UCTP Taino News "Did You Know" Files

The Names of Taíno Women Survive in the Colonial Record

2026-09-04T02:20:31.732-04:00

Their names survive in the colonial record. Their legacy survives in Taíno women today.

Did You Know: Early colonial records from Borikén preserve the personal names of Taíno women whose individual identities are often overlooked in generalized histories of early Spanish colonial period. Historian Francisco Moscoso highlights a June 26, 1516 relación de cacona—a record of clothing provided as payment to Taíno people subjected to the encomienda system at the Real Hacienda de Toa. Among the women named in that document were Yayguana, Ataguas, Ata, Canaca, Caguama, and Buriquena, along with many others. Moscoso traces the record to Aurelio Tanodi’s compilation of documents from Puerto Rico’s Royal Treasury.

These women were not anonymous figures living on the margins of history. They belonged to particular communities, had families, names, identities, and lived through the violent transformation of Borikén under Spanish colonization. Other records preserve additional Taíno women by name. Gu'ahia Taíno, drawing on the work of Puerto Rican scholar Luis Hernández Aquino, also identifies three Indigenous women, Aldonza Ata, Catalina Ata, and Teresa Ata during this same time period. They too were subjected to the encomienda of Kasike Aramana.

On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls, observed each September 5, the United Confederation of Taíno People remembers not only celebrated women leaders such as Anakaona, but also the many Taíno women whose lives remain only partially visible in the colonial record. The survival of names such as Yayguana, Ataguas, Canaca, Caguama, Buriquena, Aldonza Ata, Catalina Ata, and Teresa Ata reminds us that our ancestors were not simply categories in colonial documents—they were individual Indigenous women whose lives formed part of the continuing history of our Peoples. The United Nations established September 5 as the annual International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls to recognize the leadership, knowledge, contributions, and rights of Indigenous women and girls worldwide.

References

Francisco Moscoso. “Los cacicazgos taínos y la historia antigua de Puerto Rico.” 80grados+, July 25, 2025. Moscoso cites the 1516 Toa record and identifies the women Yayguana, Ataguas, Ata, Canaca, Caguama, and Buriquena.

Aurelio Tanodi, comp. Documentos de la Real Hacienda de Puerto Rico. Volumen I: 1510–1519. See pp. 104–107, cited by Moscoso as the source for the June 26, 1516 relación de cacona.

Luis Hernández Aquino. Diccionario de voces indígenas de Puerto Rico. 2nd ed. Río Piedras: Editorial Cultural, 1977. Moscoso includes the work in his bibliography, and Gu'ahia Taíno draws on Hernández Aquino for the colonial record of Aldonza, Catalina, and Teresa Ata.

Roberto Múkaro Agueibaná Borrero. Gu'ahia Taíno: We Speak Taíno — A Classic Taíno Dictionary and Grammar Guide, Vol. 1. United Confederation of Taíno People, 2023.

Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean Constructed Roads and Causeways

2026-08-05T14:51:00.000-04:00

Stone structures at the Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes, Ponce, Borikén. Tibes preserves plazas, stone alignments, constructed walks, and other features that demonstrate a long Indigenous tradition of shaping and organizing ceremonial landscapes. Photo: Ligocsicnarf89 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Did You Know: Archaeological sites across the Caribbean preserve evidence that Indigenous Peoples constructed roads, causeways, and other prepared pathways. At Chacuey in Kiskeia (Dominican Republic), archaeologists documented parallel stone-cobble causeways associated with a major ceremonial complex that extended toward the Río Chacuey for more than 600 meters. In Borikén (Puerto Rico), constructed roads and causeways have also been documented at Indigenous ceremonial centers, including Caguana, Tibes, and other sites.

The precise purposes of these structures remain open to interpretation. Some may have facilitated movement between important places, while others may have had ceremonial or political functions—or served several purposes at once. What the archaeological evidence makes clear is that the Indigenous landscape encountered by Europeans was not simply a collection of isolated iukaieke (yucayeque). Taíno Peoples shaped and organized the landscapes around their settlements, rivers, ceremonial centers, and other important places.

Background Sources:
Samuel M. Wilson, The Indigenous People of the Caribbean / archaeological discussion of Chacuey
Miguel Rodríguez, archaeological studies of Indigenous ceremonial centers in Borikén
Irving Rouse, The Tainos: Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbus
Sebastián Robiou Lamarche, Taínos y Caribes: Las culturas aborígenes antillanas

Ancient DNA and Taíno Continuity

2019-12-21T20:48:00.000-04:00

The genetic legacy of the Taíno. This analysis compares the Indigenous component identified in present-day Puerto Rican genomes with the approximately 1,000-year-old genome of a Lucayan Taíno woman from Preacher’s Cave, Eleuthera, Bahamas. The results demonstrate an element of biological continuity between precolonial Taíno ancestors and present-day Caribbean people. Source: Schroeder et al. (2018), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Figure 3. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Did You Know: Scientists recovered a complete genome from a Lucayan Taíno woman who lived approximately 1,000 years ago? Her remains were excavated at Preacher’s Cave on Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Researchers obtained the ancient DNA from a tooth directly dated to approximately 776–992 CE. Strontium-isotope analysis indicated that she had grown up locally in the Bahamas.

