Guaio (guayo) is Taino

DID YOU KNOW: The word guaio (guayo) is a Taino term used to identify a grater used in food production. Pronounced gwa-ee-o, the word has been incorporated into regional Spanish dialects even beyond the noun, guayo, into the verb “guayar” meaning “to grate.” Traditionally, a guaio would be made from a slab of wood with sharp, small stones pounded into it, coral slabs, or stones slabs with various perforations, etc.  These various forms of guaio were often artistically elaborated. – UCTP Taino News © 2013

Batata and ahe (aje) are Taíno

Did You Know: The word batata is a Taíno word describing what is commonly called a sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas). The white sweet potato can also be called by another Taíno word, boniato. The word batata has since been incorporated into Portuguese to identify potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). According to some sources, the English word potato is itself derived from the Taíno word batata, which was borrowed from an early Spanish corruption patata. Traditionally, starchy root tubers are a staple of Taíno diet. Beyond the batata, other tubers such as iuka (yuca/cassava/manioc),  iautía (yautia), guaíga (guayiga), and ahe (aje) were also cultivated traditionally. However, of all these tubers iuka remains the most prominent Taíno dietary staple.  In the Caribbean, early Spanish chronicles recorded Taino names for several different varieties of ahe (aje), which are identified today as common or wild yams and are said to be part of the Dioscorea family of tubers. Caribbean or West Indian “yams” are generally identified through their Latin botanical identification of Dioscorea sativa. The word “yam” is an English form derived from nyami, a term found in some West African languages said to mean “to eat”.  Today, some of the early variant ahe tubers are not cultivated commercially or even locally and are no longer easily distinguishable by their diverse, original Taíno names. - UCTP Taino News (c) 2013

The Stingray and Taino Culture

Did You Know: Since ancient times, stingrays have been a part of the Caribbean’s marine environment and the cultures of the region’s Indigenous Peoples. Taíno and other Caribbean Indigenous Peoples, for example, would traditionally use the barbed spine located toward the bottom of a stingray’s tail in various ways. Stingray barbs would sometimes be used as tips for spears and arrows used for hunting or weapons, as well as for adornments like necklaces and bracelets. Like sharkskin, the rough skin of certain stingrays were also used as a grating tool to grind iuka (yuca/cassava/manioc) into a fine powder.  Some Taino words for stingrays include Libusa, Lebisa, Sabina, and Chucho (spotted eagle ray). - UCTP Taino News © 2013

Kasabi: Bread made from iuka (yuca)

DID YOU KNOW: Traditionally, bread made from iuka or cassava is known in the Taíno language as kasabi or kasabe. It was created by grating iuka (yuca, cassava/manioc) flour into flat disks and roasting them on flat ceramic griddles called burén over a cooking fire. Today, the baking of kasabi, now more commonly called kasabe, is modernized for increased production, but it is still presented in the original flat, round style. Whether made from bitter or sweet varieties of iuka/manioc, kasabi is known to preserve exceedingly well with a preservative-free shelf life of about 8 months. In the time of the ancient Taino, it was taken on long journeys over land and sea without spoiling, providing a sometimes a much-needed burst of carbohydrates. The bitter cassava is said to produce a kind of kasabi that was virtually “unassailable by vermin” since it retained a small amount of hydrocyanic toxin harmless to humans but harmful or deadly to insects and rodents. Hab jao (jab jao) is the Taíno name still given to the thinnest kasabi in Kiskeia (Dominican Republic). According to Taino tradition hab hao or hau hau (xau xau) was reserved for community leaders and dignitaries. Since the 1970s, kasabe production in Kiskeia has expanded the availability of this ancient Taino culinary tradition from the local to international markets. - © 2012 UCTP Taino News

References

De las Casas, B. (1875). Historia de las Indias (Vol. 1). Imprenta de Miguel Ginesta. (Original work written 1559–1561).

Rouse, I. (1992). The Taínos: Rise and decline of the people who greeted Columbus. Yale University Press.

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

Iuka or Yuca or Cassava?

Did You Know: Iuka (yuca), also known as cassava or manioc (Manihot esculenta) , is a starch rich plant, which thanks to the Taino People is now grown worldwide. Iuka is a part of the Euphorbiaceae family, and its roots are described as long with a thick brown rind that encases the edible part. Cassava is major source of carbohydrates, and it contains large amounts of calcium, phosphorous, and Vitamin C. Unfortunately, iuka is very low in protein and other important nutrients. An interesting fact about this root tuber is that it in fact contains small traces of cyanide; in some cases from about 20 milligrams and above. Boiling the root will eliminate the toxicity. Iuka can be prepared and eaten in many ways. Cassava bread or kasabi/kasabe, a traditional crispy flat bread made by Taíno and other Indigenous Peoples of the region is still popular throughout the Caribbean. It is eaten with fruit spreads, butter, or a variety of other foods. Boiling the root is the most common way of eating iuka, and it can be a replacement for potatoes or plantains during meals. Iuka can also be used as a replacement for potatoes in dishes such as purees, dumplings, gnocchi, stews, or soups and it is the main ingredient in Tapioca. Traditionally, iuka is believed to have anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties and is sometimes used to treat arthritis, stomach disorders and even diabetes. - © 2009 UCTP Taino News 

Iuka (yuca) root tubers

References

Coker, R. D., Nagler, M. J., & Blunden, G. (2004). The processing of cassava to reduce cyanogens. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 84(6), 591–595.

Cardoso, A. P., Mirione, E., Ernesto, M., Massaza, F., Cliff, J., Reza, F., & Bradbury, J. H. (2005). Processing of cassava roots to remove cyanogens. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 18(5), 451–460.

Taino Agricultural Science

Did You Know: The Taino developed an agricultural science based on an intimate knowledge of the world around them? For example, when planting iuka (yuca/manioc, cassava) Taino traditionally follow the lunar cycle. Why is this done? The moon phase cycle is followed because there are certain insects predators like the Bibijagua (black ants) and others who like to eat young iuka plants. These insects usually prefer to hunt during the full moon and are either dormant or less active during the “waning” moon period. When iuka plants are young they have little defenses to ward off natural enemies. The Taino planted iuka during the waning moon to allow time for the plants natural toxin defenses to develop. – UCTP Taino News © 2009