The precontact Taíno culture occupying the island of Haiti (also indigenously referred to as Quisqueya or Bohio) was a well-organized communal society divided among five caciquats or “kingdoms.” In Taíno, Haiti means “high ground” or “mountainous land.” However, the Taíno population (Taíno meaning “good” or “noble”) was primarily concentrated on the island’s coastal plains and interior valleys. Each caciquat was governed by a cacique (chief).
MARIEN - Covered all the northeast of the island, from what is today Môle St. Nicolas, Haiti, to the shores of the Yaque del Norte river in the Monte Cristi area of the D.R.. It was subdivided in 14 nitainatos and Guacanagari was their principal Cacique.
XARAGUA - Covered the southeast part of the island, from the area of Anse d'Hainault, Haiti, it crossed the Neiba mountain range and close to the Neiba Bay, D.R. It was subdivided into 26 nitainatos and Behechio or Bhohechio was their cacique.
MAGUANA - Located in the center of the island, probably started around Santiago, covering the southern area of the Cibao, and the San Juan de la Maguana Valley, down to the Caribbean sea. It was subdivided into 21 nitainatos and was ruled by Caonabo who was believed to have been from Caribe origins.
MAGUA - From Monte Cristi, through the Septentrional mountain range, covered all the northwest area until the Samana cape. In the south it would have ended between the Yamasa and Monteplata areas. The Ciguayo-Macorix zone covered the San Juan river, Nagua and Samana. It also had 21 nitainatos and was ruled by Mayobanex.
HIGUEY - The northern border began in the Yuna river mouth: to the east, from the Monteplata area and Santo Domingo, covering all the southeastern part of the island. It held 21 nitainatos and was ruled by Cayacoa.
Before Columbus’ arrival, Haiti had been known by a few names: “Ayiti” by the native population, “Quisqueya” to the people on surrounding islands, and “Bohio” as well. “Ayiti” comes from the Taíno, meaning “Flower of high land” which is more commonly translated as “Mountainous land”.
One important fact to note is that Haiti was not discovered by Christopher Columbus. As a parade of European explorers and colonists claimed the land as their own, they gave it new names, aggressively imposing a series of new identities on a place that had existed long before their arrival: First, “Espanola”, meaning “Little Spain”, after Columbus’ arrival, then “Saint-Domingue” under French rule, and informally, “The Pearl of the Antilles” as the colony “flourished” with the enormous profits furnished by slave labor and sugar cane.
It is uncertain how many Taíno were living in Hispaniola at first contact. Estimates of the population range from several hundred thousand to over a million.[1] Soon after Columbus’ return, more Spanish settlers arrived; and by 1504 the last major Taíno cacique was deposed during the War of Higüey. Over the subsequent ten years, living conditions for the Taíno declined steadily. The Spaniards exploited the island’s gold mines and reduced the Taíno to slavery. Within twenty-five years of Columbus’ arrival in Haiti, most of the Taíno had died from enslavement, massacre, or disease. By 1514, only 32,000 Taíno survived in Hispaniola.
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