The genome showed that this Lucayan Taíno ancestor was most closely related to present-day Arawakan-speaking Peoples from the Amazon and Orinoco regions of northern South America. This finding supports archaeological and linguistic evidence connecting the ancestors of Taíno Peoples with Indigenous communities of South America.

Researchers also compared her genome with those of present-day Caribbean people. They found that Indigenous components within some contemporary Caribbean genomes are closely related to the ancient Lucayan Taíno genome. The study therefore documented biological continuity between precolonial Taíno ancestors and people living in the Caribbean today—contradicting the long-promoted claim that Taíno Peoples simply became extinct.

Genetic ancestry, however, is only one form of evidence. Taíno identity and belonging cannot be determined by a commercial DNA test or genetic percentage alone. Kinship, community relationships, culture, history, language, and collective self-identification remain essential elements of Indigenous peoplehood.

References

Schroeder, H., Sikora, M., Gopalakrishnan, S., et al. (2018). Origins and genetic legacies of the Caribbean Taíno. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(10), 2341–2346. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1716839115

Fernandes, D. M., Sirak, K. A., Ringbauer, H., et al. (2021). A genetic history of the pre-contact Caribbean. Nature, 590, 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-03053-2

Dogs in the Indigenous Caribbean

2019-11-18T20:41:00.000-04:00

Ritual burial of a dog (aon), Punta Candelero, Humacao, Puerto Rico, approximately 250 BCE–400 CE, Huecoid tradition. Collection of the Museo y Centro de Estudios Humanísticos Dra. Josefina Camacho de la Nuez, Universidad Ana G. Méndez. Image reproduced for nonprofit educational commentary under fair use. View the original museum record.

Did You Know: Dogs lived alongside Indigenous Peoples in the Caribbean long before European colonization? Archaeologists have recovered the remains of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) from precolonial sites throughout the region. These remains have been found in refuse deposits, placed in formal burials, and fashioned into modified objects. These different contexts suggest that dogs held varied and sometimes culturally significant roles within Indigenous Caribbean communities including for the Taíno.

Researchers examined dog remains from sixteen precolonial archaeological sites using measurements and isotope analysis. Strontium and oxygen isotopes preserved in tooth enamel helped investigators distinguish locally raised dogs from dogs that had come from elsewhere. The presence of nonlocal dogs indicates that some were transported between communities—most likely aboard kanoa as people traveled and exchanged goods throughout the islands.

The study also found that these dogs consumed a considerable amount of plant-based food. This pattern is consistent with people intentionally feeding them portions of the foods prepared within their communities. The archaeological evidence therefore presents dogs not simply as wild animals living near settlements, but as companions whose lives were closely connected with Indigenous Caribbean households, travel, and cultural practices. Two Taíno terms for dogs include aon and anli.

References

Shev, G. T., Laffoon, J. E., Grouard, S., & Hofman, C. L. (2020). An isotopic and morphometric examination of island dogs (Canis familiaris): Comparing dietary and mobility patterns in the precolumbian Caribbean. Latin American Antiquity, 31(3), 632–638. https://doi.org/10.1017/laq.2020.58

Columbus and the Enslavement of Taíno People

2019-10-12T13:30:00.040-04:00

Did You Know: On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus decided to take six Taíno people with him upon his return back to Spain. This act was the root of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In a 1493 letter written to Ferdinand and Isabella, Columbus offered his patrons "slaves as many as they shall order be shipped" in exchange for the ships and resources needed for a second voyage. When he returned to the Caribbean, in February 1495, Columbus took by force 1600 Taíno to be enslaved. 560 slaves were shipped to Spain; 200 died en route, probably of disease and or abuse. After legal proceedings, the survivors were released and ordered to be shipped home. Others of the 1600 who were enslaved by Columbus and his men were distributed among the Spanish-colonial settlers. - © 2019 UCTP Taíno News

References

The Diario of Christopher Columbus's first voyage to America, 1492-1493. (1989). University of Oklahoma Press.

James C. Clark of The Sentinel Staff. (2018, October 6). How Columbus created slave trade that changed world's economy. OrlandoSentinel.com. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1992-05-17-9205160196-story.html

Did You Know: A Taíno Agricultural Ceremony Was Mistaken for Desecration?

