Day 16 – What Do I know about Tainos

I don't want to go to into a history lesson because we have libraries for that! Tainos however are the native inhabitants of Puerto Rico and probably one of the more well known peoples of indigenous kinds. 

Here are some interesting facts (subject for debate):

• Formerly referred to as Arawaks
• A peace treaty signed in 1533 in the Caribbean between Taino Kasike Guarokuia (Enriquillo/Henri) and a representative of the King of Spain was recognized as the “first international treaty in the Americas between Indigenous people and Europeans" in a resolution by over 100 delegates to the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Treaty Conference, held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on Oct. 28, 1998. 
• Both women and men painted their bodies with dyes (roucou). The men wore head dress (colourful) and jewelery through in the lips and the nose.
• Tainos introduced hammocks to the European settlers
• The Tainos as far as we know had no system of writing. What we know about the Tainos comes from archaeological finds, rock and stone art. They were artists and they made a number of drawings in caves.

Though I'm sure there are more fun facts, overall the Tainos are a peoples that we Latinos respect greatly, particularly Puerto Ricans.
 Z