Taino Leadership Summit
Evidence-based researchArchival integrityEst. 2021

The Archive

The Archive is an educational research resource dedicated to examining the historical, linguistic, and academic construction of the term “taino” and its widespread use in modern Caribbean discourse.

Read the full introduction

Rather than presenting a simplified cultural narrative, The Archive documents how the word “taino” entered academic usage in the nineteenth century, how it was standardized through twentieth-century anthropology and archaeology, and how that standardization came to replace older, more precise regional and historical descriptors used in early colonial records.

The materials collected here include primary sources, archival documents, academic texts, translations, institutional curricula, and modern nonprofit publications. Together, they allow readers, educators, students, and researchers to trace how a descriptive term was transformed into a generalized identity framework through repetition, pedagogy, and institutional authority.

The Archive does not begin with the assumption that “taino” represents a continuous pre-Columbian people. Instead, it provides documented evidence that the term functions as a modern academic construct—one that has been retrospectively applied to diverse Caribbean societies and later embedded into educational systems, museums, media, and nonprofit programming.

The goal of The Archive is not to erase Indigenous Caribbean history, but to clarify it. Pre-contact Caribbean societies were plural, locally organized, and historically specific. Collapsing that complexity into a single retroactive identity obscures rather than preserves historical understanding.

This resource is intended for use in educational settings, independent research, curriculum review, and critical inquiry. Readers are encouraged to examine the sources directly, compare claims against primary documentation, and distinguish between historical evidence and later interpretive frameworks.

By organizing these materials in one place, The Archive offers a reference point for anyone seeking to understand how “taino” came to be used, why it persists in contemporary education, and what is lost when academic repetition replaces historical precision.

Welcome to The Archive…

Last updated October 2026

Bartolomé de las Casas, 1559

Bartolomé de las Casas’s handwritten note, 1559: full page

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Bartolomé de las Casas, in his own hand: the 1559 note entrusting Historia de las Indias to the College of San Gregorio, Valladolid, with instructions that it not be published for forty years. Facsimile from the 1875–76 Madrid edition.

Sources

Archives, libraries, and repositories used throughout17 sources
  1. SourcesRepository

    PARES (National Archive, Spain) (opens in a new tab)

  2. SourcesRepository

    Biblioteca Nacional de España / Biblioteca Digital Hispánica (opens in a new tab)

  3. SourcesRepository

    Biblioteca Virtual Miguel De Cervantes (opens in a new tab)

  4. SourcesRepository

    Biblioteca Digital Real Academia de la Historia — Colección Muñoz (opens in a new tab)

  5. SourcesRepository

    Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (opens in a new tab)

  6. SourcesRepository

    Digital Library of The Caribbean, University of Puerto Rico (UPR) (opens in a new tab)

  7. SourcesRepository

    Academia Puertorriqueña de Jurisprudencia y Legislación — Proyecto Cadiz (opens in a new tab)

  8. SourcesRepository

    Internet Archive (opens in a new tab)

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    Library Of Congress (opens in a new tab)

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    Project Gutenberg (opens in a new tab)

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    ISSUU (opens in a new tab)

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    HathiTrust (opens in a new tab)

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    Academia.edu (opens in a new tab)

  14. SourcesRepository

    ResearchGate (opens in a new tab)

  15. SourcesRepository

    Centro Center for Puerto Rican Studies — Hunter College (opens in a new tab)

  16. SourcesRepository

    Project Muse (opens in a new tab)

  17. SourcesRepository

    Scribd (opens in a new tab)

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Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino Concept

14 sources
  1. 1995
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    El Censo De Lando (1530): Historiografia Y Critica, Francisco Moscoso (1995) (opens in a new tab)

  2. 1996–97
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    The Texts of Peter Martyr's De Orbe Novo Decades (1504-1628): A Response to Andrew Hadfield, Michael Brennan (1996/97) (opens in a new tab)

  3. 2011
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptArticle

    Rejoinder to Roberto “Mukaro” Borrero’s A Taíno Response to “The Myth of Taíno Survival in the Spanish-Speaking Caribbean” by Gabriel Haslip-Viera (December 14, 2011) (opens in a new tab)

  4. 2015
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    The “Indigenous” or “Neo-Taíno” Movement in the Spanish-Speaking Caribbean and Its Diaspora and the Return of the Old Anglo Neo-Imperialist Scholarship? (2015) Gabriel Haslip-Viera (opens in a new tab)

  5. 2018
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    Taíno: Native Heritage and Identity in the Caribbean at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Gabriel Haslip-Viera (2018) (opens in a new tab)

  6. 2019
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    Terms and Terminology Conflicts of Social Quandaries Engendered by the Taino Native Fixation a Cultural Crisis Analytical Study in Caribbean Contemporary History, Randle Sloan (2019) (opens in a new tab)

  7. 2019
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    Caribbean History and Heritage Crisis Resulting from Generic Standardization and Substitution of the Native Borinqueños, Boriquans or Boricuas of Puerto Rico Subsequent to Suspicious Taino Research, Randle Sloan (2019) (opens in a new tab)

  8. 2019
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    "Sole Property and Domain”: Intellectual Property Law and the Contemporary Puerto Rican Taíno Indigenous Movement, Spencer Dew (2019) (opens in a new tab)

  9. 2021
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    La fabricación del taíno. Concepto étnico-cultural y desventajas de una nomenclatura para la historia insular caribeña, Dr. Randle Sloan (2021) THESIS (opens in a new tab)

  10. n.d.
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    The Taíno: Phenomena, Concepts, and Terms, L. Antonio Curet, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (Date unlisted in paper) (opens in a new tab)

  11. 2024
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    "The Stare Down": Media, Metaphysics, and Contemporary Diasporic Taíno Politics = El Mirar Fijamente: Medios de Comunicación, Metafísica Y Política Taína Diaspórica Contemporánea, Spencer Dew (2024) (opens in a new tab)

  12. 2025
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    The Taino Lie: How a Fake Tribe Rewrote Caribbean History: An Exposé of Modern Ethnohistorical Manipulation in the Caribbean, Tanya Rodriguez (2025) (opens in a new tab)

  13. 2025
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptPaper

    The Conversion Code: An Exposé on How Tainoism Uses Psychological Programming to Recruit and Control, Tanya Rodriguez (2025) (opens in a new tab)

  14. 2026
    Academic Papers and Articles Debunking the Taino ConceptBook

    Antología de las ciencias sociales hoy: Puerto Rico, el Caribe y el mundo—Sobre arqueológicas de liberación en una "colonia poscolonial" (Puerto Rico), Jaime R. Pagán y Reniel Rodriguez Ramos (2026) (opens in a new tab)

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Genetics / DNA

Debunking The Unbroken Bloodline Narrative of Tainoism5 sources
  1. 2006
    Genetics / DNAPaper

    The Politics of Taíno Revivalism: The Insignificance of Amerindian mtDNA in the Population History of Puerto Ricans. A Comment on Recent Research, Centro Journal 17:1 (Spring), Gabriel Haslip-Viera (2006) (opens in a new tab)

  2. 2013
    Genetics / DNAPaper

    Reconstructing the Population Genetic History of the Caribbean, Andres Moreno-Estrada et al. (2013)

