...Final Research Paper: Tainos, The indigenous people Before the discovery of the new world, it has been known of the various indigenous people that once inhabited our lands. The more popular natives such as the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs have been widely sought out in today’s age, unlike other lesser-known tribes such as the Tainos. Today many tribes have vastly decreased in number and size, but there are those who still practice and familiarize themselves with their heritage. I myself can relate to this small percentage of people, due to the fact I am descendent of the Tainos from Cuba. Hence, I decided to make my research paper based on the history of my heritage: The Tainos. The word Taino derived from the meaning “men of the good.” Based on historical facts, the Tainos were indeed good people. These indigenous people established a culture where the human temperament was kind. Among the Taino at the time of contact, generosity and kindness were governing values in society as well as directed towards an ecological interaction with the natural surroundings. It suggested a lifestyle that tried to feed its entire people, and a spirituality that was valued, through ceremonies. The Taino lived humbly in an abundant place and so their environment was abundant. The Tainos & Ciboneys were related to the cultural Arawak group, who was one of the main indigenous people of South America and the Caribbean. They spoke Taino, which was considered Arawak language...
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...The Taino and the Spanish Cristóbal Colón landed on an unknown island in the Caribbean on October 10, 1492. He planted banners in the beach claiming the land for the Spanish throne. Colón’s perceptions and interactions with the indigenous people, the Taino, sparked the events that lead to the colonization of the Americas. Colón’s perceptions of the Taino were misinterpreted by him. His misconceptions about the Taino were built from a compilation of his own expectations, readings of other explorers, and strong religious influence in Western Europe. The Taino also misunderstood the Spanish as well. Their false beliefs about the Spanish were driven by their religious beliefs as well as their mythology. Through misunderstandings backed by the religions, physical appearances, and the histories of both the Taino and the Spanish, the Taino believed that the Spanish were god-like figures that fell from the sky, while the Taino were perceived by the Spanish as simplistic, uncultured natives, that would be easily converted to Christianity and used as servants (Wilson, Hispanola p. 48-49).1 To better comprehend these events one must look at the preceeding events in both the lives of the Taino and The Spanish. Before the time of Cristóbal Colón, Spain had recently had several encounters with colonization. They had taken over the kingdom of Granada and the Canary Islands. These colonizations gave Spain their model for subsequent colonizations. The dominance of Christianity in the colonizations...
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...which really starts a few years before 1492 and closures a few years after the fact, begins off with a great deal of grave and traditionally successful scene-setting as Columbus' child and biographer, Fernando, reviews his father, the visionary of inconceivable dreams. The myth of Columbus-as-legend propagated in 1492: Conquest of Paradise just on the grounds that I didn't generally think about chronicled correctness. But rather I focused around the moderate moving plot line or the motion picture's sensational enhancements. With such a lazy sympathy toward history, it is not hard to see how 1492: Conquest of Paradise's over-rearrangements of history went unnoticed. It is this present exposition's objective to analyze how the film depicts the Tainos and Columbus' connection to one another, and hope to measure up these depictions to different authentic records to perceive how the motion picture sustains the homogeneous "history of civilization" by keeping Columbus free from any accuse that Spain's colonization involved. The Columbus-as-legend myth remains to a great extent in place in spite of the motion picture's endeavor to make him a more mind boggling character. Examples of historical accuracy "I want to travel all over the seas," the father tells the young Fernando as they remained in attractive profile looking at the western skyline. "I want to get behind the weather."Give or take 45 minutes and a few throne-room scenes later, Columbus sets sail from Spain on the voyage that...
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...are going to go across the globe to the Haitian culture. I was introduced to this culture by having friends that are a part of it since birth. I loved the experience from the food to the distinguishing between the difference of Haitian Americans and Haitians in Transition and American-Haitians. The cultural is similar to a lot of others, but it most definitely has its own identity. Haiti is known from many different aspects of visions on what people may or may not think that it is. Majority may think that Haiti is a country that is mostly made up of poor people and rugged surroundings. It is actually located in the subtropics on the western third of Hispaniola. Haiti name means "mountainous country". It comes from the language of the Taino Indians who lived on the island before European colonization came. (http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Haiti.htm). Around 2000, the African population was around 95%. Many of the wealthy ones would think of themselves as being French and the rest consider themselves as Haitians (http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Haiti.html). The official Language of the Haitians is French. They later began to know how to speak Kreyol. With the adoption of a new constitution in 1987, kreyol was given official status as the primary official language (http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Haiti.html). Who would have ever thought that later in life that English would replace French as becoming the secondary language for Haiti. This is all in thanks to television...
