Out of all the cultures in the Caribean,
the Taino culture was the most highly developed at the time of Columbus. They
were more advanced with many artwork forms, such pottery, weaving, clothing,
jewelry, dance, music, poetry, and other items as well at the time of Columbus.
Many of our English words have been taken from the Taino
language. Words such as barbecue, canoe, hammock, hurricane are all borrowed
from the Taino language. Things common to our society like hunting, fishing,
dancing, and singing all date back to the Taino culture.
Highly efficient techniques were developed by the Taino
for fishing, hunting, and agriculture. Taino people are very spiritual and
religious and most of their art reflects those religious ideas.
Like the Arawak the Taino also had a society arranged by social rank. Taino social structure was very complex, breaking of into two classes with many other different roles in between. These roles ranged from simple commoners (naborias) to noble and
medicine men. There was a very high population in Taino communities.
Females were very important in Taino society. Males receive the authority to rule through their female relatives. Women were also important in Taino culture because of their contributions with art, weaving, and ceramics.