This book was published originally in Spanish under the title Taínos y caribes, las culturas aborígenes antillanas. Since its publication in 2003, it has been recognized as having contributed to a better understanding among the general public of the history of the Antillean cultures before, during and after the arrival of the Europeans.Over the years, I have received a considerable number of requests from people around the world expressing their desire that the book be made available in English. Tainos and Caribs: The Aboriginal Cultures of the Antilles was inspired by those demands. I hope that the English edition broadens the reach of knowledge from anthropologists, historians, archeologists, linguists, artists and others about the Tainos and the Caribs, two cultures that have captivated my interest and imagination for over 25 years.The original design of the book was made with great care by my daughter Claudia. This English edition reviews and updates the original text and bibliography. The complete translation from Spanish was carried out meticulously by my daughter Grace, whose great effort and enthusiasm makes this edition possible. I thank both of them for their wholehearted commitment and devotion in the publication and dissemination of this work. Sebastián Robiou Lamarche, Author. "I knew this book would become a classic from the moment I read it in 2004. It has characteristics that distinguish it from other books on the ancient Caribbean. Notably, Robiou recognizes that Taino and Carib societies were not simple. Quite the opposite, he describes them as vibrant and sophisticated. This revision and English edition is well-timed because recent developments reaffirm the composite view of the Caribbean presented in the original publication". L. Antonio Curet, Curator, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C. "Tainos and Caribs marks a milestone in the historiography of the indigenous Caribbean. Based on diverse primary sources (archaeological, linguistic, ethnohistorical), Robiou Lamarche offers a great synthesis and an in-depth analysis of the Taino chiefdoms and the Carib tribes, explored as a whole, pointing elegantly to their interconnections and their specificities. The author has the virtue, in turn, to sharply examine multiple topics that include social structures, religion, rituals and beliefs. It is required reading on the emergence of the indigenous societies of the ancient Caribbean". Francisco Moscoso, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. "The author presents to us sequentially the main cultures that inhabited the Antilles before and during the European impact. For both the Tainos and the Caribs, he explains the main elements of their material and ideal life, highlighting their likeness as well as their differences. A brilliant research work based on archeological and ethnohistorical information". Lourdes Domínguez, Oficina del Historiador de La Habana, Cuba. "The book is a significant contribution to the knowledge of the aboriginal world view in the Antilles. The author analyzes - among other aspects - the intimate correlation that exists between astronomical systems, climatological cycles and magic-religious beliefs, as well as agricultural practices linked to fertility rites. In the same way, his research on the bateyes or ceremonial plazas in the Antilles make plausible the existence of a solar calendar in the process of development and of myth-astronomy in the pre-Columbian islands". Manuel A. García Arevalo, Academia Dominicana de la Historia, Dominican Republic.

Tells the story of the Taino people from their ancestral days in South America through their migration to the northern Caribbean islands where they were the first natives to interact with Columbus, to their rapid and immediate decline under the European gifts of forced labor, malnutrition, disease, and dispersal. Includes a glossary without pronunciation. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

"JosÉ [Barreiro] writes the true story in TaÍno—the Native view of what Columbus brought. Across the Americas, invasion, and resistance, the TaÍno story repeated many times over." – Chief Oren Lyons (Joagquisho), Turtle Clan, Onondaga Nation The story of what really happened when Columbus arrived in the "New World," as told by the TaÍno people who were impacted In 1532, an elderly TaÍno man named GuaikÁn sits down to write his story—an in-depth account of what happened when Columbus landed on Caribbean shores in 1492. As a boy, GuaikÁn was adopted by Columbus, uniquely positioning him to tell the story of Columbus's "discovery," directing our gaze where it rightfully belongs—on the Indigenous people for whom this land had long been home. Revised and updated by author JosÉ Barreiro (himself a descendant of the TaÍno people) with new information and a new introduction, this richly imagined novel updates GuaikÁn's carefully crafted narrative, chronicling what happened to the TaÍno people when Columbus arrived and how their lives and culture were ruptured. Through GuaikÁn's story, Barreiro penetrates the veil that still clouds the "discovery" of the Americas and in turn gives