2019-09-02T19:36:00.000-04:00

Did You Know: One of the earliest Spanish accounts from Kiskeia records an incident in which Taíno men took Christian religious images from a chapel and buried them in a cultivated field, declaring that the crops would now grow well and abundantly. Friar Ramón Pané, writing in the late fifteenth century, interpreted their actions through a Christian colonial worldview, describing them as an intentional desecration and mockery of the images. Yet Pané's own account preserves an important detail: the Taíno explicitly connected the burial of the images with the fertility and productivity of the cultivated field.

Seen from a Taíno cultural perspective, the incident tells a very different story. Taíno spiritual and agricultural practices were deeply interconnected, and semí (cemí) could embody spiritual powers associated with fertility, food production, and the forces sustaining life. Contemporary Taíno leaders rebuke claims of desecration. Several modern scholars have also questioned the colonial interpretation of the incident as simple "desecration." The Christian images would have been understood within an existing Taíno spiritual framework and treated as powerful sacred objects. Their potency could be placed into relationship with the cultivated earth. In other words, actions the Spanish interpreted as contempt would have represented an Indigenous attempt to understand—or even test and incorporate—the spiritual power claimed for these unfamiliar sacred images.

The consequences demonstrate how deadly such cultural misunderstandings could become under colonial rule. Pané reports that after the incident was brought to Bartolomé Colón, acting as governor in his brother Christopher's absence, proceedings were brought against those responsible and the Taíno men were publicly burned alive. Their deaths remind us why early colonial chronicles must be read critically: European writers recorded invaluable information about Taíno life, but they also interpreted what they witnessed through their own religious beliefs, political interests, and cultural assumptions. Recovering Taíno history therefore requires us not only to read what the chroniclers wrote, but also to examine the Indigenous meanings that may still be visible beneath their interpretations.

References:

Ramón Pané. An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians. Written ca. 1498. New edition with introductory study, notes, and appendices by José Juan Arrom; translated by Susan C. Griswold. Duke University Press, 1999.

José Juan Arrom, ed. Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios: el primer tratado escrito en América. Based on the account of Fray Ramón Pané. [For the English scholarly edition: Duke University Press, 1999.]

Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo. Cave of the Jagua: The Mythological World of the Taínos. University of New Mexico Press, 1988. The National Park Service's historical documentation specifically cites Stevens-Arroyo's analysis of this episode, noting that the Taíno treated the Catholic images as cemíes and that the Spanish interpreted this as desecration.

Areito is Taíno

2019-08-17T12:25:00.000-04:00

Members of the Kasibahagua Taíno Cultural Society shared a contemporary areito

at the 2019 Bear Mountain Pow Wow in New York.

Did You Know: The term areito (also spelled areyto) is a Taíno word that describes a socio-ceremonial blend of dance, music, song, and poetry. The areito played a significant role in the social, political, and religious life of the Taíno People. In the 15th and early 16th century, Spanish chroniclers in the Caribbean noted that the arieto were presented in the main plaza of the iukaieke (also spelled yucayeque) or village. Sometimes areito were conducted in a designated area in front of the home of a kasike or chieftain. These plazas or ceremonial grounds called batei had their borders defined by standing stones, often decorated or carved with various images, or by earthen embankments.

Dances during an areito could vary a great deal. Sometimes there were step-patterns moving along specific pathways. Walking patterns that went no more than a step or two in either direction were also used. According to a few of the descriptions given by Spanish chroniclers, some dances were comparable to what would be called line dances today. All the dances were lead by a tekina (a guide, teacher or dance master) of either sex who would use a call and response pattern of song and steps. Areito leaders determined the steps, words, rhythm, energy, tone, and pitch of a dance sequence. The dances could be based on ancient clearly choreographed steps or new choreography could be presented in this evolving art form.

- © 2019 UCTP Taíno News

References

Maestri, N. Areitos: Ancient Caribbean Taíno Dancing and Singing Ceremonies, ThoughtCo., https://www.thoughtco.com/areitos-ceremony-169589

Atkinson L-G. 2006. The Earliest Inhabitants: The Dynamics of the Jamaican Taino. Kingston, Jamaica: University of West Indies Press.

León T. 2016. Polyrhythmia in the Music of Cuba. Polyrhythmia in the Music of Cuba. Diagonal: An Ibero-American Music Review 1(2).

Saunders NJ. 2005. The Peoples of the Caribbean. An Encyclopedia of Archaeology and Traditional Culture. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. Scolieri PA. 2013. On the Areito: Discovering Dance in the New World. Dancing the New World: Aztecs, Spaniards, and the Choreography of Conquest. University of Texas Press: Austin. p 24-43.