  3. 2020
    Genetics / DNAPaper

    Genomic Insights Into the Early Peopling of the Caribbean, Schroeder et al. (2020) (opens in a new tab)

  4. 2025
    Genetics / DNAPaper

    Diversity of Lifeways in Early Antillean Societies: A Multi-Isotope Approach, Yadira Chinique de Armas et al. (2025) (opens in a new tab)

  5. 2025
    Genetics / DNAPaper

    The Genome Grift: An Exposé on How "Taino DNA" Became a Gateway to Indigenous Identity Fraud, Tanya Rodriguez (2025) (opens in a new tab)

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Videos Debunking Tainoism

3 sources
  1. 2017
    Videos Debunking TainoismVideo

    Interview with Gabriel Haslip-Viera on January 12, 2017, Segment 2, Part 1 (opens in a new tab)

  2. 2017
    Videos Debunking TainoismVideo

    Interview with Gabriel Haslip-Viera on January 12, 2017, Segment 2, Part 2 (opens in a new tab)

  3. 2017
    Videos Debunking TainoismVideo

    Interview with Gabriel Haslip-Viera on January 12, 2017, Segment 2, Part 3 (opens in a new tab)

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Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda Machine

28 sources
  1. 1516–68
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Papeles de Fray Bartolomé de las Casas tocantes a Indias (1516-1568) (opens in a new tab)

    • Reference Code: ES.41091.AGI//PATRONATO,252
    • Reference Number: PATRONATO,252
    • Location: Archivo General de Indias (Sevilla, España) - Coleccionista

    "Papers written by Fray Bartolomé de las Casas concerning various matters relating to the Indies. Section 23 identifies a partial manuscript of his work 'Historia General de las Indias,' comprising the second and third volumes (the first is missing, in which, according to citations in the later ones, the first voyages of Admiral Christopher Columbus should have been recorded)" - AGI

  2. c. 1527
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Historia General de las Indias, Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Books 1&2 (1501-1520). Written Approx (1527) (opens in a new tab)

    • Reference Code: ES.41091.AGI//PATRONATO,252,R.23
    • Reference Number: PATRONATO,252,R.23
    • Location: Archivo General de Indias (Sevilla, España) - Coleccionista
  3. 1875–76
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    La Historia De Las Indias, Bartolome De Las Casas (1875-1876)

    Published by Madrid, Impr. de M. Ginesta—Original text written in 1494 (SOURCE- Internet Archives Books 1-5) Books made possible by El Marqués De La Fuensanta De Valle and Y.D. Jose Sanchez Rayon (1875-1876)

  4. 1493
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Cartas del Cristóbal Colón (1493) (opens in a new tab)

    These are the famous "Christopher Columbus's Letters" As you can see, there is no "taino" mentioned in any of the letters (cartas). Even though the script is Gothic, the word taino, if present, would be easily identifiable. (See Cartas del Cristóbal Colón in The Archive Section, Books Written to Fit the Taino Agenda)

  5. 1511
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Letter Honoring Cacique Guaybana / Comunicación al Cacique Guaybana, Archivo General de Indias (1511) (opens in a new tab)

    • Reference Code: INDIFERENTE,418,L.3,F.149V(3) (PARES)
  6. 1512
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Ordenanzas Para el Tratamiento de los Indios (Leyes de Burgos), Archivo General de Indias (1512) (opens in a new tab)

    • Reference Code: INDIFERENTE,419,L.4,F.83R-96V (PARES)

    Royal Provision issuing new ordinances regarding the treatment of the Indians on the island of San Juan de Puerto Rico. Composed of 35 chapters. It is a copy of the original Laws of Burgos (December 27, 1512) (No taino mentioned in document)

  7. 1530
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Libro Copiador de Cristóbal Colón, Archivo General de Indias (1530) (opens in a new tab)

    • Reference Code: ES.41091.AGI//PATRONATO,296B,R.1 (PARES)

    Cristóbal Colón's "letters/cartas", link contains seven report-letters from his four voyages and two letters that can be considered of a personal nature, written to the Catholic Monarchs between March 4, 1493 and July 7, 1503. (One of the rallying cries of tainoism is: "Christopher Columbus said taino in his letters" The reality—he doesn't mention taino at all.)

  8. 1601
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Historia General de las Indias Ocidentales, ò de los Hechos de los Castellanos en las Islas y Tierra Firme del Mar Oceano, Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas, cronista mayor de su Magestad de las Indias y de Castilla. Madrid (1601) (opens in a new tab)

    This webpage has a comprehensive list of Antonio Herrera y Tordesillas book Historia General from (1601- 1728) in all of its variations. (No taino mentioned)

  9. 1632
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva - España (1632) (Cuba/Mexico) (opens in a new tab)

  10. 1709
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Historie del S.D. Fernando Colombo: nelle quali s'ha particolare, & vera relatione della vita, & de' fatti dell'Ammiraglio D. Christoforo Colombo, suo padre (opens in a new tab)

    Key words Spagnuola, Caciqua, Cacique, Cuba, Giamaica (Jamaica), Occidentale. (ITALIAN) Listed as being published in 1571, however the book is an "Altered Copy" "Venice Edition (1709), Translated to Italian from Spanish by S. Alphonso Vllon

    This book features Fra Ramón Pané's description of his experience with a specific tribe in Hispaniola (not the whole Antilles) embedded in the pages 122-145 (in book) pages 292-336 (scroll bar).

  11. 1838
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Documentos Relativos a Cristóbal Colón, Almirante de las Indias, y los Pleitos Colombinos (1838) (opens in a new tab)

    • Reference Number: CCA,DIV,6,1
    • Reference Code: ES.47161.AGS//CCA,DIV,6,1

    Collection of 16th-century royal privileges, capitulations, and legal documents from the Catholic Monarchs confirming Christopher Columbus's titles, tax exemptions, admiralty rights, and governance powers over the Indies, including copies of the 1492 Capitulations of Santa Fe, with later 16th-century memorials and pleadings by his heirs asserting those same privileges.

  12. 1849
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    El Gíbaro, Manuel A. Alonso, Published in Barcelona by J. Oliveres (1849) (opens in a new tab)

    Considered the first major literary work of Puerto Rico, El Gíbaro documents rural life and identity through the lens of the jíbaro. Notably, there is no mention of “taino” as a people or identity, offering strong evidence that the taino concept was absent from Puerto Rican consciousness in the mid-19th century—decades before its invention and popularization in the 20th century.

  13. 1851
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Historia General y Natural de las Indias, Islas y Tierra-Firme del Mar Oceano, Captain Gonzalo Fernandez De Oviedo Y Valdez (1532-1535), translated by D. José Amador de los Ríos, Published by the Royal Academy of History Spain (1851) (opens in a new tab)

  14. 1952
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Historia de Puerto Rico (Siglo XIX), Tomo I (1808–1868), Lidio Cruz Monclova, PUB (1952) (opens in a new tab)

    No mention of Taino in this book written by Lidio Cruz Monclova who is reported to have spent seven years compiling historical information about Puerto Rican history and heritage in the Archivo General de las Indias in Seville, Spain.

