Taíno

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tano

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the religious focus?Central religious practice involved the worship of zemis, representing spirits and deities
2. Who were the Taíno people?The Taíno were the first Native Americans that Christopher Columbus met. They lived on Caribbean islands like Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Jamaica. They built homes and grew crops such as corn and beans.
3. Where did the Taíno live?They lived on the Greater Antilles and nearby islands, including the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Their villages were permanent, with well‑made houses and shared spaces.

Greater Antilles: A major island group in the Caribbean, forming the core territory of the Taíno people.
Matrilineal System: A social structure where descent, kinship, and inheritance are traced through the female line.
Cacique: The hereditary chief or leader of a Taíno community or territory.
Zemis: Spiritual entities or objects venerated by the Taíno, representing ancestors or natural forces.