On the term Taino

Did You Know: The term Taino appears twice in the historical record spoken by Taino people as a way to describe themselves collectively. In one instance, Dr. Diego Alvarez Chanca, reports that on the island near Guadeloupe, Indigenous women and men from Borikén (Puerto Rico) used the word Taino to differentiate themselves from other Indigenous Peoples in the area. Chanca was an eyewitness to the encounter. In a second introductory encounter, Melchior Maldonado was exploring Kiskeia (Dominican Republic), and a group of Taino men led by an elder male also identified themselves using the term Taino. This event was recorded by Peter Martyr D'Anghera who received the information from an eyewitness. While Chanca, misinterprets Taino to mean “good,” D'Anghera translates it as “good men,” which is closer to the actual interpretation of “good people.” - UCTP Taino News © 2013