Organized by El Museo del Barrio in New York to coincide with a major exhibition, this is the first comprehensive English-language publication on the fascinating legacy of Taiacute;no art and culture. Showcasing over one hundred rare and beautiful ceremonial and domestic artworks and individual masterpieces of this ancient culture -- produced in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti, and the Bahamas between A.D. 1200 and 1500 --Taiacute;noincludes examples of finely detailed and polished sculptures carved in wood, precious ornaments of shell and bone, and ceramics decorated with animals, birds, and intricate geometric motifs. The contributors include ten of the foremost scholars of pre-Columbian culture and art, and an appendix features writings from Spanish explorers who had contact with the Taiacute;no. Of Arawak descent, the Taiacute;no -- whose ancestors migrated to the Caribbean from the Amazon Basin in South America during the sixth century -- were the first people encountered by Christopher Columbus. Although they ceased to exist as an autonomous society within sixty years of the arrival of Spanish colonizers, the Taiacute;no -- skilled agriculturists and navigators and accomplished weavers, potters, and carvers -- developed a complex political, religious, and social system, and made a substantial contribution to the biological, cultural, and linguistic makeup of large areas of the Caribbean. To this date, Caribbean communities in the Antilles and in New York and other large American cities exhibit the survival of Taiacute;no practices in their worldviews, religious beliefs, language, music, and food.

Witness the chilling chronicle of colonial atrocities and the mistreatment of indigenous peoples in 'A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies'. Written by the compassionate Spanish Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas in 1542, this harrowing account exposes the heinous crimes committed by the Spanish in the Americas. Addressed to Prince Philip II of Spain, Las Casas' heartfelt plea for justice sheds light on the fear of divine punishment and the salvation of Native souls. From the burning of innocent people to the relentless exploitation of labor, the author unveils a brutal reality that spans across Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba.

*Includes pictures *Includes contemporary accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts." - Christopher Columbus On October 12, 1492, one of the most important "first contacts" of the modern era was made when three ships of Spanish origin approached the island archipelago now known as the Bahamas, cautiously dropping anchor as the captain of the fleet gazed across to what he assumed was the coast of India. According to the popular version of the story, amazed at the sight of ships and men of such unfamiliar appearance, the native people of the island plunged into the clear waters of the western Atlantic, expertly swimming or aboard dugout canoes, and came out to greet the strangers. In all probability, the meeting was much more cautious and incremental, but the idea that these innocent people, raised in a tropical Eden, might embrace with such open enthusiasm their own destruction is picturesque, and no doubt appeals to contemporary perceptions. By whatever means one might choose to view it, this meeting of cultures certainly did mark the beginning of a bold new chapter in the history of Europe, and the beginning of the end of an ancient race of native people occupying a vast new continent. The entries into Christopher Columbus' log as he recorded his first encounters with the indigenous people of the "Indies" are very telling. The island people arrived alongside his ships, offering humble gifts that Columbus described as "parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells." These were the Taínos people, or the "Arawaks" as they would come to be known, and Columbus described them as "well built...with good bodies and handsome features." This description, while deceptively simple, had a chilling implication, because Columbus was not taking note of these facts out of idle interest but in terms of how best to exploit them. As the natives offered up gifts, and the open hand of friendship, and by implication the freedom of their islands, Columbus remarked simply on their primitive appearance and primaeval technology, and how easy they would be to overcome. He noted, "They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane. They would make fine servants. With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want." What Columbus wanted in the first instance was gold, and he was quick to observe the small items of gold jewelry worn by his visitors, which alerted him immediately to the fact that there was gold to be found somewhere on these islands. To get to the bottom of it, Columbus would waste no time. Thus, a chain of events was set in motion that would permanently affect Western Civilization. The Arawak: The History and Legacy of the Indigenous Natives in South America and the Caribbean examines the culture and history of the indigenous groups, and what happened when they came into contact with the Europeans. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Arawak like never before.

A Contested Caribbean Indigeneity is an in-depth analysis of the debates surrounding Taíno/Boricua activism in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean diaspora in New York City. Drawing on in-depth ethnographic research, media analysis, and historical documents, the book explores the varied experiences and motivations of Taíno/Boricua activists as well as the alternative fonts of authority they draw on to claim what is commonly thought to be an extinct ethnic category. It explores the historical and interactional challenges involved in claiming membership in, what for many Puerto Ricans, is an impossible affiliation. In focusing on Taíno/Boricua activism, the books aims to identify a critical space from which to analyze and decolonize ethnoracial ideologies of Puerto Ricanness, issues of class and education, Puerto Rican nationalisms and colonialisms, as well as important questions regarding narrative, historical memory, and belonging.