Taino people of western Cuba, Jamaica, and the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti
Ciboney was the region of Cuba inhabited by the Western
Taino
group.
The
Ciboney
, or
Siboney
, were a
Taino
people of
Cuba
,
Jamaica
, and the
Tiburon Peninsula
of
Haiti
. A Western Taino group living in Cuba during the 15th and 16th centuries, they had a dialect and culture distinct from the
Classic Taino
in the eastern part of the island, though much of the Ciboney territory was under the control of the eastern chiefs
[
citation needed
]
. Confusion in the historical sources led 20th-century scholars to apply the name "Ciboney" to the non-Taino
Guanahatabey
of western Cuba and various
archaic
cultures around the
Caribbean
, but this is deprecated.
History
[
edit
]
At the time of
Spanish colonization
, the Ciboney were the most populous group in
Cuba
. They inhabited the central part of the island, between western
Pinar del Rio Province
and eastern
Oriente Province
.
[1]
Bartolome de las Casas
, who lived among the Ciboney in the early 16th century, related that their dialect and culture was similar to that of the
Lucayans
of the present-day
Bahamas
.
[2]
As such, scholars classify the Ciboney as a Western
Taino
group, associating them with the peoples of the Bahamas,
Jamaica
, and westernmost
Hispaniola
, while distinguishing them from the Classic Taino of eastern Cuba, most of Hispaniola, and
Puerto Rico
.
[3]
In addition to the Classic Taino in eastern Cuba, the Ciboney shared the island with the
Guanahatabey
, an
archaic
people inhabiting western Pinar del Rio Province.
[4]
The Ciboney spoke a dialect of the
Taino language
conventionally known as Ciboney Taino; it was distinct from, but mutually intelligible with, Classic Taino.
[5]
The Ciboney were the dominant population in Cuba until around 1450.
[6]
Las Casas states that unlike the highly organized Classic Taino to the east, the Ciboney had no integrated
chiefdoms
or wider political structure.
[7]
In the mid-15th century, Classic Taino from Hispaniola began migrating into eastern Cuba, overcoming the native Ciboney. These "Cuban Taino" established chiefdoms concentrated in Oriente Province, though they established settlements as far west as
Havana Province
.
[6]
However, the Cuban Taino never established an island-wide political structure as existed in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.
[7]
Classic Taino migration from Hispaniola to Cuba increased after Spanish contact, with many Taino leaving to escape the Spanish incursion. Notably, Hispaniola Taino chief
Hatuey
fled to Cuba with most of his people; he remained there until the Spanish captured and executed him.
[2]
Following the Spanish conquest of Cuba in 1511 under
Diego Velazquez de Cuellar
, the population of all native groups declined precipitously until they had disappeared as distinct groups by the end of the century.
[8]
Confusion with the Guanahatabey
[
edit
]
In the 20th century, misreadings of the historical record led scholars to confuse the Ciboney with both a neighbouring group, the
Guanahatabey
, and with archaic-level populations around the Caribbean. Las Casas referred to both the Ciboney and the Guanahatabey, but he was clear they were different: the Guanahatabey were a
primitive society
of
hunter-gatherers
in western Cuba, and they spoke a separate language distinct from Taino. A confusion of the sources led archaeologists to use the term "Ciboney" for the
aceramic
(lacking pottery) archaeological sites found on various Caribbean islands. As many of these were found in the former Guanahatabey territory, the term became associated with the historical non-Taino Guanahatabey.
[9]
[10]
Scholars recognized the error in the 1980s and have restored the name "Ciboney" to the Western Taino people of Cuba.
[11]
See also
[
edit
]
- Siboney, Cuba
, a town in eastern Cuba.
- Taino
, Indigenous people of the greater Antilles and northern lesser Antilles
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Granberry and Vescelius, p. 20, 23.
- ^
a
b
Granberry and Vescelius, p. 20.
- ^
Granberry and Vescelius, p. 9, 21.
- ^
Granberry and Vescelius, pp. 18?19.
- ^
Granberry and Vescelius, p. 21.
- ^
a
b
Granberry and Vescelius, pp. 20?21.
- ^
a
b
Granberry and Vescelius, p. 9.
- ^
Saunders, p. xvii.
- ^
Saunders, pp. 122?123.
- ^
Rouse, pp. 20?21.
- ^
Granberry and Vescelius, pp. 22?23.
References
[
edit
]