Taíno
The Taíno were an Indigenous people of the Caribbean, belonging to the Arawakan language family. They inhabited most of the Greater Antilles and the Bahamian archipelago, with concentrated populations in the islands of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Puerto Rico, as well as smaller communities in Jamaica and Cuba. The term Taíno is a scholarly label for a broad group of related peoples; they called themselves nabori or nitainos within a hierarchical social structure.
Society and culture were organized around caciques (chiefs) who governed communities with the help of nabaínos
Language and legacy: Taíno language formed part of the wider Arawakan family. It declined rapidly after European
History and impact: Christopher Columbus encountered Taíno communities in 1492, marking the start of widespread Spanish