Taino in Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Estimates for the entire area range up to the 8,000,000 mark. It is believed that all the Taino died out, but there are many who feel remnants of this once great people continue to endure throughout the Caribbean and the Americas.
Many in Puerto Rico believe that they are the descendants of the Taino, but this is hotly debated as the general consensus is that they are extinct. A popular belief is that there are no more full-blooded Tainos in existence, but rather their closest relatives are a large mestizo population. There is also the very plausible idea that the mestizo, a product of Spanish men marrying Taino women, intermarried with Africans. This is referred to as a tri-racial creole culture. History offers us some background on this as a 1514 census shows that up to 40% of Spanish men in the Dominican Republic had Taino wives. The extinction of the Taino was declared in Spanish documents as early as the 16th century, yet, in the ensuing years, Taino names continued to appear in legal records and wills.
Some anthropologists believe that what we assume are common, traditional practices of the peoples of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba, are really Taino customs. Scientific evidence also suggests that Puerto Ricans' DNA is 15%-20% North American Indian, with most being of Taino origin; mixed in from a period of intermingling a few hundred years ago.
Regardless, there are those that believe that the Taino still exist and are doing whatever they can to preserve what little is known about them. Two organizations, Guaka-ku and Liga Guakia Taina-ke (LGTK), through writing systems they have created, are teaching a new generation about their Taino heritage.
Although it is not known when the Taino arrived at the island of La Hispaniola, their existence is well document by European settlers. Taino settlements were not limited to La Hispaniola, records of their existence can be found all over the Caribbean and South America.
There was a lot of interplay between the island nations and the American mainland. The Tainos are thought to be related to the Arawak people of South American. The Taino are seafaring, pre-Columbian, inhabitants of the Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles and the Bahamas. The language of the Taino people is related to the Arawak family of languages, which exists throughout South America and the Caribbean.
Sadly, by the 18th century, the Taino were on the decline. Like many indigenous peoples of the Caribbean and the Americas, the Taino could not cope with previously unknown diseases, such as smallpox. Integration into the Spanish plantation system further reduced their numbers, as intermarriages with the settlers became common.
At one time, it is estimated, that between 100,000 to 1,000,000 Tainos lived on what is now La Hispaniola. There was also thought to be up to 600,000 Taino in Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Estimates for the entire area range up to the 8,000,000 mark. It is believed that all the Taino died out, but there are many who feel remnants of this once great people continue to endure throughout the Caribbean and the Americas.
Many in Puerto Rico believe that they are the descendants of the Taino, but this is hotly debated as the general consensus is that they are extinct. A popular belief is that there are no more full-blooded Tainos in existence, but rather their closest relatives are a large mestizo population. There is also the very plausible idea that the mestizo, a product of Spanish men marrying Taino women, intermarried with Africans. This is referred to as a tri-racial creole culture. History offers us some background on this as a 1514 census shows that up to 40% of Spanish men in the Dominican Republic had Taino wives. The extinction of the Taino was declared in Spanish documents as early as the 16th century, yet, in the ensuing years, Taino names continued to appear in legal records and wills.
Some anthropologists believe that what we assume are common, traditional practices of the peoples of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba, are really Taino customs. Scientific evidence also suggests that Puerto Ricans' DNA is 15%-20% North American Indian, with most being of Taino origin; mixed in from a period of intermingling a few hundred years ago.
Regardless, there are those that believe that the Taino still exist and are doing whatever they can to preserve what little is known about them. Two organizations, Guaka-ku and Liga Guakia Taina-ke (LGTK), through writing systems they have created, are teaching a new generation about their Taino heritage.
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