The Arawak/Taíno were
polytheists
and their gods were called Zemi. The zemi controlled various functions of the universe, very much like Greek gods did, or like later Haitian Voodoo lwa. However, they do not seem to have had particular personalities like the Greek and Haitian gods/spirits do.
What is the Taínos culture?
The Taíno people, or Taíno culture, has been classified by some authorities as belonging to the
Arawak
. Their language is considered to have belonged to the Arawak language family, the languages of which were historically present throughout the Caribbean, and much of Central and South America.
What were the Taínos beliefs?
The Taino had an elaborate system of religious beliefs and rituals that
involved the worship of spirits (zemis) by means of carved representations
. They also had a complex social order, with a government of hereditary chiefs and subchiefs and classes of nobles, commoners, and slaves.
What is the Taínos god known for?
The zemis, a
god of both sexes
, were represented by icons in the form of human and animal figures, and collars made of wood, stone, bones, and human remains. Taíno Indians believed that being in the good graces of their zemis protected them from disease, hurricanes, or disaster in war.
What did the Taínos worship before colonization?
Tainos worshipped
ancestral spirits known as zemis
, and these zemis were responsible for a number of elements and crops important to taino society.
What was the Tainos Favourite dish?
Their daily diet consists of vegetables and fruits such as papaya, yams, guavas, and cassava. The Taino began the process of preparing meat and fish in large clay pots. The Carib Indians introduced spices and lemon juice to their meat and fish recipes. In general, the favorite Caribbean dish is
seasoned jerk chicken
.
What God did the Tainos worship?
Taíno religion, as recorded by late 15th and 16th century Spaniards, centered on
a supreme creator god and a fertility goddess
. The creator god is Yúcahu Maórocoti and he governs the growth of the staple food, the cassava. The goddess is Attabeira, who governs water, rivers, and seas.
How did the Tainos behave as people?
The culture of the Taino was very well organized. They
practiced shifting agriculture
, had a religion where they worshiped spirits, and had a social hierarchy that put hereditary chiefs at the top. Today, the United Confederation of Taino People exists to maintain the culture and legacy of the Taino.
Who killed the Tainos?
At this point, the Taíno were refusing to grow crops, and those who didn’t bleed to death after their hands were removed began to die of famine and disease. When they fled into the mountains, they were
hunted down by dogs
. Many killed themselves with cassava poison.
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.
How many gods does 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.
Who did the Arawaks worship?
The Arawak believed in
many gods, or Zemi
, who controlled different aspects of life, and also the afterlife in which the good would receive recognition for their goodness. Supposedly, the cacique had a closer connection to the gods, so he was the religious leader and also the medic.
How did the kalinago worship?
The Kalinago – Carib’s history includes religious practices that involved the
worship of ancestors, nature and the belief in “Maboya”, the evil spirit
, who they had to satisfy. The chief function of their priests or “Boyez” was healing the sick with herbs.
Where did the Tainos originally come from?
We demonstrate that the ancestors of the so-called “Taino” who inhabited large parts of the Caribbean in pre-Columbian times originated in
northern South America
, and we find evidence that they had a comparatively large effective population size.
Why did the Tainos painted their body?
Body painting was common among Arawakan peoples, partly for the sake of aesthetics but mostly
as an act of spirituality
.
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. It was not only a part of their social life, but was used in religious ceremonies too.
