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.
— © 2019 UCTP Taíno News
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
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