Simmons ML. 1960. Pre-Conquest Narrative Songs in Spanish America. The Journal of American Folklore 73(288):103-111.

Thompson D. 1983. Music Research in Puerto Rico. College Music Symposium 23(1):81-96.

Thompson D. 1993. The "Cronistas de Indias" Revisited: Historical Reports, Archeological Evidence, and Literary and Artistic Traces of Indigenous Music and Dance in the Greater Antilles at the Time of the "Conquista". Latin American Music Review / Revista de Música Latinoamericana 14(2):181-201.

Wilson SC. 2007. The Archaeology of the Caribbean. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Caribbean Jade

2019-07-12T11:14:00.004-04:00

Did You Know: Jade is a generic term often used to describe various greenish gemstones found around the Greater Caribbean region, from the islands to the Caribbean-coastal areas of the continent. Archeologists, gemologists and others note there is a distinction between what is termed “true jade” and other stones, sometimes termed “social jade.” True jade includes nephrite and jadeite, which is harder and denser. Jadeite has a range of colors, but nephrite is found in cream and green colors. A related term jadeitite refers to rocks that consist mostly of jadeite, which is used as a carving material. Social jade varies among serpentine, quartz, agates, turquoise, and radiolarian limestone. In the Antilles, these stones were used by the Indigenous Peoples of the region to produce and or distribute adornments and tools (utilitarian and ceremonial) that had temporal and spiritual significance. While jadeite items are relatively commonly known, serpentine items seem to be the most widely distributed. The lack of documented jadeitite quarries on the islands indicates that it was a valued trade item in ancient times from island to island and or from the continent to the islands. - © 2019 UCTP Taíno News

References

What is the Caribbean? An Archaeological Perspective, Reniel Rodriguez Ramos, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Utuado Campus, Caribbean Journal of Archaeology, 2010

What is Jade?, Hobart King, Ph.D., Geology.com

Luku-Kairi Is Not a Recorded Taíno Term

2019-06-12T18:02:00.000-04:00

American ethnologist and philologist, Daniel G. Brinton

Did You Know: The expression luku-kairi, sometimes written luku-cairi, is a nineteenth-century linguistic reconstruction rather than a self-designation documented from the Indigenous Peoples of the Bahamas during the early colonial period. Unlike Taíno, a term documented in early colonial sources as having been spoken by Caribbean Indigenous Peoples, luku-kairi does not appear in any known fifteenth- or sixteenth-century account as an Indigenous Caribbean expression or self-designation.

The earliest identified published explanation of this construction appears in The Arawak Language of Guiana in Its Linguistic and Ethnological Relations (1871), written by the American ethnologist and philologist Daniel Garrison Brinton. Seeking to explain the Spanish name Lucayos, Brinton compared it with vocabulary from the Arawak language of Guiana. He proposed that Lucayos developed from lukku, meaning “man,” and kairi, meaning “island.” Brinton combined these words as lukku kairi—“men of the islands”—which he stated was shortened to lukkairi and later rendered by Europeans as Lucayos.

Brinton did not, however, cite an early colonial document in which an Indigenous Caribbean speaker used lukku kairi as the name of the Bahamian people. His explanation was based on a retrospective comparison with related mainland Arawakan vocabulary. It should therefore be understood as Brinton’s proposed etymology—not as a historically recorded Taíno phrase.

Bartolomé de las Casas offered a different account in Historia de las Indias. Referring to the people and islands commonly called Lucayos, he wrote “Lucayos, o por mejor decir Yucayos”—“Lucayos, or more properly Yucayos.” Other early spellings also included forms such as Yucayas. These records demonstrate that Yucayo and Yucayas belong to the early colonial documentary tradition, whereas luku-kairi first appears as a much later scholarly reconstruction.

The distinction is important: linguistic comparisons can help researchers explore possible relationships among languages, but a reconstructed expression should not be presented as a historically documented Taíno self-designation.

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References:

Brinton, D. G. (1871). The Arawak language of Guiana in its linguistic and ethnological relations. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 14(3), 427–444.

Las Casas, B. de. (1875). Historia de las Indias (Vol. 3). Imprenta de Miguel Ginesta. (Original work written ca. 1527–1561)

Ramos y Duarte, F. (1897). Estudio filológico del nombre “Lucayo” ó “Yucayo.” In Actas del XI Congreso Internacional de Americanistas (pp. 535–540). Agencia Tipográfica de F. Díaz de León

Did You Know: Taíno Warriors Used Pepper as a Defensive Weapon

2019-05-12T20:00:00.000-04:00

Did You Know: During the early Spanish invasion of the Caribbean, Taíno resistance included innovative defensive strategies using ahí (ají, axí), the Indigenous Caribbean pepper. Puerto Rican archaeologist Ricardo E. Alegría documented historical accounts describing the use of ahí to produce irritating dust or smoke against Spanish forces. One account cited by Alegría comes from Juan de Castellanos, who described the Taíno attack associated with the destruction of the Spanish settlement of La Navidad on the island of Española. According to the account, gourds were filled with a mixture of ashes and ground ahí and thrown into the Spanish position, where they broke apart and released clouds of irritating powder that caused the occupants to sneeze and become disoriented.