  15. 1854
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Biblioteca Historica de Puerto-Rico, Alejandro Tapia y Rivera (1854) (opens in a new tab)

  16. 1858
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Collection De Los Viajes Y Descubrimiento Tomo I, Martín Fernández de Navarrete (1858) (opens in a new tab)

  17. 1866
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Historia Geográfica, Civil y Natural de la Isla de San Juan Bautista de Puerto-Rico, por Iñigo Abbad y Lasierra (1866) (opens in a new tab)

  18. 1871
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    The Arawak Language of Guiana in its Linguistic and Ethnological Relations, Daniel Garrison Brinton, Published by the American Philosophical Society (1871) (opens in a new tab)

    Book criticizes the use of the term taino and its fabrication (Page 436) while also establishing Arawak as a Language, not a tribe or community (whole book).

  19. 1880
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Los Diputados americanos en las Córtes españolas: Los Diputados de Puerto-Rico, 1872-1873, Published (1880) Madrid, Imprenta De Aurelio J Alaria (opens in a new tab)

    Book is a compilation of speeches given before Las Cortes Españolas advocating for the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico. The Criollo delegates representing the descendants of original people of the island were referred to with the word boriquena. (Pg 62 folio #76) No taino present in the book.

  20. 1882
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Enriquillo, Leyenda Histórica Dominicana (1503-1533), Manuel de Jesús Galván, Published (1882) (opens in a new tab)

    See Enriquillo in The Archive section: Books Bent to Fit the Taino Agenda

  21. 1889
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Los Indios Borinqueños, Dr. A. Stahl (1889) (opens in a new tab)

  22. 1892
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Gobierno de Frey Nicolás de Ovando en la Española, Cándido Ruiz Martínez (1892) (opens in a new tab)

    Gives the history of Cristóbal Colón's arrest and how Ovando was placed as Governor

  23. 1894
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Puerto Rico y su Historia: Investigaciones Críticas, Salvador Brau, Published by Valencia: Imprenta de F. Vives Mora (1894) (opens in a new tab)

    See Salvador Brau in The Archive section: Books Bent to Fit the Taino Agenda

  24. 1897
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Prehistoria de Puerto Rico, Cayetano Coll y Toste (1897) (opens in a new tab)

  25. 1903–04
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology / Smithsonian Institution, Jesse Fewkes (1903-1904) (opens in a new tab)

    Page 26, Fewkes states, "The designation taino has been used by several writers (does not add a footnote to cite the "several writers" in this excerpt) as a characteristic name for the Antillian race. Since it is both significant (as a classification) and euphonious (pleasant to the ear), it may be adopted as a convenient substitute for the adjective "Antillian" to designate a cultural type."

    This report by Fewkes was the cornerstone of standardizing all artifacts found in the Greater Antilles as taino. The erasure (paper genocide) is evident in the lack of specific tribal names in relation to the artifacts depicted in the report. Also to note, there are some great references about Puerto Rican Indigenous heritage which identified Borinqueños from the island of Boriquen. Taino is not used to identify the Indigenous people of Puerto Rico in the report.

  26. 1913
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Antología Puertorriqueña: Prosa Y Verso Para Lectura Escolar, Manuel Fernandez Juncos (1913) (opens in a new tab)

    Originally Published in 1895, this school reader reflects Puerto Rican identity through patriotism and literature—long before the taino narrative was invented and imposed.

  27. 1922
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachineBook

    Legendary Islands in the Atlantic, William H. Babcock (1922) (Antilla and the Antilles) (opens in a new tab)

  28. 1944
    Caribbean History Outside The Taino Propaganda MachinePrimary source

    Elegías de Varones Ilustres de Indias, Juan de Castellanos (1522-1607), Republished in Madrid, Spain: Ediciones Atlas (1944) — Key words: Boriquen, Cubagua (opens in a new tab)

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Caciques/Cacicas

48 names

Many people ask where am I from if I'm not taino? This list of Caciques and Cacicas can offer identity seekers a sense of direction and is especially powerful when placed alongside a family tree that documents the general area of one's first-born ancestor in the Greater Antilles in the 1500s.

Original phonetic spelling listed at top of section, all iterations of the same name are listed for ease of research.

Peter Martyr (Pedro Mártir) never set foot in the Caribbean; his writings have long been viewed as containing many falsehoods.

Download this list as a spreadsheet (CSV)

Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

  1. GuaybanaCacique · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    «El Rey. — Honrado cacique Guaybana: Envió á Cey Diaz á esa de San Juan &c. les daréis fé. — Tordesillas 25 de Julio de 1511.» Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, Biblioteca histórica de Puerto-Rico (1854), p. 248

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  2. UrayoanCacique · Yaguaca · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Urayoan
      • Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Historia general y natural de las Indias, t. I (written 1535–1549; reprinted 1851), p. 479 (opens in a new tab)

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  3. MabodamacaCacique · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  4. HumacaoCacique · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, Biblioteca histórica de Puerto-Rico (1854); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  5. DaguaoCacique · Daguao · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, Biblioteca histórica de Puerto-Rico (1854); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  6. AymamónCacique · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  7. AresiboCacique · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Antonio Bachiller y Morales, Cuba primitiva (1883); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  8. MayagüexCacique · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Antonio Bachiller y Morales, Cuba primitiva (1883); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  9. CacimarCacique · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, Biblioteca histórica de Puerto-Rico (1854); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  10. YahureyboCacique · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    Brother of Caçimar.

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Yahureybo
      • Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Historia general y natural de las Indias, t. I (written 1535–1549; reprinted 1851), p. 484 (opens in a new tab)

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  11. GuarionexCacique · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    A cacique of Boriquen, not the Guarionex of Hayti.

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  12. Cacique del AymanioCacique · Aymanio · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    Named by Oviedo only by his place: “un cacique que se decía del Aymanio”.

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Aymanio
      • Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Historia general y natural de las Indias, t. I (written 1535–1549; reprinted 1851), p. 471 (opens in a new tab)

  13. LuysaCacica · Haymanio · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    A river was named for her: “Luisa, por una cacica christiana, que se llamó así”.

    «al qual mataron los caribes en el Haymanio de Luysa, é á la mesma Luysa, cacica principal» Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Historia general y natural de las Indias, t. I (1851), p. 478

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Luysa
      • Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Historia general y natural de las Indias, t. I (written 1535–1549; reprinted 1851), p. 478 (opens in a new tab)

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  14. CaguaxCacique · Turabo · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Cayetano Coll y Toste, Prehistoria de Puerto Rico (1897); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  15. GuamaníCacique · Guayama · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Cayetano Coll y Toste, Prehistoria de Puerto Rico (1897); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  16. OrocobixCacique · Jatibonicu · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Cayetano Coll y Toste, Prehistoria de Puerto Rico (1897); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  17. MabóCacique · Guaynabo · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Cayetano Coll y Toste, Prehistoria de Puerto Rico (1897); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  18. MajaguaCacique · Bayamón · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Cayetano Coll y Toste, Prehistoria de Puerto Rico (1897); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  19. GuacaboCacique · Sibuco · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Cayetano Coll y Toste, Prehistoria de Puerto Rico (1897); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  20. AramanáCacique · Toa · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Cayetano Coll y Toste, Prehistoria de Puerto Rico (1897); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  21. CanóbanaCacique · Cayniabón · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Cayetano Coll y Toste, Prehistoria de Puerto Rico (1897); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  22. GuaracaCacique · Guayaney · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Cayetano Coll y Toste, Prehistoria de Puerto Rico (1897); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  23. YuquiboCacique · Daguao · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    First found in Cayetano Coll y Toste, Prehistoria de Puerto Rico (1897); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

Hayti

  1. CaonaboCacique · Maguana · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  2. GuacanagariCacique · Marien · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  3. GuarionexCacique · Magua · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  4. BehechioCacique · Xaragua · Hayti

    Brother of Anacaona.

