The Taino meaning “the good people” were the original indigenous inhabitants to most of the Caribbean and Florida. Being of Arawak decent they were the main inhabitants of Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas where they where know as the Lucayans.
The Arawak Indians began their migration from South America approximately 1500 years ago. They moved north to the many scattered islands know today as the Caribbean. For over a thousand years the population increased and more islands where inhabited. Tribes formed threw out the Caribbean and took different names such as the Carib, Cibony, Arawak, Lucayan and Ciboney. The different tribes intermarried and traded among themselves mostly living in peace.
The Taino lived in a two class society: nitainos the nobles class and naborias the commoners. The two classes where advised by male chiefs the caciques and priests and healers known as bohiques. Special privilege was bestowed on the chiefs (caciques) like the wearing of golden pendants and sitting on wooded stools so they would be above all that visited them. Polygamy was practiced even among some woman having 2-3 spouses and chiefs having as many as 30 wives. The men where highly skilled at hunting and fishing and woman where excellent at agriculture. The Taino where also master canoe builders with the average canoe holding 10-15 people and the largest holding up to 150. For sport the Indians’ played Batey using a rubber ball in a rectangular or round ball court with 10 to 30 players. The indians where also great artists and their carved Taino symbols are found threw out the islands
The Taino where a very spiritual people and worshiped many spirit or ancestral spirits. The two most prominent spirits where Atabey the sea spirit and goddess of fresh water , fertility and the moon and Yucahu the spirit of cassava the Indians main crop. the minor spirits such as Baibrama assisted in growing Casava and protected from the plants poisonous juice. The male spirit Deminan Caracaracol in which the Taino believed that they had descended was a hero to the people.
Christopher Columbus and his crew where at sea for almost 2 months when they finally spotted land on Oct 12, 1492. Thanking god for their safe voyage, planting flags, and claiming this new world for Spain the white clothed men made a strange site to the Tainos. Never seeing ships or men with beards the natives of 1000 years came out of hiding to greet the gods them with food , drink and gifts. Columbus wrote in his journal that the islands where heavily populated with strong well built and peaceful people, with simple weapons that he felt he could easily handle with 50 men and their weapons. The intentions of the Italian explorer where clear to find gold and to make a name for himself. Columbus spent the next two months looking for the source of gold with not much luck .As he was about to return to Spain his ship the Santa Maria ran a ground and sank leaving 39 of his crew stranded with the Tianos.
The end of a nation.
Columbus on his second voyage finally arrived to pick up his crew that he had left behind, what he found was a burnt out fort and all 39 of his crew missing. He immediately interrogated the local leaders and was told that a leader named Caonabo had made the final decision that the men were not gods but bad men responsible for rape and stealing and they must be killed. Columbus vowed revenge against Caonabo and it was the beginning of the end for the Taino. Columbus immediately put into law that all persons over the age of 14 work in the gold mines. Tainos that refused where murdered if they did not meet the amount of gold per day their hands where cut off. The crew were allowed to take any woman they wanted for whatever purpose. The Indians that had been so kind where murdered , raped, beaten and starved to death. Finally when it was time for Columbus to return to Spain he did not have enough gold to pay for his expedition, so to make more money he captured 500 of the most fit men to sell into slavery in Seville. Over half the Taino men died on the voyage their bodies thrown overboard. Columbus returned to the island two more times and in that 10 year period the Taino race had gone from over 8 million to only 60 thousand due to slavery and disease.