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...culture was created and developed. Together with their continental cousins in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru and elsewhere, the ancient Caribbean communities engaged with and used their environment in dynamic and creative ways. The Caribbean, then, was home to an old and ancient cultural civilisation that continues to shape and inform our present-day understanding and identity. In this chapter we will learn about: 1. The culture of indigenous Caribbean people 2. The Ciboney 3. The Taino 4. The Kalinago 5. Continental cousins: Maya, Aztec, and Inca 1 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-43544-4 - Liberties Lost: Caribbean Indigenous Societies and Slave Systems Hilary McD. Beckles and Verene A. Shepherd Excerpt More information 1 The culture of indigenous Caribbean people It has taken over 7,000 years for a Caribbean civilisation and culture to evolve. Throughout its history different groups of people like the Taino, Kalinago and Maya brought a range of beliefs, practices and traditions to create the foundations of the rich Caribbean culture that still exists today. Researchers generally agree that before 1492 the populations of the Caribbean region were very...
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...by European explorers/ invaders [refer to appearance, religious, beliefs, gender role and political system]? One South American indigenous group is the Taino. The Taino were very religious people, and they had very distinctive theological ideas. They expressed their religious beliefs through complex rituals and ceremonies. At the core of their religious beliefs was the recognition of a spirit world in which both humans and gods were classified and ranked. They called their religious spirits or gods, Zemis. They displayed these gods in the shape of images made from gold, wood, stone and bones. Each person had his or her own highly personal way of worshipping Zemis and Zemi, images reflected the thinking of the individual worshipper. Each person then had his or her Zemi images; sometimes several were carried around the necks. Many of the Zemi images have survived and we can see that they were designed to show the supernatural powers of the gods. For example, some Zemi images were carved with prominent sexual organs to show the fertility power of god; others had large focused eyes to show that this god dealt with the powers of vision and perception. These designs show how the individual worshipper believed that a god had given him or her certain capabilities as a social being. However, the Caribbean Taino world did not develop religious rituals as extensive and complicated as their counterparts on the main land, particularly the Maya, Aztec and...
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...Trecy I. Spencer Dr. Tara Innis FOUN 1101 6 March 2015 All over the Caribbean, the Amerindians have left a rich legacy Forty generations before the arrival of the Columbus, the Caribbean was inhabited by an indigenous people referred to as Amerindians. They were divided into two main groups, the Arawaks (Taino) and the Carib (Kalinago). They had a rich culture and thriving society the evidence of which can be seen all over the Caribbean today. The Arawaks came to the Caribbean from the Orinoco region to Trinidad then spread through the Caribbean. They were of average height, well-shaped and slightly built. They generally wore no clothes except for the married ladies who wore a cotton loin cloth (nagua). It was a common custom for them to do body printing, they would paint their faces, eyes and noses. They wore embellishments made of gold, or an alloy of gold and copper (guanine) in their noses. Tainos, as they called themselves, had organized societies where they lived in villages, carved wood, made pottery, wove cotton and practised religion based on respect for nature and their ancestors which was directed by priests or shamans. They hunted, fished and also planted crops especially cassava in amounts which were adequate for their families. Various types of fish, shellfish, turtle and manatee were consumed. These were captured with nets, hooks made of bones and harpoons; the turtles were caught with a remora (sucker fish). Small animals like the agouti, utia and iguana...
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...TOPIC 1: THE AMERINDIANS Week 1: THE ARAWAKS (Theme One) PAPER: CORE CONTENT----BAHAMIAN-WEST INDIAN HISTORY References: Bahamian History Bk.I by Bain, G. Macmillan,1983 2.Caribbean story Bk. I and II By Claypole, W Longman (new edition) 1987 3. Development to Decolonization by Greenwood R, Macmillan, 1987 4.Caribbean people Bk.I by Lennox Honeychurch. Nelson, 1979 The Migration of the Indians to the New World. It is believed that the people who Columbus saw when he came to the New World were nomadic hunters from central and East Asia who followed the buffalo and deer. When the herds moved, people moved after them because they were dependent on the animals for food. It is therefore suspected that the herds led the people out of Asia by the north-east, across the Bering Strait and into North America. They crossed the sea by an ice –bridge when it was frozen over during the last Ice-Age. They did not know that they were crossing water from one continent to another. Map 1 Amerindians migration from central Asia into North America. The Amerindians settled throughout North America and were the ancestors of the many Red Indian tribes we know today, as well as the Eskimos in the far north. In general, they were nomadic but some followed settled agricultural pursuits and developed civilizations of their own like the Mayas in South America (check internet reference for profile on this group, focus on...