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  5. AnacaonaCacica · Xaragua · Hayti

    Sister of Behechio and wife of Caonabo.

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  6. CotubanamáCacique · Higuey · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  7. MayobanexCacique · Ciguayos · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  8. ManicaotexCacique · Hayti

    Brother of Caonabo.

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  9. GuatiguanaCacique · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Guatiguaná
      • Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, t. II (written c. 1527–1561; reprinted 1875), p. 76 (opens in a new tab)
    • Guatigana
      • Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, t. II (written c. 1527–1561; reprinted 1875), p. 84 (opens in a new tab)

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  10. CayacoaCacique · Higuey · Hayti

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Cayacoa
      • Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Historia general y natural de las Indias, t. I (written 1535–1549; reprinted 1851), p. 65 (opens in a new tab)

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  11. HiguanamaCacica · Higuey · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

  12. EnriquilloCacique · Baoruco · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  13. MayreníCacique · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    • Mayrení
      • Martín Fernández de Navarrete, ed., Colección de los viages y descubrimientos, t. I (Colón’s log and letters; Dr. Chanca’s letter) (written 1492–1494; printed 1825), p. 364 (opens in a new tab)
    • Mayreni

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  14. MaviatúeCacique · Hayti

    First found in Antonio Bachiller y Morales, Cuba primitiva (1883); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

    • Maviatúe
      • Fernando Colón, Historia del Almirante, t. II (with Ramón Pané’s account) (written before 1539; Pané 1498; printed 1892), p. 15 (opens in a new tab)
    • Maviatué

  15. GuanaoconelCacique · Macorix · Hayti

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Guanaoconel
      • Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, t. II (written c. 1527–1561; reprinted 1875), p. 120 (opens in a new tab)

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

    • Guavavoconel
      • Fernando Colón, Historia del Almirante, t. II (with Ramón Pané’s account) (written before 1539; Pané 1498; printed 1892), p. 12 (opens in a new tab)
    • Guaoconel

  16. HaniguayabaCacique · Guahaba · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

  17. GuaorocuyaCacique · Hayti

    Nephew of Anacaona.

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Guaorocuyá
      • Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, t. III (written c. 1527–1561; reprinted 1875), p. 56 (opens in a new tab)

  18. HigueymotaSeñora · Hayti

    Daughter of Anacaona.

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

  19. UxmatexCacique · Cibao · Hayti

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Uxmatex
      • Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, t. V (written c. 1527–1561; reprinted 1876), p. 483 (opens in a new tab)

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  20. MarcheCacique · Vega · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  21. GuamaretusCacique · Hayti

    First found in Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, De Orbe Novo, vol. 1 (English translation by F. A. MacNutt) (1912); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

    • Guamaretus
      • Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, De Orbe Novo, vol. 1 (English translation by F. A. MacNutt) (written 1511–1530; printed 1912), p. 178 (opens in a new tab), 179 (opens in a new tab) Peter Martyr never set foot in the Antilles; he wrote in Spain from the reports of Colón and others.

  22. MachinnechCacique · Hayti

    First found in Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, De Orbe Novo, vol. 1 (English translation by F. A. MacNutt) (1912); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

    • Machinnech
      • Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, De Orbe Novo, vol. 1 (English translation by F. A. MacNutt) (written 1511–1530; printed 1912), p. 175 (opens in a new tab) Peter Martyr never set foot in the Antilles; he wrote in Spain from the reports of Colón and others.
      • Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, De Orbe Novo, vol. 2 (English translation by F. A. MacNutt) (written 1511–1530; printed 1912), p. 448 (opens in a new tab) Peter Martyr never set foot in the Antilles; he wrote in Spain from the reports of Colón and others.

Cuba

  1. HatueyCacique · Guahaba (Hayti) · Cuba

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  2. HabaguanexCacique · Cuba

    First found in Antonio Bachiller y Morales, Cuba primitiva (1883); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

Jamaica

  1. AmeyroCacique · Jamaica

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    • Ameyro
      • Martín Fernández de Navarrete, ed., Colección de los viages y descubrimientos, t. I (Colón’s log and letters; Dr. Chanca’s letter) (written 1492–1494; printed 1825), p. 468 (opens in a new tab)

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

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Tribal Names/Regions/Islands

38 names

Designed specifically for archivists, anthropologists, researchers, historians, and identity seekers, this list offers a map of regions to update terms in museum artifacts while also offering identity seekers a path forward in connecting with the regions of one's ancestors in the Greater Antilles.

Original phonetic spelling listed at top of section, all iterations are listed for ease of research.

Peter Martyr (Pedro Mártir) never set foot in the Caribbean; his writings have long been viewed as containing many falsehoods.

Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

  1. BoriquenIsland

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  2. BoricuaTribe · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    «dice: "que la Isla se llamó Borícua ó Borinquen". Respecto de la primera palabra, me hallo en el caso de manifestar, que no es propia, puesto que ninguno de los escritores mas autorizados justifica su uso» Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, Biblioteca histórica de Puerto-Rico (1854), introducción
    «la transformación de Boriquen en Borícue ó Borícua. Los ilustrados D. Juan Manuel Echeverría y D. Manuel Felipe Castro, […] en sus cantos épicos consagrados al asedio británico de 1797» Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, Biblioteca histórica de Puerto-Rico (1854), introducción
    «Letronne en su Geografía Universal (1844), y Pastrana en su Catecismo geográfico (1852) llaman á la isla boricua. El mismo Pastrana, con su genio poético, toma el vocablo de Fray Iñigo Abbád, Borinquén, y cambiando el acento crea […]» Cayetano Coll y Toste, Colón en Puerto-Rico (1893), p. 119

    First found in Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, Biblioteca histórica de Puerto-Rico (1854); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  3. YaguecaRegion · Boriquen (Puerto Rico)

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Yagueca
      • Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Historia general y natural de las Indias, t. I (written 1535–1549; reprinted 1851), p. 481 (opens in a new tab)
    • Yaguaca
      • Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Historia general y natural de las Indias, t. I (written 1535–1549; reprinted 1851), p. 479 (opens in a new tab)

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

Hayti

  1. HaytiIsland

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  2. QuisqueyaIsland

    First found in Antonio Bachiller y Morales, Cuba primitiva (1883); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  3. CiguayosTribe · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  4. MaguaRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  5. MarienRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    • Marien
      • Martín Fernández de Navarrete, ed., Colección de los viages y descubrimientos, t. I (Colón’s log and letters; Dr. Chanca’s letter) (written 1492–1494; printed 1825), p. 254 (opens in a new tab)
      • Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas, Historia general de los hechos de los castellanos, Décadas I–II (1601), search this book ↗ (opens in a new tab)