Ají was already an important part of Taíno agriculture and foodways. Bartolomé de las Casas recorded that Taíno people regularly seasoned their foods with ahí and described several varieties, including especially potent forms. Yet historical accounts indicate that Taíno people also understood how the irritating properties of ahí could be adapted for defense. In addition to ground ahí dispersed from gourds, historical scholarship describes the burning of ahí and other plant materials to create irritating smoke capable of affecting the eyes and breathing of invading forces.

These accounts challenge stereotypes that portray Taíno resistance to Spanish conquest as technologically simple or ineffective. Taíno Peoples drew upon generations of knowledge of Caribbean plants and their properties, adapting familiar materials to confront an unprecedented military invasion. What might today be compared to an early form of “pepper gas” or a “pepper bomb” was rooted not in European military technology, but in Indigenous knowledge of the environment. The historical record therefore provides another example of Taíno ingenuity, resistance, and the strategic application of traditional knowledge during the first decades of European colonization.

Sources:

Alegría, Ricardo E. “El uso de gases nocivos como arma bélica por los indios taínos.”

Castellanos, Juan de. Elegías de varones ilustres de Indias, Elegía II, “A la muerte del Capitán Rodrigo de Arana.”

Las Casas, Bartolomé de. Apologética Historia Sumaria, discussion of axí and Taíno foodways.

Hagua (jagua, xagua) is Taíno

2019-04-02T16:49:00.000-04:00

Did You Know: The hagua (jagua, xagua), whose scientific name is Genipa Americana L., is both a tropical tree and a fruit that is found throughout the Caribbean, as well as Central and South America. The fruit of the hagua (pronounced "hah-gooah") have a crown-shaped structure at the tip and turns yellow when ripe. The fruit ranges in size from that of a kiwi to a melon and also has a strange feature: they can get dry, but do not rot. Scientists have affirmed that hagua are a natural source of iron, riboflavin and have anti-bacterial substances. In traditional and homeopathic medicine, hagua is a diuretic and recommend to treat scurvy, venereal ulcers, dropsy, and bronchitis. Local knowledge also affirms the unripe fruit is an astringent, anti-inflammatory and anti-anemic. The root of the hagua has purgative and laxative effects, while a decoction from the bark is used to treat scorbutic ulcers and venereal diseases, in addition to combating anemia and regurgitations of the liver and spleen. The unripe fruit of the hagua also yields a liquid, which is traditionally used as a dye for skin painting, tattoos, and insect repellent or for protection from the sun. The juice of the unripe hagua is colorless, but oxidizes on exposure to the air and gradually turns a black/blue color. This juice is commonly used to dye clothing, hammocks, utensils, and basket making materials or for painting the body during ceremonies and celebrations.

- © 2019 UCTP Taino News

References

Fabius, C. (2009). Jagua: A journey into body art from the Amazon. Kouraj Press.

Groning, K. (1998). Decorated skin: A world survey of body art. Thames & Hudson.

Soraia and Koaibei Are Not the Same Place

2019-02-20T15:40:00.000-04:00

A replica by the Hermanos Guillen attributed or identified

as Maketaurie Guaiaba, the Kasike of Koaibei.

Did You Know: The earliest surviving written account of Taíno beliefs on the "afterlife" identifies Koaibei—not Soraia—as the dwelling place of the departed? In Chapter XII of Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios, Ramón Pané states that the dead go to a place he recorded as Coaibai. He further describes it as the “house and dwelling place of the dead,” governed by Maquetaurie Guayaba. In the modern Spanish rendering edited by José Juan Arrom, Soraia—recorded in the source as Soraya—identifies the extremity or part of the island where Koaibei was believed to be located; it is not presented as the final destination of the dead.

Confusion between the two names may result partly from the complicated transmission of Pané’s work. His original Spanish manuscript has not survived; the account was preserved through an Italian translation incorporated into Fernando Colón’s history and first printed in Venice in 1571. Later summaries have sometimes changed the wording to place Koaibei “on the island of Soraia,” while others have treated Soraia itself as the Taíno afterlife. Whatever uncertainty may surround Soraia’s precise geography, the central statement remains clear: Pané recorded Koaibei as the place to which the dead go. He did not describe Soraia as replacing Koaibei or as the final destination of a spiritual journey.

