The Traditional Taino Diet

Did You Know: The traditional diet of the Taino was based mainly on community cultivated agricultural products, supplemented with wild fruits as well as fishing, and limited hunting. Root tubers such as yuka (manioc) and batata (sweet potatoes) were cultivated along with many other diverse food crops like maisi (corn), mani (peanuts), calabasa (pumpkin), iaiama (pineapple), cahuil (cashews), beans, aji (peppers) etc. The hunting of small game such as birds, small mammals, and reptiles such as iguanas, and snakes was also practiced daily by community members. The ocean and rivers were also exploited in a sustainable manner for their bountiful resources. The Taino harvested edible marine-life, including conch, oysters, lobsters, clams, and crabs. Fish were caught with bone and shell hooks, large mesh nets, nasa (fish traps), spears, and bows and arrows. Some of the larger marine-life that the Taino encountered and hunted included the manati (sea cow), tuna, sea turtles, and sharks. Occasionally, even a pilot whale was taken for by various communities. Taino survival was secured by the application of ancient traditional knowledge, which included practical and medicinal knowledge of plants, an deep understanding and symbiotic relationship with their environment, and the ability to apply appropriate tools and techniques. - UCTP Taino News © 2010

BOHIO is Taino

Did You Know: The word "Bohio" is the Taino language term for "home." Among rural communities in the Greater Antilles especially, the word bohio is still used today interchangeably with the word "casa" in Caribbean Spanish. When Columbus landed in the Dominican Republic in 1492 some of the Taino he met simply referred to their island paradise as “bohio” meaning their home. A typical community dwelling which varied in size, a bohio was made from local hardwood trees and usually retained a conical roof that was thatched with the Royal Palm. Early explorers were quite amazed that these seemingly simple round house structures could even withstand the intense tropical storms the Taino called "hurakan". - UCTP Taino News © 2010

Guaitiao

Did You Know: Traditionally, the Taino people practiced an elaborate name exchange ceremony to build their family and community alliances. This “making relations” ceremony called GUAITIAO was recorded by early chroniclers where they documented Taino Kasike (chiefs) practicing this custom with Spaniards. Hence, the European took the name of the “Indian”, and vice versa. One of the most renowned of these exchanges was between conquistador Ponce de Leon and a powerful Boriken Chief named Agueibana. The name of the Kasike’s mother was changed to the Spanish doña Inez, and his brother took the name of a captain in Ponce de Leon's company. This exchange of names, accompanied with ceremonies, symbolized a lasting bond that was supposed to link the families together in solidarity for generations. While the Taino respected the Guaitiao custom as sacred, most Spaniards revealed their disregard for it by their actions against the Indigenous Peoples of the islands. – UCTP Taino News © 2009

Mayagüez

Did You Know - Local tradition holds that while the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico was originally named "Our Lady of the Candelaria of Mayagüez", the city’s name derives from a variation of the Taino Indian term iagües (yagüez) meaning “clear waters”. The city was eventually named just Mayagüez (pronounced Mah-yah-goo-ehz or Mah-yah-GWEHZ), a variation of the Taino term, said to mean "Land of the Clear Waters". – - UCTP Taino News © 2008

Biha (Bija, Bixa) is a Taino Word

Did You Know - The Biha, Annatto or Achiote tree (Bixa orellana) has seeds that were ground and made into a bright red dye that the Tainos also called biha (bee-hah). According to ancient Taino tradition the color red was associated with virility and the ancestors, but this red paste also served as a mosquito repellent. Taino often covered their whole body in biha. Local tradition on various islands states that it is in the use of  red biha coloring where the derogatory term “Redskin” finds its origin. Today, biha is more often used as a natural food coloring that provides Caribbean rice with its reddish-orange color as well as the yellow color in processed American cheese. - UCTP Taino News © 2008

Hutia are a part of the Taino World

Did You Know: The Hutia is a large indigenous rodent that inhabits various Caribbean Islands. The average size ranges from about 20 to 60 centimeters (8-24 inches), and they can weigh up to 7 kilograms (15 pounds). At least 20 species of hutia have been identified, but as many as half may be extinct. Among those that are said to have perished are the giant hutia, which are said to have resembled the modern capibara. Tails are present among the species, varying from vestiges to prehensile. Hutia have stout bodies and large heads. Most species are herbivorous, though some consume small animals. Like other rodents most hutia are nocturnal, but instead of burrowing underground, they can nest in trees or even rock crevices. The word Hutia is a word from the Taino language and during ancient times these rodents were hunted regularly for their meat. The consuming of hutia continues among some traditionalists; however, this animal is endangered in many countries. Hutia once lived throughout most all regions of the islands from the coast to the forest to the sabanas. - UCTP Taino News © 2008

Baseball

Did You Know - Baseball as sport has its origins in the Taino batu game played in Cuba and throughout the Caribbean. Spanish chroniclers who traveled to the islands during the conquest and colonization periods provide evidence of this activity. The batu game was played at the batei/batey (ball field/court/ceremonial ground) and players used a ball made of resin and shaped leaves. As recorded in Cuba, in some cases, this ball was hit with an instrument similar to an oar or spade. According to Cuban linguists there is a relation in the origin of the words bate (bat) and batear (hit) with the corresponding words batey and batu used by the Tainos. – UCTP Taino News © 2007

See also:

http://www.cubaheadlines.com/2007/07/02/4218/history_of_baseball_in_cuba.html

Mabodamaka

Did You Know - Kasike Mabodomaka was one of the Taíno leaders during the 16th century Indian Wars in Boriken (Puerto Rico). Mabodomaka’s Iukaieke (territory) extended through the present day pueblos of Camuy, Quebradillas, and Isabela. Before the European invasion this area was known as guahataka (Taíno for "The Water Ladle"). Local oral history states that when his warriors could no longer hold back the European invaders he led his people up the Guajataca River and disappeared into the Island's central mountain range. Route # 113 (Quebradillas - Isabela) has been renamed "Avenida Cacíque Mabodomaca" in honor of this great Kasike (Chieftain). - UCTP Taino News © 2007