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  6. MaguanaRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    • Maguana
      • Martín Fernández de Navarrete, ed., Colección de los viages y descubrimientos, t. I (Colón’s log and letters; Dr. Chanca’s letter) (written 1492–1494; printed 1825), p. 86 (opens in a new tab)
      • Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas, Historia general de los hechos de los castellanos, Décadas I–II (1601), search this book ↗ (opens in a new tab)

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  7. XaraguaRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  8. HigueyRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  9. CibaoRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  10. GuahabaRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

  11. HaniguayabaRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

  12. BaynoaRegion · Hayti

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  13. CaiaboRegion · Hayti

    First found in Antonio Bachiller y Morales, Cuba primitiva (1883); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  14. YaquimoRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  15. SamanaRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  16. MacorixRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  17. BaorucoRegion · Hayti

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  18. BonaoRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  19. CotuyRegion · Hayti

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  20. YaguanaRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  21. AzuaRegion · Hayti

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

Cuba

  1. CubaIsland

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  2. CibonéyesTribe · Cuba

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    • Cibonéyes
      • Bartolomé de las Casas, Historia de las Indias, t. III (written c. 1527–1561; reprinted 1875), p. 464 (opens in a new tab)

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  3. SabanequeRegion · Cuba

    First found in Antonio Bachiller y Morales, Cuba primitiva (1883); earlier sourcing pending.

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  4. CueybaRegion · Cuba

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  5. CamagueyRegion · Cuba

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  6. BayamoRegion · Cuba

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    • Bayamo
      • Martín Fernández de Navarrete, ed., Colección de los viages y descubrimientos, t. I (Colón’s log and letters; Dr. Chanca’s letter) (written 1492–1494; printed 1825), p. 201 (opens in a new tab)
    • Bayámo

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  7. GuaniguanicoRegion · Cuba

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  8. XaguaRegion · Cuba

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  9. MacacaRegion · Cuba

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  10. MayciRegion · Cuba

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

Jamaica

  1. JamaicaIsland

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

Other islands

  1. GuanahaniIsland

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  2. LucayosTribe · Other islands

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

  3. CaribesTribe · Other islands

    Printed before 1836, when Rafinesque coined “taino”

    16th-century works in printings after 1836

    Later works: 19th and 20th centuries

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Maps of the Antilles / Caribbean

8 sources
  1. 1424
    Maps of the Antilles / CaribbeanMap

    Zuane Pizzigano Map (1424) (opens in a new tab)

    Said to be the oldest existing map that documents the island Antilla.

  2. 1474
    Maps of the Antilles / CaribbeanMap

    Toscanelli Map (1474) (opens in a new tab)

    It is said to be the map Colón used on his second voyage. All documentation from his first voyage have been lost to time.

  3. 1492
    Maps of the Antilles / CaribbeanMap

    Behaim's Erdapfel (1492) (opens in a new tab)

    Map could quite possibly be the origin of the Colón sailing to Asia narrative as per the Protestants (La Leyenda Negra)

  4. 1500
    Maps of the Antilles / CaribbeanMap

    Juan de La Cosa Map (1500) (opens in a new tab)

  5. c. 1511
    Maps of the Antilles / CaribbeanMap

    Petyr Martyr Map — Approx (1511)

    Petyr Martyr never set foot in the Antilles; his writings have been long viewed as containing many falsehoods.

  6. 1514–15
    Maps of the Antilles / CaribbeanMap

    Freducchi Map (1514-1515) (opens in a new tab)

    Showing Ponce De Leon's Florida just north of Cuba

  7. 1601
    Maps of the Antilles / CaribbeanMap

    Description De Las Yndias Del Norte, Antonio De Herrera (1601) (opens in a new tab)

  8. Maps of the Antilles / CaribbeanMap

    Maps of Puerto Rico through the Centuries (opens in a new tab)

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DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)

The Tainoizing of Puerto Rico10 sources
  1. 1958
    DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)Article

    The Bard of Bootstrap, TIME Magazine (1958) (opens in a new tab)

  2. 1967
    DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)Book

    The Meaning of Community Development, Fred Wale, Carmen Isales (1967)

  3. 1964
    DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)Paper

    The Community Education Division: Part II Field Program, Community Development Bulletin Vol. 15, No. 4/5 (Sept./Dec. 1964), pp. 147-159, Oxford University Press (opens in a new tab)

    (Not full article, JSTOR)

  4. 1967
    DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)Paper

    Visual Aids and Good Thinking in Community Education in Puerto Rico, K. M. Harrison, Community Development Journal Vol. 2, No. 5 (January 1967), pp. 30-41, Oxford University Press (opens in a new tab)

    (Excerpt, full paper is by request from Oxford University Press)

  5. 2011
    DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)Paper

    Poetic Pragmatism: The Puerto Rican Division of Community Education (DIVEDCO) and the Politics of Cultural Production, 1949-1968, Mariam Colón Pizarro (2011) (opens in a new tab)

  6. 1967
    DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)Video

    DIVEDCO Movie: La Buena Herencia (1967) (opens in a new tab)

  7. 1968
    DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)Curriculum

    Companion Book to La Buena Herencia: Isla y pueblo (PUB by DIVEDCO 1968) (opens in a new tab)

    Note, this companion book is the first established primary education text that established taino in the education system of Puerto Rico. It is also the first documented text that features the term Boriken as the first step of erasing Bori(n)quen from Puerto Rican history.

  8. c. 2018
    DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)Article

    Article: Carteles DIVEDCO / DIVEDCO Posters — Marisel C. Moreno y Thomas F. Anderson, Published by Universidad del Sagrado Corazón (Approx 2018) (opens in a new tab)

  9. DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)Video

    DIVEDCO Movies — YouTube playlist (opens in a new tab)

  10. DIVEDCO (1949-1991) — Operation Serenity (Est. 1949)Video

    DIVEDCO Movies — Instituto Cultura Puertorriqueña (opens in a new tab)

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Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)

15 sources

Books

  1. 1825–37
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Book

    Coleccion de los viages y descubrimientos que hicieron por mar los españoles desde fines del siglo XV, coordinada é ilustrada por D. Martín Fernandez de Navarrete (1825-1837) (V. 1-5) (opens in a new tab)

    On page 611 volume 1 in this series of books from Navarrete, this quote appears: "The boats that had been in Guarico returned, whose population was the most well-organized among those they had seen. The Spaniards were very well treated by the cacique and his people: Nitaino, the name of a principal lord." This specific quote is one that appears in a couple of books rewritten in this time period. As you can see, Nitaino was the name of a person, possibly a title—NOT a community, nor a tribe, nor a "people." This evidence of linguistic sleight of hand is one of the most damning for tainoism, as it shows how a word has been distorted to fit a completely fabricated concept of indigenous identity.

    Another interesting aspect of this book is the mention of "Cipango" on page 608 which opens the chapter the term "Nitaino" is found. It is important to note the word "Cipango" is not mentioned in any of Colón's original letters to Santangel or any documentation of first contact. The Cipango narrative came in later as an artifact from La Leyenda Negra to paint Colón in a negative light. The reality, Colón was seeking out the island of Antilla I confirmed the Pizzigano map (1424) and the Toscanelli map (1474) which documents Antilla. In the Toscanelli map, the American continent is omitted—indicating the whole of the Americas was yet to be officially documented thru cartography.

