REPOST 📷 text @hausofhoodoo Tainos, the Indigenous people of Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. A subgroup of the Arawakan. When Columbus arrived at the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti) there were over 2 millions Tainos. By the time he was done colonizing the island there were less than 2,000. I went to elementary school in Dominican Republic. I remember the stories told in history class about the Tainos. One story has always stayed with me, even since then. The story of the Taino female leader, Anacaona. Anacaona was a Taino woman who led her tribe against the colonizers. She was as powerful as she was beautiful. Her name, Anacaona means "Golden Flower" which is why we associate her with sunflowers. She was a songstress and storyteller. Daughter of chiefs. She was captured with a group and were sentenced to be executed. Before her execution they offered to spare her life if she would give herself as concubine to the Spaniards. She stood with her people and said she'd rather die before letting any Spaniard touch her. She was hung in front of her people. In Dominican Republic we have Vudu just as well as Haiti does. We call our lineage of Vudu, 21 Divisions. In Dominican Vudu there's the Division of the Sweet Waters, this is the Division of the Tainos. Anacaona is a Lwa in the Sweet Waters Division. One of Anaisa Pye's paths is a Cachita who's a bit like Oshun but isn't Oshun. She's a Taino woman where Oshun is African. To read the full story click @hausofhoodoo . . . . #anacaona #taino #storyandmyth #storyteller #whenweweretaino #conchshell #pineapplecolonies #weekendgypsies #weareallconnected #sunflowers #cachita #oshun #warriorwomen #womenwarriors #historieshiddenheroines
