The Taíno Classic
The taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants ofthe Bahamas, theGreater Antilles, and theNorthern Lesser Antilles.It is a people that arrivedfrom South America,specifically from themouth of the Orinoco River, passed from island to island, reducingorassimilating the oldest inhabitants, 2 1 as the guanajatabey and theciguayo whosecultures are previous to the arrival of the tainos. The Tainolanguage belongs to thefamily macroarahuacana, which extends fromSouth America through the Caribbean. Classic Taíno, spoken in EasternCuba and most of the Spanish, some settlements sporadic West of Eastprovince in central Cuba and Western as well as the southern LucayaIslands (Turks and Caicos Islands) and Puerto Rico.
The Taíno classic had different regionalvariants, of which the Taino of theChieftainship of Jaragua is consideredthe most elegant and prestigious.
The Taíno Jaragua classic also servedas a second language for speakers ofother languages of the region, as wellas lingua franca of Commerce andculture. According to De las Casas wasa language that almost everyone knewand could understand, although clearlyit coexisted with other languages in the Greater Antilles.Taíno and ciboney,was the language spoken in the southwestern tip of Hispaniola,most ofEastern Cuba and central and probably Jamaica.
At the eastern end of Cuba, it would have also spoken a different languageby the guanajatabey, whose origin can not be clarified due to the rapidextinction of the group. On some islands such as Jamaica and Dominicatainos and ineris remained as adifferentiated group until at least the end ofthe 18th century, when they were in the process of mixing with the peopleof European and African origin.
They were divided into foursocial classes: the naborias,the nitainos, the bohiques andchieftain. In the socio-politicalstructure, teocratico-guerrerocharacter, the chieftain andthe bohiques represent thesupernatural powers of the day and night.
The word chieftain, for example, contains the morpheme ca (of cauni:‘gold’) because the Chief represented the solar power of the God of fire; forhis part, bohiques hasits roots in boa, coa, or toa, and the rectangularhouse (the hut), associated with thehalf snake of the tribe in its orderingprinciple of duality.
It seems unproved that themythological cycle of the Mayan text Popol-Vuhexerted a strong influence in the West Indies.The chiefs practicedpolygamy, uncommon among the common people. This practice wasjustified by the excess of girls in marriageable age, and because amongthe tainos was a dishonor not to have children. The relative riches of thechiefs, their status, and the few aspirations of the people, allowed to ownseveral women and children. Polygamy grew because of the constantstruggle against the Carib Indians. Numerous casualties among the malepopulation and the pressing need to maintain a level of population, weredetermining factors to propagate the polygamy among theWest IndianTaino tribes. The chieftains had many women, but they were women‘sTreaty, which they called lieguas. Women had to be virgins, and mostlyused them tomaintain peace with the Carib Indians. The cacique Bohechiohad 30 women, but only wanted to one, the others were to keep the peacewith the other yucayeques.
The tainos had a monotheisticreligious belief as many indigenous peoples of the Americas. The maindivinity was YaYa. Also referred toas Semign (meaning “God” inTainoArawak language). In the historybooks it is often said that polytheismwas present in his life, but that wasan excuse that the Spaniardscreated for the Queen of Spainlegalized slavery.
The word cemi in the Taíno language meaning means “Ángel”, indicatesthe spiritual beings of the Taino mythology.
Some of these were: Yocajú Bagua Maorocoti, Opiel Guobiran, Vaibrama,Corocote and Maketaurie–guava. Previously believed that Jurakan(origin of the term hurricane) was the God of evil, since the Pantheon wasinterpreted according to the dual belief of Catholicism. Actually, there wereseveral spirits that, when they joined, causing destruction to theTaínopeople. Juracan was the name that gave you the tainos to theatmospheric phenomenon known today by hurricanes and tropical storms.In Taino beliefs, who really unleashed these hurricanes was out, who wasaccompanied by Guatauba and Cuatrisquie.
The most important mountain in the Taino culture was the mountain nowcalled El Yunque, where were the main ceremonies to his God (the currentname is derived from the name “Yuké”, which was the name that the tainosgave).
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