  2. 1836
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Book

    The American Nations, Constantine Rafinesque Schmaltz (1836) (opens in a new tab)

    Book that COINED the word "Taino"

  3. 1916
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Book

    Central American and West Indian Archaeology, being an introduction to the archaeology of the states of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the West Indies, T.A. Joyce (1916) (opens in a new tab)

    Where Fewkes Standardized "Taino" as a classification of Artifacts, T.A. Joyce in January 1916, wrote the first book that standardized taino as a culture. This book is the root of the "taino culture" see in the preface where the originators of a westernized perspective of the Caribbean were named—Academics who built upon one another's interpretations citing each other in a closed institutional loop that rendered Spanish primary source documents invisible, thus framing ethnopoiesis as anthropology.

  4. 1916
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Book

    The Early History of Cuba, I.A. Wright (1916) (opens in a new tab)

  5. 1945
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Book

    Handbook of South American Indians, Edited by Julian H. Steward for the Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology (1945) (opens in a new tab)

  6. 1977
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Book

    Diccionario de Voces Indígenas de Puerto Rico, Luis Hernández Aquino (1977) (opens in a new tab)

  7. 1988
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Book

    Relación Acerca De Las Antigüedades De Los Indios, Jose Juan Arrom (1988)

  8. 1990–92
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Book

    The Tainos: Rise & Decline of the People who Greeted Columbus, Irving Rouse (1990/1992) (opens in a new tab)

Articles / Curriculum

Standardizing The Taino Concept / Examples of Academic Dishonesty

  1. 1972–73
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Curriculum

    Puerto Rico and the Puerto Ricans; A Teaching and Resource Unit for Upper Level Spanish Students or Social Studies Classes — Curriculum Submission by Milagros Carrero (1972/3) (opens in a new tab)

    • Institution: Prince George's County Board of Education, Upper Marlboro, Md.

    This is the first documented introduction of "taino" into the American education system outside of Puerto Rico.

  2. 1992
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Paper

    Puerto Rico — 500 Years Of Oppression, Piri Thomas and Suzie Dod, Published in Social Justice (1992) (opens in a new tab)

    This paper is one of the most cited in academic papers appearing as, (Thomas & Dod). It is also one of the earliest overt taino propaganda pieces in the formation of taino high control groups/nonprofits in the 1990's.

  3. 2012
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Article

    Luis Hernández Aquino: Apuntes en Torno al Tema Taíno en Puerto Rico, Mario Cancel Sepulveda (2012) (opens in a new tab)

  4. n.d.
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Curriculum

    Resistance and Revolt Handout, Scribd (No Date Available) (opens in a new tab)

  5. n.d.
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Curriculum

    Grades 10 & 11 — Social Practices of The Tainos Handout, Scribd (No Date Available) (opens in a new tab)

  6. 2025
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Curriculum

    The Taínos of Puerto Rico: Rediscovering Borinquen, Elsa María Calderón, Published by Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute (2025) (opens in a new tab)

  7. 2026
    Academic Standardization of the Taino Concept (1836–Present)Book

    Ethics in Caribbean Archaeology, University Press of Florida (2026) (opens in a new tab)

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Books Bent to Fit the Taino Agenda

25 sources

Cartas del Cristóbal Colón (1493) — Cayetano Coll y Toste (1893)

  1. PARES link: "Confirmación a Don Cristóbal Colón del título de Don y de los de Almirante, Virrey y Gobernador de las Islas y tierra firme del Mar Océano" (1497-04-23). Location: Archivo General de Simancas — Signatura RGS,LEG,149704,2. Is where the excerpt from Colon en Puerto-Rico written by Cayetano Coll y Toste (1893) suggests this quote:

    “En todas estas islas non vide mucha diversidad en la fechura de la gente, nin en las costumbres, nin en la lengua, salvo que todos se entienden que es cosa muy singular.” / “In all these islands I did not see much diversity in the appearance of the people, nor in their customs, nor in their language, except that they all understand each other, which is a very singular thing.”

    HOWEVER, when the quote is cross referenced, with the actual document, the quote itself does not appear.

  2. 1497
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaPrimary source

    Cristóbal Colón's Cartas — Original Documents (PARES)

    • Reference Code: ES.47161.AGS/3.2.1.31//RGS,LEG,149704,2
  3. 2024
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Colon en Puerto Rico, Cayetano Coll y Toste (ORIGINAL PUBLISH DATE 1893) — Project Gutenberg e-book (opens in a new tab)

    This link is to the Gutenberg Library Publication which does not feature the actual book from Cayetano Coll y Toste and is rather an e-book published March 16, 2024. Also, to note, Colon en Puerto Rico is where the narrative of "lands of the valiant lord" first appears.

  4. 1893
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Original Book: Colon en Puerto Rico, Cayetano Coll y Toste (1893), Internet Archive (opens in a new tab)

    Book is also misattributed to Diego Alvarez Chanca.

    This is one example out of many that show just how significantly Cristóbal Colón's writings have been distorted through time. And how modern written books misattribute authorship to people who lived hundreds of years before the book was written. This sleight of hand acts to suggest the contents of the book attribute to early chroniclers when in reality, the book itself is written for the sentiment and/or political agenda at the time of publication. In this case, Cayetano Coll y Toste wrote Colon en Puerto Rico to spark national pride during the 400th anniversary commemoration of Cristóbal Colón landing in Puerto Rico in 1493.

    Note: The word nitaino is mentioned in the book, and is described as a title, not a people, tribe, or community. (Page 136 in book / Page 152 on scroll bar on Internet Archive link)

Brevisima Relacion De La Destruccion De Las Indias

Published in Barcelona by Casa de Antonio Lacavalleria in 1646, this reprint of Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias is the closest version to the original 1552 Seville edition still in circulation. Originally written by Bartolomé de las Casas to Prince Philip II, the Brevísima was intended as a moral appeal for reform—urging the Crown to abolish Indigenous slavery and protect Native people throughout the Antilles, South America, and Mexico.

Far from being an indictment of “Spanishness,” Las Casas's original text helped inspire the Leyes Nuevas de las Indias (1542–43)—royal decrees issued by Emperor Charles V and drafted by jurists of the Council of the Indies to safeguard Native populations and prohibiting any new encomiendas. These laws were conceived as instruments of protection and justice, not further subjugation, reflecting a pivotal moment when Spain attempted to legislate ethical governance in its overseas territories.

Las Leyes Nuevas in modern times is often mistakenly labeled as La Leyenda Negra. Both are two vastly different things—from two different countries meant for different purposes, Nuevas (Spain) was created to protect the native Antilles people. Leyenda Negra (Germany) was created to demonize the Spanish during the Protestant/Catholic wars.

  1. 1646
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaPrimary source

    Breuissima Relacion de la Destruycion de las Indias Occidentales por los Castellanos — Las Obras del Obispo D. Fray Bartolome de las Casas (1646), En Barcelona: en casa de Antonio Lacaualleria (opens in a new tab)

  2. 1542
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaPrimary source

    Las Leyes Nuevas, Laws and Provisions, November 20, 1542 — Real Provisión Dando Ordenanzas Para el Consejo de Indias y Para el Buen Gobierno de las Indias (en 40 capítulos), Archivo General de Indias (opens in a new tab)

    • Reference Code: ES.41091.AGI/22//INDIFERENTE,423,L.20,F.606V-615R

  3. The (1664) German edition of Brevísima shown here was part of a Protestant-led anti-Spanish propaganda campaign known as La Leyenda Negra (The Black Legend), in which Protestant states republished and reinterpreted Las Casas's work to vilify Catholic Spain. In other words, the book that tainoists use to demonize Spanish ancestry is itself a political fabrication—a highly edited reinterpretation far removed from Las Casas's original text. What tainoists neglect to mention is the (1664) edition was among the main sources for promoting the “Spanish were horrible” narrative, a legacy that still surfaces today—often to justify the ongoing dehumanization of Latino and Caribbean people.

