Tabanuco is a Taino word

Did You Know - The Tabanuko (Dacryodes excels) tree is native to the Caribbean region. Its vernacular names also include gommier and candlewood. The word tabanuko (tabanuco) is the indigenous Taino term for the tree that is still used today. It is distinguished by broad low buttresses, smooth gray bark, and compound leaves with five to seven fragrant, dark-green leaflets. When wounded, the tree exudes a clear, fragrant resin that hardens and turns white on exposure. The wood is only slightly resistant to decay, lasting 3 years or less in the ground however the resin of tabonuko for making candles and torches, for caulking boats, for incense, and for medicinal purposes. The endangered Puerto Rican parrot or Higuaka feeds on tabonuco seeds. - UCTP Taino New © 2011

Parrots and Taino

Did You Know - The ancient Taino people developed an ingenious and sophisticated way of trapping certain birds especially parrots. To capture the birds, children would wear a specially woven hat made from palm tree material, and then hide in selected trees. Once in the tree, the children would also coat various branches with a special sticky resin. Finally, for this trap to be successful the child hunter would take along live parrot whose squawks would attract other birds to the tree. Once landing in the trees, the parrots would become stuck to the resin and easily captured by the young Taino hunters. Parrots were favored among community members because of their beauty and the ability to be domesticated. Some Taino terms for parrots include Kaika, Paraka, and Higuaka. – UCTP Taino News © 2008