Taíno language research presented in Gu’ahia Taíno offers additional Indigenous insight into the restored term Koaibei: koai signifies “joy” or “joyful,” while bei signifies “existence” or “being.” Koaibei may therefore be understood as “joyful existence” or “joyful being.” Because Pané did not translate the name, this interpretation should be credited to contemporary Taíno language research rather than attributed to the friar. Taken together, the historical account and the Gu’ahia Taíno analysis support remembering Koaibei as the Taíno dwelling of the departed—a continued and joyful existence beyond physical life.

References

Ramón Pané, Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios, Chapter XII, edited by José Juan Arrom: The place to which the dead go.
Ramón Pané, Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios, Chapter XIII: The appearance and activities of the departed.
Fernando Colón, Historie del Signor D. Fernando Colombo, Chapter LXI: Italian textual tradition preserving Pané’s account.
José Juan Arrom, ed., Ramón Pané, Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios, 3rd ed. (Mexico City: Siglo XXI Editores, 1978): Bibliographic record.
Múkaro Agüeibaná Borrero, Gu’ahia Taíno: linguistic analysis of koai, bei, and Koaibei.

Editorial note: UCTP uses the standardized spelling Soraia; historical sources may record the name as Soraya. UCTP also uses the standardized spelling Koaibei; historical sources may record the name as Coaybay or other similar forms.

El Grito de Koaiuko (Coayuco)

2019-01-03T17:14:00.002-04:00

Contemporary representations of Taíno kasike Mabodamaka and Agueibaná "el Bravo" in Borikén (Puerto Rico)

Did You Know: In Borikén (Puerto Rico), January 3rd is commemorated as the anniversary of “El Grito de Koaiuko (Coayuco)” also known as the Taíno Rebellion of 1511. Two of the main leaders or kasike (chief/s) associated in this uprising were Agüeibaná "el Bravo" and Mabodamaka. According to local history, the kasike (chieftain) Agüeibaná "el Bravo" convened a council with the regional chiefs where they decided to launch a military offensive against the Spanish invaders. An associated attack against Villa Sotomayor was organized and most of the Spaniards who had settled there were killed. Other offensives were not as successful and both Agüeibaná "el Bravo" and Mabodamaka were reported to have been killed by the Spaniards during other battles taking place in Aimako (Aymaco) and Iagüesa (Yagüeza/Yagüeca).

- © 2019 UCTP Taino News

References

Ponce de León y el descubrimiento de Puerto Rico: El pueblo taíno y su primer choque con los conquistadores. Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe.

Salvador, E. (2003). Agüeybaná II: El bravo [Encyclopedia entry]. Ediciones Puerto.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)

2018-09-13T17:17:00.000-04:00

Photo taken right after the adoption of the Declaration on 13 September 2007

Did You Know: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was adopted by the General Assembly on Thursday, 13 September 2007, by a majority of 144 states in favor, 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States). The Declaration is the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous Peoples of the world and it elaborates on existing human rights standards and fundamental freedoms as they apply to the specific situation of Indigenous Peoples. The United Confederation of Taíno People (UCTP) was among those Indigenous Peoples organizations consistently advocating for the adoption of the Declaration and was a regional leader galvanizing support from the Caribbean States and Caribbean Indigenous Peoples communities, groups, and organizations. UCTP President, R. Múkaro Agueibaná Borrero was in attendance at the United Nations General Assembly Hall the day of the historic adoption.

- © 2018 UCTP Taíno News

References

Assembly, U. N. G. (2007). United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly (A/RES/61/295). United Nations.

Charters, C., & Stavenhagen, R. (Eds.). (2009). Making the declaration work: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. IWGIA.

UN International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

2018-08-09T13:14:00.000-04:00

Roberto Múkaro Borrero, holding the
microphone serves as master of ceremonies
for the UN International Day
of the World's Indigenous Peoples
at UN Headquarters in 1998.
Photo: Holder Thoss

DID YOU KNOW: On 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided, in its resolution 49/214, that the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples shall be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the day of the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations.

The first official observance took place in 1995 at United Nations Headquarters in NY. A Taíno, Roberto Múkaro Borrero, served as the first Master of Ceremonies for the event, representing “El Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos.”

Borrero, filmmaker Alex Zacarias, the Kasibahagua Taíno Cultural Society and other Taíno have since continued to participate in subsequent commemorations of the Day for over 20 years helping to raise the visibility of Taíno and other Caribbean Indigenous Peoples at the international level.

References

United Nations General Assembly. (1994). International Decade of the World's Indigenous People: Resolution / adopted by the General Assembly, 23 December 1994, A/RES/49/214.

United Nations Department of Public Information. (1997). United Nations to observe International day of world's indigenous people, 7-8 August [Press Release No. HR/4322].