    The sensationalized woodcut images included in this German printing were produced in Amsterdam for Protestant audiences and do not appear in the 1646 Seville edition (shown above), which was printed in Spain as a counter-narrative meant to closely mirror the 1542 original. The link below is misattributed to Bartolomé de las Casas and represents a propagandized version of his writing, not an authentic historical account.

    No taino is mentioned in this book or in any of the Brevisima books.

  4. 1664
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Regionvm Indicarum per Hispanos Olim Devastatarum Accuratissima Descriptio, insertis Figuris æneis ad vivum fabrefactis, Germany (1664) (opens in a new tab)

  5. 1821
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Breve relacion de la destruccion de las Indias occidentales (1821), PUB by J.F. Hurtel, Philadelphia (opens in a new tab)

    This next version of Las Casas's Brevisima was written in (1821) and published out of Philadelphia. It reflects post-enlightenment and early colonial critiques of the Spanish Caribbean. It is not a full translation and was written in a time where colonialism, abolition, and national identity were being debated in colonial America. The book serves as a lighthouse for the trend of 19th century American publications that serve ideological aims and political motives regarding Spanish colonial history. Book is misattributed to Bartolomé de las Casas in link.

  6. 1821
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Brevissima relación de la destrucción de Indias, Cadiz (1821) (opens in a new tab)

    Published in Cadiz, Spain in 1821, this particular Brevisima quite possibly could be the most trustworthy modern reprint of the original Brevisima from (1542/1646). There are no references to "taino, tayno, or boriken" in the book. There are however, names of Caciques in Hispaniola. Book is misattributed to Bartolomé de las Casas in link.

Enriquillo

The story of Enriquillo offers a clear example of how tainoists retroactively impose the taino classification by replacing historically continuous tribal identities with a fabricated one. The absence of the word “taino” in this pre-taino standardization account, underscores how 21st-century texts have been rewritten to insert taino into places it never existed. This is a textbook example of linguistic imperialism—the reframing of history to serve the taino agenda.

  1. 1882
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Enriquillo, Leyenda Histórica Dominicana (1503-1533), Manuel de Jesús Galván, Published (1882) (opens in a new tab)

  2. Enriquillo Distorted by Tainoism:

  3. Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaArticle

    Enriquillo on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)

  4. n.d.
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaArticle

    Rebelión Taína de Enriquillo, Jacinto Peña Flores, Scribd (No Date Available) (opens in a new tab)

  5. n.d.
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaArticle

    Enriquillo, Rimairy Zapata, Scribd (No Date Available) (opens in a new tab)

  6. 2012
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Taino: A Novel, Jose Barreiro (2012) (opens in a new tab)

  7. 2020
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Guarocuya. El Taíno que Derrotó al Imperio Español, Fran Zabaleta (2020) (opens in a new tab)

Salvador Brau

The Salvador Brau book listed in the above section, "Resources Debunking Tainoism" predates the (1904) speech by Jesse Walter Fewkes at the Smithsonian, in which he declared "Taino" a suitable replacement for "Antilles" to classify all artifacts found in the Greater Antilles. Below, I’ve listed three books commonly used by tainoists to “prove” historical continuity—each of which unscrupulously reframes Salvador Brau’s original work to fit the taino agenda.

  1. 1907
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    La colonización de Puerto Rico, desde el descubrimiento de la isla hasta la reversión á la corona española de los privilegios de Colón, Salvador Brau (1907) (opens in a new tab)

  2. 1917
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Historia de Puerto Rico, por Salvador Brau (1917) (opens in a new tab)

  3. 1966
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Historia de Puerto Rico (1904) de Salvador Brau (Rewritten in 1966) (opens in a new tab)

Dr. Diego Alvarez Chanca

Dr. Chanca is one of the most distorted narratives within the confines of tainoism. The actual writings detailing Dr. Chanca's experience is majority lifted out of La Historia de las Indias written by Bartolome De Las Casas.

The original "translation" of Dr. Chanca's "letters" is found in Washington Irving's book, A history of the life and voyages of Christopher Columbus (1828). Since Irving's book was written before the word taino was coined, the word taino does not make an appearance in the book.

So when did the taino version of Dr. Chanca's letters first appear?

RH Major's Select Letters of Christopher Columbus was first printed 1847, published in January 1848, and republished in 1870. The majority of the book is populated with content from La Historia (see above) retroactively adding the word Tayno of which is not present in earlier copies of La Historia. The word "Taino" specifically is not present in the Select Letters. Both the 1800's versions of La Historia and RH Major's Select Letters were published by the Hakluyt Society. On Internet Archives, the book is misattributed to Christopher Columbus and Dr. Diego Chanca, not, Richard Henry Major.

  1. 1870
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Select Letters of Christopher Columbus, With Other Original Documents, Relating to His Four Voyages to the New World, RH Major, Published by the Hakluyt Society (1870) (opens in a new tab)

  2. Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaResource

    The Hakluyt Society (opens in a new tab)

  3. Following Select Letters, in the year 1883, a Cuban scholar named Antonio Bachiller Y Morales wrote the book, Cuba primitiva. Origen, Lenguas, Tradiciones e Historia de los Indios de las Antillas Mayores y las Lucayas. This is the first traceable book where tainoism's Dr. Chanca narrative of "Taino, Taino" appears.

  4. 1883
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Cuba Primitiva. Origen, Lenguas, Tradiciones e Historia de los Indios de las Antillas Mayores y las Lucayas, Antonio Bachiller Y Morales (1883), Published in joint combination with Cuba, America (opens in a new tab)

  5. 1893
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    Colón en Puerto-Rico: Disquisiciones Histórico-Filológicas, Cayetano Coll y Toste (1893) (opens in a new tab)

    Features the words Tayno Tayno specifically relating to the island of Guadalupe, not Hispaniola or Cuba (in footnotes), page 47. Book also features original Antilles island names.

  6. The "Taino Taino Dr. Chanca" narrative was firmly established in the circles of academia with the publishing of Jesse Walter Fewkes Twenty‑Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology titled The Aborigines of Porto Rico and Neighboring Islands, Smithsonian (1903-4).

  7. 1903–04
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaBook

    The Aborigines of Porto Rico and Neighboring Islands, Jesse Walter Fewkes, Twenty-Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Smithsonian (1903-4) (opens in a new tab)

  8. Every subsequent publication featuring Dr. Chanca's "taino taino" derives from this lineage of an academic sleight of hand, turned repeating taino concepts, evolving to a core tainoism narrative.

