the taínos were the biggest tribe of native people living in the caribbean before the spanish came....
TRANSCRIPT
The taínos were the biggest tribe of native people living in the Caribbean before the
Spanish came. The taínos had their own language.
Many words in Spanish and in English actually come from taíno words. This is a good
example of how the taínos have affected our lives today.
The taínos were handy with wood, and expert seamen.
They used the
majestic ceiba tree to make their kanawas.
The taíno religion had many gods or cemíes.
One cemí controlled strong, destructive winds.
He was called Juracán.
They used a hollowed out squash to make a special percussion instrument. The taíno
name for the instrument is now an English and a Spanish word...
el güiro
The taínos also harvested fruits and vegetables that at the time were unknown in Europe. The words they used for these fruits and vegetables also became part of the Spanish and English
languages. For example:
maíz
Spanish/ taíno English
maize / corn
Another important taíno crop was a leaf that they would chew or smoke, often as
part of their religious ceremonies.…
Spanish/ taíno English
tabaco tobacco
Preguntas de discusión
• Can you remember some of the taíno words that became Spanish words and then English words?
• Why do you think these taíno words survived and others did not?