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What do Taínos sleep on?
cotton hammocks
The Taínos built large round houses called caney, where several families lived. The cacique and his family lived in a rectangular house called bohio. People slept on cotton hammocks (hamacas).
How did the cacique obtain his position?
In Taíno culture, the cacique rank was hereditary and sometimes established through democratic means. His importance in the tribe was determined by the size of his tribe rather than his skills in warfare since the Taínos were mostly a peaceable culture.
What kind of furniture did the Tainos have?
Thus any Arawak/Taíno home might house a hundred people. The houses did not contain much furniture. People slept in cotton hammocks or simply on mats of banana leaves. They also made wooden chairs with woven seats, couches and built cradles for their children.
What was the duty of the cacique?
“The cacique was more of a ceremonial leader than a lawmaker. He was responsible for the distribution of land, the ordering of labor on the land and the planting and distributing of crops. He also made decisions of war and peace and was the leader in war.
What was the role of the Cacique?
Cacique is an Arawak term, meaning that many indigenous peoples of northern South America and the Caribbean have used it. The leader of these settlements was called the Cacique; thus, he was the chief mediator of disputes and settlement-wide decisions.
How did the Tainos dressed?
Men wore loincloths and women wore aprons of cotton or palm fibres. Both sexes painted themselves on special occasions, and they wore earrings, nose rings, and necklaces, which were sometimes made of gold. The Taino also made pottery, baskets, and implements of stone and wood.
What was the Society of the Taino caciques?
The Taíno were all but erased from history within a generation of Columbus’ arrival; but before disease, violence, and slavery killed off the Taíno of Hispaniola, they were a thriving culture. Their society was organized into districts and regions with a hierarchy of leaders and two distinct classes of citizens: Nitaíno and Naboria.
What was the life like for a Taino woman?
Most men had 2 or 3 wives, but the caciques had as many as 30. It was a great honor for a woman to be married to a cacique. Not only did she enjoy a materially superior lifestyle, but her children were held in high esteem. The Arawak/Taino used two primary architectural styles for their homes.
What did Columbus do to the Taino caciques?
Behecio, Anacaona, and other Taino caciques became caught in the Spanish power struggles when Columbus instituted the repartimiento in Xaragua, granting Roldan full authority over the Indian populations of the region. The repartimiento continued under Francisco de Bobadilla’s rule.
What was the political system of the Taino?
The Taíno of Hispaniola were politically organized at the time of contact into at least five hereditary chiefdoms called cacicazgos. Each casicazgo had a clearly recognized territory, a system of regional chiefs ( caciques) and sub-chiefs, and a paramount ruler.