  9. 1904
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaPaper

    The Letter of Dr. Diego Alvarez Chanca, Dated 1494, Relating to the Second Voyage of Columbus to America, A. M. Fernandez de Ybarra, A.B., M.D. (1904) (opens in a new tab)

  10. 1969
    Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaPaper

    Book Review, Duke University Press (1969): Dr. Diego Álvarez Chanca (Estudio Biográfico) by Aurelio Tío, Puerto Rico (1966), Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (opens in a new tab)

Jesse Walter Fewkes

Jesse Walter Fewkes started his career out as a zoologist evolving to anthropologist/archeologist who was known to simplify and erase distinct indigenous cultures from Zuni Pueblos to the Greater Antilles. It was his speech at the Smithsonian in 1904 that established the term taino as "a suitable classification for the Antillian race" (See Books Section Above)

  1. Books Bent to Fit the Taino AgendaResource

    Fewkes Family Papers, Historic Newton Museum (opens in a new tab)

    Fewkes was born in Newton, Massachusetts (1850) where a collection of his works are preserved in the Historic Newton Museum.

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Taino Language Origins

5 sources

Tainoists misuse Breton’s Dictionaire François-Caraibe as a core source in the fabrication of a taino language. Despite the fact the book documents Island Carib speech from the Lesser Antilles specifically Guadalupe—not the Greater Antilles—taino language bookpreneurs have glommed onto Dictionaire, and have used it to create a "taino language" adding words that have been made up from whole cloth, or "borrowed" Indigenous words that may have stood the test of time in the whole of the Caribbean. Tainoists also misconstrue the contextual meaning of "female language" (the language of women) to suggest a mystical feminine "Indigenous" knowledge. This dismisses the very real differences in linguistics of feminine and masculine throughout humanity.

  1. 1665
    Taino Language OriginsPrimary source

    Dictionaire Caraibe-Francois, Révérend Raymond Breton (1665) (opens in a new tab)

  2. 1666
    Taino Language OriginsPrimary source

    Dictionaire Francois-Caraibe, Révérend Raymond Breton (1666) (opens in a new tab)

  3. 1836
    Taino Language OriginsBook

    The American Nations, Constantine Rafinesque Schmaltz (1836) (opens in a new tab)

  4. 1871
    Taino Language OriginsBook

    The Arawack Language of Guiana in its Linguistic and Ethnological Relations, Daniel Garrison Brinton (1871) (opens in a new tab)

  5. 1883
    Taino Language OriginsBook

    Cuba Primitiva. Origen, Lenguas, Tradiciones e Historia de los Indios de las Antillas Mayores y las Lucayas, Antonio Bachiller Y Morales (1883), Published in joint combination with Cuba, America (opens in a new tab)

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Citation Irregularities Within Taino Scholarship

6 sources

A citation irregularity occurs when a source reference appears to substantiate a claim but does not withstand verification. Such irregularities may arise from deliberate misrepresentation or from negligent research practice.

They take several forms:

  1. Fabricated citation — a source that does not exist at all.

    Misrepresented citation — a real source that does not say what the citation claims it says.

    Phantom page citation — a real source with a real-looking page or location reference that does not correspond to any actual content supporting the claim.

    Deceptive URL citation — a link constructed to look like a verified search result, often using a real archive's URL syntax with embedded search terms, creating the appearance of a primary source hit where none exists.

    Examples:

  2. 1667
    Citation Irregularities Within Taino ScholarshipBook

    A trve & exact history of the Island of Barbados, Richard Ligon (1667) (opens in a new tab)

    • PSV — Claimed search term embedded in URL: "Tayno" / Search conducted: all three variants — Taino, Tayno, Ta'ino / Result: zero hits / Pages in document: 169 / Word "Tayno" or any variant: absent
  3. 1831
    Citation Irregularities Within Taino ScholarshipBook

    Memorias geográficas, históricas, económicas y estadísticas de la isla de Puerto-Rico, Tomo VI, Pedro Tomás de Córdova (1831), PUB En la oficina del gobierno, a cargo de D. Valeriano de Sanmillan, Puerto Rico (opens in a new tab)

    PSV — Even though the word taino is not mentioned in the book, the info blurb about the book on Internet Archive falsely states "The last chapter contains a useful list of Puerto Rican governors and religious leaders (from the Taino Indians until the early 1830s)" falsely suggesting the term taino is in the book which presents a citation irregularity within search URL's and for people who see the term and do not read the book to know the term taino in any context is not in the book itself leading to misleading citations and revisionist history.

  4. Citation Irregularities Within Taino ScholarshipBook

    Historia General y Natural de las Indias, Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo — Internet Archive item dated 1526 (opens in a new tab)

    PSV — Listed as printed in 1526. It is the 1851 Madrid edition (Real Academia de la Historia): the pages are the same as that edition, e.g. Caonabo on p. 58 in both. Anyone citing it as an early printing is citing a 19th-century text, printed after the word taino was coined in 1836.

  5. Citation Irregularities Within Taino ScholarshipBook

    Historia General de las Indias, Vol 1, Francisco López de Gómara — Internet Archive item dated 1552

    PSV — Listed as printed in 1552. It is a modern typeset edition, with modern spelling and accents (más, Cristóbal), not the 1552 printing. A genuine 16th-century printing (1554) is on the Internet Archive as “La historia general de las Indias, y todo lo acaescido enellas”.

  6. Citation Irregularities Within Taino ScholarshipBook

    Brevísima Relación de la Destrucción de las Indias, Bartolomé de las Casas — Internet Archive item dated 1552 (opens in a new tab)

    PSV — Listed as printed in 1552. It is a modern edition with a modern introduction that reproduces the 1552 text; it is not the 1552 printing itself.

  7. Citation Irregularities Within Taino ScholarshipResource

    How to identify citation irregularities in tainocentric papers, articles and books (slide deck) (opens in a new tab)

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Resources for Further Learning

9 sources
  1. Resources for Further LearningResource

    Facebook Resource Hub — Taino Leadership Summit (opens in a new tab)

  2. 2021
    Resources for Further LearningVideo

    Taino Leadership Summit Online Event (2021) (opens in a new tab)

  3. Resources for Further LearningResource

    TikTok Resource Hub — WhAt ThE tAiNo 🪇

  4. 2025
    Resources for Further LearningResource

    Tainoism Awareness Guidebook (2025) (opens in a new tab)

  5. 2026
    Resources for Further LearningResource

    Tainoism Awareness Guidebook (2026) (opens in a new tab)

  6. Resources for Further LearningArticle

    The Colonial Wound of Betrayal — The Real Story of the Taino Leadership Summit (opens in a new tab)

    Personal essay detailing #tainoharm and disaffiliation from Tainoism.

  7. 2026
    Resources for Further LearningVideo

    The Taíno Lie: How Puerto Ricans Lost Their Story — and How We Can Take It Back (opens in a new tab)

    Podcast hosted by Fortaleza on YouTube. Publish date, January 13, 2026.

  8. 2026
    Resources for Further LearningResource

    Caciques and Cacicas of the Caribbean Islands: Names, Spellings and Pages in the Sources (spreadsheet)

    Every spelling of each cacique and cacica printed in the chroniclers and in later works, with region, island, book, page and a link to the scanned page. Compiled by the Taino Leadership Summit.

  9. Resources for Further LearningPaper

    Special Report: Pretendians and Publications — The Problem and Solutions to Redface Research, Yellowhead Institute (opens in a new tab)

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