Guaiaba is Taino

2017-03-01T00:18:00.000-04:00

Did You Know:
Guaiaba (Guayaba) is the Taíno word for the guava fruit, which is native to the Caribbean, Central, and South America. The fruit is edible, having a sweet soft interior with a thin delicate rind. The rind varies in color from green to light green or yellow in its mature or "ready to eat" state. When eating guava fruit two things you will notice is that it has small hard seeds as you bite into it as well as a distinctive aroma. Guava is said to be a good source of Vitamins A, B, and C and is a common flavor of juices and desserts in the Caribbean. Guaiaba leaves have been used as a remedy for diarrhea and the leaves are considered to have antimicrobial properties. The same anti-diarrheal substances which are useful in "folk medicine" may also cause constipation in the case of consumption of large amounts of guava fruit. In Cuba, guaiaba leaves are sometimes used in barbecues providing a savory, smoked flavor to the meat. According to Taino oral tradition, the chief or guardian of Koaibei (Coaybey), the Taino spirit world, is named Maketaurie Guaiaba. Taino oral tradition also states that ancestral spirits or hupia leave Koaibei in the evenings, sometimes taking the form of bats who feed on the guaiaba fruit.

- © 2017 UCTP Taino News

References

Morton, J. F. (1987). Fruits of Warm Climates. Julia F. Morton.

Arrom, J. J. (1989). Mitología y artes etnología taínas [Taíno Mythology and Arts Ethnology]. Ediciones Panhouse.

The Koaiuko (Coayuco) River

2017-01-03T13:47:00.007-04:00

Did You Know: The Rio Yauco in Borikén (Puerto Rico) was originally called the Koaiuko (Coayuco). It was at the mouth of this river that the first recorded battle against the Spaniards was undertaken by Borikua Taíno in 1511 during the first week of January. Many historians state the exact day of the battle was January 3rd. The Spanish chronicler Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo (1478-1557), in his book "Historia General de las Indias", wrote that "the Christians and the Indians fought the first battle in the land of Agüeybaná at the mouth of the Coayuco River." This reference affirms that the location of the Agüeibaná clan was in the area of the contemporary town of Guayanilla. Local historians have noted that during that time the Rio Yauco flowed into Ventana Beach, in the Boca de Guayanilla neighborhood.

- © 2017 UCTP Taino News

References

Brau, S. (1904). Historia de Puerto Rico. D. Appleton y Compañía.

Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, G. (1851). Historia general y natural de las Indias, islas y tierra-firme del mar océano (J. Amador de los Ríos, Ed.) (Vol. 1). Imprenta de la Real Academia de la Historia. (Original work published 1535)

Múkaro is Taino

2014-12-10T15:53:00.000-04:00

Múcaro comun, Puerto Rican Screech owl (Megascops nudipes)

Did You Know: In the ancient language of the indigenous Taino People, the term múkaro (múcaro) identified several species of owl including the Puerto Rican Screech owl (Megascops nudipes) and the Short-eared owl (Múcaro Real - Asio flammeus). A subspecies, M. n . newtoni, is endemic to the Virgin Islands, is more recently referred to locally as the "cuckoo bird." The múkaro (pronounced mOO-kah-roh) is a small-sized owl possessing a brown upperside, a light-brown to white underside, white brown lines and white eyebrows. The main diet of the species consists of large insects and is complemented with small birds, geckos and small rodents. The species calls throughout the year while hidden in thick foliage, typically at dawn. The múkaro makes a loud coo-coo call, which is the reason for its common name in the Virgin Islands. Contrary to modern folklore giving owls a negative reputation, most owls were traditionally revered by the Taino and they are one of the most popular bird motifs depicted via petroglyphs (rock carvings). Taino names for other owls include “Siguapa” (Stygian Owl - Asio stygius) and “Sihú (Sijú)”, which is used to identify the Cuban Bare-legged owl (Sijú Contunto - Margarobyas lawrencii lawrencii) and the Cuban pygmy-owl (the Sijú platanero; Sijucito; Sijú - Glaucidium vittatum).

– © 2014 UCTP Taino News

References

Diccionario de Voces Indígenas de Puerto Rico by Luis Hernández Aquino (published in 1977)

Las Aves de Puerto Rico by Virgilio Biaggi (published in 1983)

Siguapa is Taino

2014-11-27T17:54:00.000-04:00

Did You Know: Siguapa (Ciguapa) is a Taino term used to describe a legendary nocturnal being, female in form, said to inhabit the deep mountainous regions of Kiskeia (Dominican Republic) and Eastern Cuba. Siguapa are described with having brown or dark blue skin, backward facing feet, and very long, smooth, glossy hair that covers their otherwise naked bodies. In addition, Siguapa are said to enjoy corn, steal salt from unoccupied kitchens, and lure men to undisclosed locations to never to be seen again. Pronounced see-gooah-pah, Siguapa is also a term used specifically for the Stygian Owl (Asio stygius) found in Cuba, the Isle of Pines, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), and Gonave.

