Taíno people

We are the Taíno people. For hundreds of years, our home has been on the beautiful, warm islands of the Caribbean Sea. These are places now called Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Hispaniola. The bright blue water surrounded our island homes, and it connected us to one another. To travel across the sea, we built large canoes. We would find a tall, strong tree and carefully carve a canoe from its single trunk. With our paddles, we could journey between islands to trade or visit our relatives.

We lived together in villages called yucayeques. Our communities were a place for families to live and work together. Most of our houses were called bohios. They were cozy and round, built with strong wooden poles and covered with woven palm leaves to keep us dry and cool. Our leader, the cacique, lived in a special house called a caney. You could always tell which one it was because it was larger than the others and built in the shape of a rectangle.

In the center of every yucayeque was a large, open plaza. This was the heart of our village life. It was where we all gathered to share important moments. On the plaza, we held our ceremonies, we danced to music, and we played exciting games with our friends and family. It was a special place where our whole community could come together to celebrate and honor our traditions.

We were skilled farmers and fishers who knew how to live with the land and the sea. The earth and water gave us everything we needed. We grew our food in special mounds of soil called conucos. In these garden beds, we planted corn, sweet potatoes, and yuca. We were also expert fishers. We made nets and used spears to catch fish and turtles in the ocean and in the rivers. In the forests, we hunted for small animals like birds and furry animals called hutias.

Our culture was full of music, stories, and fun. We loved to play a game with a rubber ball called batú. The goal was to hit the ball with your body to keep it in the air, but you could not use your hands! We also held big festivals called areytos. During an areyto, our whole community would gather to sing and dance for hours, telling the stories of our ancestors. To honor our gods and spirits, we carved special figures called zemís out of stone and wood. These were very important to us.

Our way of life changed after ships led by Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. But our culture did not disappear. Today, we are still here. Many people in the Caribbean have Taíno ancestors and are very proud of their heritage. Our culture is alive in our families and traditions. You can also hear our past in words that people use all over the world. Words from our language, like 'hammock,' 'barbecue,' and 'hurricane,' are still spoken today.