Talking Taino: Caribbean Natural History from a Native Perspective

190 Pages·2008·1.742 MB·English

by  William F. Keegan, Lisabeth A. Carlson

TALKING TAÍNO
CARIBBEAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOHISTORY
L. Antonio Curet, Series Editor
TA LK I NG TAÍNO
Essays on Caribbean Natural History
from a Native Perspective
William F. Keegan
and
Lisabeth A. Carlson
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA PRESS
Tuscaloosa
Copyright © 2008
The University of Alabama Press
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0380
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Typeface: AGaramond
∞
The paper on which this book is printed meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information S ciences-P ermanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Keegan, William F.
Talking Taino : Caribbean natural history from a native perspective / William F.
Keegan and Lisabeth A. Carlson.
p. cm. — (Caribbean archaeology and ethnohistory)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8173-1628-0 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8173-5508-1
(pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8173-8076-2 (electronic : alk. paper)
1. Taino Indians— Antiquities. 2. Taino Indians— Social life and customs.
3. Taino Indians— First contact with Europeans. 4. West Indies— Antiquities.
I. Carlson, Lisabeth A. II. Title.
F1619.2.T3K45 2008
972.9004′97922—dc22
2008013999
Publication History
Most chapters were essays originally published in Times of the Islands (The Inter-
national Magazine of the Turks & Caicos Islands) and were written by William
F. Keegan and/ or Lisabeth A. Carlson, with the exception of “Birdland,” which
was written by Carlson, Keegan, and David Steadman. “The Age of Reptiles” was
originally published as “Lizards and Snakes.” “The First Documented Shark At-
tack in the Americas, circa AD 1000” was originally published on- line at http://
www.fl mnh.ufl . edu/ caribarch/ sharks.htm. “Columbus, Hero or Heel?” and “One
Small Step for a Man” were originally published in the VISTA magazine’s supple-
ment to Sunday newspapers.
For Brian Riggs, friend, colleague, and inspiration
“If You Know Your History, Then You Will Know Where You’re Coming From.”
—Bob Marley
Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction 1
1. The Spanish Translation (2003) 9
2. Starry, Starry Night (2005) 15
3. Sharks and Rays (2003) 21
4. First Documented Shark Attack in the Americas, circa AD 1000 (2003) 25
5. The Age of Reptiles (2003) 31
6. Catch of the Day (2007) 36
7. Birdland (2006) (cowritten by Dr. David Steadman) 42
8. Gone Fishin’ (2004) 47
9. In the Beginning, God Created Fish (2004) 53
10. Herbs, Fish, and Other Scum and Vermin (2003) 57
11. The Chip- Chip Gatherers (2007) 61
12. Eats, Shoots, and Leaves (2004) 66
13. Eat Roots and Leave (2004) 71
14. If You Like Piña Coladas . . . (2005) 77
15. Boat Trips (2006) 81
viii / Contents
16. Partying, Taíno Style (2007) 88
17. Caves (2006) 94
18. Birds of a Feather (2005) 100
19. Cannibals! (2006) 105
20. Obeah and Zombies: The African Connection (2005) 111
21. The Stranger King (2007) 117
22. Anatomy of a Colony: A Taíno Outpost in the Turks & Caicos Islands (1997) 121
23. Columbus, Hero or Heel? (1991) 126
24. One Small Step for a Man (1991) 130
25. A World on the Wax 134
Introduction to the Appendices: Words (Between the Lines of Age) 137
Appendix 1: Taíno Names for Fishes 139
Appendix 2: Taíno Names for Animals 142
Appendix 3: Other Taíno Words 145
Bibliography 149
Index 153
Illustrations
1. Feral donkeys on Grand Turk near North Wells xv
2. Map of the insular Caribbean showing culture areas 2
3. Columbus claiming possession of his fi rst landfall in the Bahamas
(Guanahaní) 11
4. MC-6 site map showing plazas surrounded by midden concentrations and
structural remains 17
5. Alignments at MC-6 between the east- west stone alignments, the central stone,
and the structural foundations surrounding the plaza as they relate to the rising and
setting of the summer solstice sun and various stars 18
6. Drawing of the constellation Orion with lines added to depict the
“ one- legged man” 19
7. Burial number 17, a twenty- nine- year- old male who was fatally attacked by a tiger
shark more than one thousand years ago 27
8. Close- up view of tiger shark tooth marks on lateral and posterior surface of
humeral shaft 28
9. Extreme close- up of the shark tooth damage 29
10. Picnic area at Guantanámo Naval Base reminding people not to feed
the iguanas 33
11. Rock iguana bones from GT-3 on Grand Turk 34
12. The Taíno word baracutey described the fi sh we today call barracuda 40