– © 2014 UCTP Taino News

References

Candelario, G. E. B. (2016). La ciguapa y el ciguapeo: Dominican myth, metaphor, and method. Small Axe: A Caribbean Journal of Criticism, 20(3), 100–117. Duke University Press

Tejera, E. (1977). Palabras indígenas de la insularidad de Santo Domingo (3rd ed.). C. Editora del Caribe. (Original work published 1935)

Guamahiko is a Taino game

2014-10-04T21:39:00.001-04:00

Did You Know: The children’s game played in Borikén often referred to by its Spanish name “gallito” finds its origin in Taino culture. Oral tradition tells us the indigenous Taino name of this game is called guamahiko (guamajico). In this game, players squat around a circle on the ground with their guamahiko, which are guamá or algarrobo seeds tied to a cord called a hiko (jico). Hiko is a Taino word for thread. The guamahiko are placed within the center of the playing circle while players hold the cord attached to their own seeds. One of the players is picked by the group to start the game. This player removes their guamahiko from the circle to attempt to strike and break the other player's seeds. Once a player's seed breaks they are out of the game. The next player does the same as they move in a clockwise direction, until all the seeds are broken. The player that has the unbroken guamá seed at the end of the game is the winner. – UCTP Taino News © 2014

Guaba is Taino

2014-09-10T11:43:00.000-04:00

The Guaba or cave spider. Photo: Alferdo Colon

Did You Know: Cave spiders -- also called tailless whip scorpions -- are called guaba in the indigenous Taino language. The body of a guava is flat with long, whip-like legs. They use their powerful pincher-bearing front legs to catch their prey, usually small animals, frogs and crustaceans. The guaba are among the largest arachnid species, growing between 19 and 25 inches long, including their legs. Guaba typically live in caves or under large rocks and inside crevices. They are usually nocturnal. - UCTP Taino News © 2014

Guanábana is Taino

2014-08-06T12:40:00.000-04:00

Did You know: Guanábana is the indigenous Taino name for the edible fruit of Annona muricata, a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree native to the Caribbean. It is in the same genus as the chirimoya and the same family as the pawpaw. The seeds, fruit, and leaves of guanabana, also known as Soursop, have been used traditionally for stomach complaints and fever, and as a sedative. Guanábana is widely promoted (sometimes as "graviola") as an alternative cancer treatment, although its use is not fully accepted by the mainstream medical establishment. - UCTP Taino News © 2014

Peanuts and Taino People

2014-07-08T11:04:00.000-04:00

Did You Know: The peanut plant originated in South America, but it was seen for the first time by Europeans in the Caribbean. Bartolome de las Casas was the first European to document the peanut plant. He noted that the Taino people often ate peanuts with casabe (cassava bread). Early Spanish galleons introduced peanuts to the Pacific Islands, the Philippines, and Indonesia. By the early 1600's, peanuts were introduced to Malaysia, Vietnam, China, and Japan. India acquired the peanut from several routes in the 18th century: from Africa to Western India, from Manila to South India, from China to Bengal. The earliest documented account of peanuts in the North American British colonies is 1769. The Taino word for peanut is maní. - UCTP Taino News © 2014

Kakata is Taino

2014-06-07T11:19:00.001-04:00

Caribbean tarantula or kakata found in Borikén (Puerto Rico). Photo by Alfredo Colon

Did You Know: Caribbean tarantulas are found throughout the Caribbean islands and are a part of the 'New World" tarantula group. The indigenous Taino word for tarantula is kakata (cacata). The bite of a kakata is not fatal to humans even though it does posses venom. Kakata have defensive, urticating hairs, which cause itching and discomfort when harassed. The male kakata can usually be seen in the open, as they often are in search of mates. Females are also visible, but tend to stay near their homes. Some kakata are burrowing while others construct nest made of webs in trees. In the Taíno language, word kakata means to "mix" as with the hands, which brings to mind the movement of this large and hairy arachnid. - UCTP Taino News © 2014

Hibá is Taino

2014-05-06T16:34:00.000-04:00

Did You Know: The Hibá (Jibá), Erythroxylon havanense, is a flowering shrub found in Kuba and other islands of the Caribbean. This plant retains its indigenous Taino name, Hibá, and according to local healing traditions, the stems and leaves are good for the kidney and liver disorders. A concoction made from hibá roots is said to be a powerful diuretic. – UCTP Taino News © 2014