Taíno peoples of Jamaica
Encyclopedia
Jamaica was first inhabited by a gentle race of people called the Arawaks or Tainos. They are believed to have arrived ion the island by migrating from North of the Orinoco
Basin about 650.AD. The Taíno depended mainly on farming, fishing and hunting for survival. They were short people, rather stout, with straight black hair and flattish noses; their skin was copper-coloured. They lived in huts shaped like those of the peasants of Jamaica and slept in hammocks. They made rough seats of wood, and spears tipped with stone, or with the teeth of sharks. They did not have the bow and arrow. The men were skilful fishermen, and caught fish and turtle
to eat. They made their cooking vessels out of clay, and burnt them in fire until they became hard. The women grew cassava
(from which they made bread called bammy
), corn and sweet potatoes for food. They cooked their meat on a four legged stand called a bucan; made of spiced wood called pimento
. Cotton grew wild in the island, and they twisted the fibre into cloth, strips of which they wore around their waists. They also wore strings of beads and shells. The Spanish colonisers made the Taino into slaves. They treated the Arawaks so harshly that in about fifty years all of them were dead. They had numbered fully sixty thousand. The Spanish bought slaves from Africa
to take their place, and their descendants include most of Jamaica's current population.
Orinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
Basin about 650.AD. The Taíno depended mainly on farming, fishing and hunting for survival. They were short people, rather stout, with straight black hair and flattish noses; their skin was copper-coloured. They lived in huts shaped like those of the peasants of Jamaica and slept in hammocks. They made rough seats of wood, and spears tipped with stone, or with the teeth of sharks. They did not have the bow and arrow. The men were skilful fishermen, and caught fish and turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
to eat. They made their cooking vessels out of clay, and burnt them in fire until they became hard. The women grew cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
(from which they made bread called bammy
Bammy
Bammy or bami is a traditional Jamaican cassava flatbread descended from the simple flatbread eaten by the Arawaks, Jamaica's original inhabitants. Today, it is produced in many rural communities and sold in stores and by street vendors in Jamaica and abroad.Bammies have been consumed since...
), corn and sweet potatoes for food. They cooked their meat on a four legged stand called a bucan; made of spiced wood called pimento
Pimento
A pimento or cherry pepper is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chili pepper that measures 3 to 4 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide . The flesh of the pimento is sweet, succulent and more aromatic than that of the red bell pepper...
. Cotton grew wild in the island, and they twisted the fibre into cloth, strips of which they wore around their waists. They also wore strings of beads and shells. The Spanish colonisers made the Taino into slaves. They treated the Arawaks so harshly that in about fifty years all of them were dead. They had numbered fully sixty thousand. The Spanish bought slaves from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
to take their place, and their descendants include most of Jamaica's current population.