Yocahu
: Yocahu is the leading god of the Taino people. He is the son of Atabey
How many gods did the Tainos have?
The Taínos were deeply religious and worshipped many gods and spirits. Above the gods there were
two supreme beings
, one male and one female. The physical representation of the gods and spirits were zemis, made of made of wood, stone, bone, shell, clay and cotton.
What is the name of the Taíno leader?
As the hereditary head chief of Taíno tribes,
the cacique
was paid significant tribute.
What is the name of the Tainos King?
Agüeybaná II, who was also known as Güeybaná and Guaybana II
, led the Taíno rebellion of 1511 in Puerto Rico against the Spanish settlers. Minor Cacique of (Otoao) Utuado, Puerto Rico. Cacique of Jamaica, who lived on the eastern extremity of the island.
Who is Yocahu?
Yúcahu —also written as Yukajú, Yocajú, Yokahu or Yukiyú— was
the masculine spirit of fertility in Taíno mythology
. He was one of the supreme deities or zemís of the Pre-Columbian Taíno peoples along with his mother Atabey who was his feminine counterpart.
What Taino means?
The name Taíno was given by Columbus. When he met some native men, they said “Taíno, Taíno”, meaning “
We are good, noble
“. Columbus thought that taíno was the name of the people. Rouse divides the Taínos into three main groups. One is the Classic Taíno, from Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.
How did Taínos look like?
Facial features were
high cheekbones and dark brown eyes
. The majority of them didn’t use clothing except for married women who would wear a “short apron” called nagua. The Taino Indians painted their bodies. The earrings, nose rings, and necklaces which were sometimes made of gold.
Are there any Tainos alive today?
An ancient tooth has proven Taíno indigenous Americans are not extinct, as long believed, but
have living descendants in the Caribbean today
. … The tooth was found in a cave on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas and belonged to a woman who lived at least 500 years before Christopher Columbus set foot in the region.
Are Puerto Ricans indigenous?
DNA evidence shows that
most Puerto Ricans are a blending of Taino (Indian), Spanish and African
according to studies by Dr. Most Puerto Ricans know, or think they know, their ethnic and racial history: a blending of Taino (Indian), Spanish and African. …
How was the leader of the Tainos selected?
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 are Tainos known for?
Skilled at agriculture and hunting
, Taínos were also good sailors, fishermen, canoe makers, and navigators. Their main crops were cassava, garlic, potatoes, yautías, mamey, guava, and anón. They had no calendar or writing system, and could count only up to twenty, using their hands and feet.
What did the Tainos drink?
The Tainos also made intoxicating drinks
from cassava as
well as from maize. Another of their discoveries was that meat could be made tender if wrapped in papaya (pawpaw) leaves. Today, tenderisers are made from papain, extracted from papaya.
What did the Arawaks smoke?
The Arawak raised their crops in conucos, a system of agriculture they developed. Cotton was grown and woven into fishing nets. They raised
tobacco
and enjoyed smoking very much.
What does the Taino sun mean?
The sun was believed to be quite powerful –
a god that provided great strength and longevity to both crops and people
. Conversely, cemi tainos represented the rain god – a god that fertilized the crops.
What did the Tainos eat?
Taíno staples included
vegetables, fruit, meat, and fish
. There were no large animals native to the Caribbean, but they captured and ate small animals, such as hutias and other mammals, earthworms, lizards, turtles, and birds.