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... a method that is still used today. Another legacy of the Arawaks is bammy, a thick pancake made from cassava and delicious fried with fish. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE WORD ARAWAKS There are many words in the Bahamian language today that originated from the Arawak language. The English translation of the word Arawak is “meal eaters.” NAMES OF THE FOUR TYPES OF ARAWAKS Columbus arrived in the Bahamas in 1492 and by this time the Arawaks were divided into several groups. In the west, the Lucayanos occupied the Bahamas, the Borequinos were in Puerto Rico and the Tainos lived in Cuba, Jamaica and Haiti. Note that "taino" is an Arawak word meaning peace. Barbados and Trinidad in the east was settled by the Ignerians . MAP OF THE CARIBBEAN WITH THE LABLES AND LOCATION OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ARAWAKS.  KEY RED (Lucayans) YELLOW (Tainos) GREEN (Ignerians) BLUE (Borequinos) ABOUT THE LUCAYAN...
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...Black in Latin America: Haiti and the dominican Republic 1) How did Haiti and the Dominican Republic begin? What European countries influenced the development of these nations? - Haiti and the Dominican Republic is an island with two countries of Hispaniola. Haiti makes up 1/3 of the island while the Dominican Republic makes up the rest of the 2/3 of the island. The Dominican Republic contains a mix blood of Afro-European population with the history of Spanish colonialism, while Haiti has African-caribbean population with the background of french colonialism. 2) What role did colonization have in the development of the concept of race in the Dominican Republic? What are the differences between the concept of race in Haiti and the Domincan Republic? What is the meaning of the term "Indio" in the Domincan Republic? How do Indios see the Haitians? - In 1492, Christopher Columbus was a huge influence in the colonization of the Dominican Republic. The hispaniola island originally had the majority of the population of african americans. The colonization had a diversity of european and african mix. The Dominican Republic has more of a lighter skinned population whereas Haiti has more of a darker skinned population. People in the Dominican Republic describe individual races by blanco which means white and indio which means darker skinned. Indios reject Haiti and are in denial of african ancestry. 3) What is the role of the sugar cane industry in both countries? How did...
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...Costumbres en disputa. Los muiscas y el Imperio español en Ubaque, siglo XVI. Santiago Muñoz Arbeláez’s work demonstrates convincingly that there is still much to be learned and written about the Spanish conquest of America. In his desire to deepen our understanding of a particular colonial society the author presents a detailed study of the institution of the encomienda in the Muisca valley of Ubaque in the Andes southeast of Santa Fé de Bogotá. This focused analysis allows him to comment upon the 16th century Spanish imperial project, and to compare that Hispanic context to other Atlantic systems, as he explores the interactions between particular native leaders caciques, the encomenderos who were granted access to tribute in the valley, and the colonial church and state. To achieve this, he focuses upon the colonial reorganization of geographic spaces and landscapes, the evolution of a colonial economy in the valley and its eventual integration into the Atlantic economy, the ways in which the Muisca used the colonial legal system, and the various identities that were created through the conversion project. In focusing on the 16th century and a particular institution and place he engages several literatures to contextualize the interdisciplinary methodologies and approaches he uses to reveal the cultural variables that exerted influence on the elaboration of early colonial society in Nueva Granada. Concentrating upon the functioning of encomienda and using a broad range...
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...traveled to caribbean islands under order from the king and queen. During this time period the islands had natives known as tainos. However, many of this tainos are not alive today as columbus’ men proceeded to the assassination of those who did not obliged to them. I think that the pope is most responsible for the genocide and slavery of the tainos; columbus’ men and the king and queen also share the blame partially. I think the pope holds the most guilt for the genocide and slavery of the native people in america. We can see in document 6 that the pope says the following “ you should want to, and indeed must, introduce the people dwelling in these islands and mainlands to receive the christian religion”. In here it is obvious that the orders from the priest are of high priority as they are said as statements and not opinions. Not just that in the same document he says the following “ we give, grant, and assign to you and your heirs and successors as kings of castile and leon, in perpetuity all islands and mainlands found or yet to be discovered towards the south and west”. These examples show that the pope gives concrete...
