Tag: taino indian

A Brief Summary of the Origin, and Survival of the Taino Language

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by David Wahayona Campos The Greater Antilles, lying in the center of the Caribbean region, contain the four largest islands of the area. The islands of Cubanakan (Cuba), Boriken (Puerto Rico), Bohio (Haiti/Republica Dominica), Xamaika (Jamaica), as well as the Lucayo (Bahamas) all share a universal language with some dialectal differences. In the late 1500s Bishop Las Casas stated “En todas estas islas eran una lengua y misma costumbres.” The Taino language of the Greater Antilles is related to the Arawakan stock stemming from South America, “the people of the…

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Puerto Rican Parrots

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by J. Michael Meyers National Biological Service The Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata) had shared its habitat with the peaceful Taino Indians for centuries before the arrival of European settlers in the Caribbean. Status and Trends Upon arrival of the Spanish in 1493, the Puerto Rican parrot lived in all major habitats of Puerto Rico and the adjacent smaller islands of Culebra, Mona, Vieques, and possibly the Virgin Islands (Snyder et al. 1987). Parrots occupied eight major climax or old-growth forest types (Little and Wadsworth 1964) that covered Puerto Rico…

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Monument to local carver nears completion in Jayuya

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Jayuya, Boriken (UCTP Taino News) – Master carver and archeologist Robinson Urayoan Rosado is preparing a commemorative monument for renowned artisan Elpidio Collazo González “Maboití” at the Centro de Arte y Cultura Elpidio in Jayuya, Boriken (Puerto Rico). Collazo, who passed away last year, was one of the island’s most illustrious carvers of local bird life from wood. Carving into a 3 ton stone from the local area, Urayoan’s (Robinson Rosado) tribute is fitting as it features Taino bird pertroglyphs. The monument will be a center piece of the cultural…

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