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...Questions sur la nature du Document #1 – De quel type de document s’agit-il? La Très brève relation de la destruction des Indes de Bartholomé de las Casas est un livre de récits et de témoignages de l’auteur sur les horreurs qu’il a vu en Amérique dans les premiers moments de la colonie espagnole. #2 – Qui est l’auteur de ce document? L’auteur est Bartholomé de las Casas, un prêtre dominicain espagnol. Il est né en 1484 (probablement le 16 novembre) à Séville. Certains historiens ont affirmé qu’il était né en 1474, mais cela a été démontré comme faux lors de travaux d’archives effectués par des chercheurs dans les années 70. Il a vu, à l’âge de 19 ans, le retour de Christophe Colomb à Séville après son premier voyage. Son père et son oncle sont ensuite parti avec lui pour son deuxième voyage. En 1502, à l’âge de 28 ans, il part pour le Nouveau Monde avec le nouveau gouverneur. Las Casas reçu une encomienda (terres donnés aux colons espagnols) en 1503 et partagea son temps entre être un colon lui-même, et ses fonctions en tant que prêtre ordonné. Suite à un sermon d’Antonio de Montesinos et ses propres études de la bible, il en conclut que les actions commises envers les amérindiens avaient été injustes. Il tenta, en tant qu’aumônier des conquistadors de limiter les massacres et d’améliorer le sort des amérindiens. Il se décida à renoncer à ses esclaves et son encomienda, et il prêcha que les colons fassent de même. Il décida de partir pour l’Espagne avec...
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...COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MAYAN & TAINO CIVILISATIONS RESEARCH TOPIC: ARE THERE ANY SIMILIARITIES OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MAYAN AND TAINO CIVILISATIONS? NAME OF SCHOOL: ASJA GIRLS COLLEGE, BARRACKPORE INTRODUCTION According to archeologists, the Taino people arrived in the Caribbean islands several thousands of years ago from their ancient ancestral homeland in the South American headwaters of the Orinoco River. Based on research conducted on the ancestral people of the region, it was believed that the Tainos were largely influenced by the Mesoamerican peoples who were commonly known as the Mayans of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. Mayan culture was believed to be one of the most advanced of all the ancestral peoples and the Tainos realizing the level of enlightenment of the Mayans and a shared basis of religious and spiritual beliefs adopted aspects of the Mayan culture, spirituality and societal structures that are quite evident when an analysis of the civilizations is conducted. Today modern archeologists are beginning to recognize that the interchange of cultural norms and ideas of the two groups are more extensive than previously thought as they go beyond the superficial aspects such as the hierarchic stratification of society and extends to the intimate connections of spirituality. Figure 1: picture of origins of Mayan Civilization Figure 2: picture of origins of Taino Civilization ORIGINS OF THE MAYAN AND TAINO CIVILISATIONS About 2000 years...
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...in the creation of goods and services. So based on Caribbean history even laborers before the 20th century were taken advantage by their owners to gain benefits. Firstly the exploitation of the Caribbean with reference to the encomienda labor system. This system was created in 1512 by the Spanish to control and regulate American Indian labors (Arawaks/Tainos) during the colonization of the Americas. The word ‘encomienda’ comes from the Spanish word encomendar, "to entrust." The encomienda system was the earliest introduction of inhumane slavery as historians believed as one of the most damaging institutions that the Spanish colonists implemented in the New World. In the Americas, the first encomiendas were handed out by Christopher Columbus and institutionalized by Governor Nicolas de Ovando (1503) in the Caribbean. The Spaniards were referred to as the ecomendero because their responsibility was to ensure the well being of the Tainos by offering protections from pirates, educated about new Spanish language, provide them with food, clothing and instruct them on Christianity. But, alas, these promises were short-lived. The Tainos were supposed to provide their ecomenderos/owners: labor/service gold, silver, metals, crops and other agricultural products in exchange for the protection and introduction of Christianity by...
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