Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas- (Tainos)

ORGANIZATION OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAS- (TAINOS)

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION

ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION

Major Economic Practices of the Taino Include:

ü FARMING: - they cultivated maize, manioc which is cassava and the main crop, sweet potatoes, hot pepper, cotton, tobacco. They practiced subsistence Farming which is the planting of a variety of crops on a small scale usually for the family. They also did Slash and Burn Agriculture which is the clearing the land for planting by cutting and burning trees and branches and mixing the ashes with urine for fertilizer.

ü HUNTING: - hunted animals such as: coney, agouti, iguanas

ü FRUIT GATHERING: - gathered fruits such as: avocado, guava, pineapple

ü POTTERY MAKING: - made items from red, brown and grey clay. They were called ceramic people as they were excellent at pottery making.

ü WEAVING: - they used cotton to make cloth and hammocks

ü MINING: - mined gold to make ornaments.

ü TRADING: - they exchanged of goods from island to island. Goods such as carved stone, stools, manioc, pepper.

QUESTIONS

1. Define the following terms: (1 mark each)

a) Batos ______________________________________________________________________

b) Cahoba _____________________________________________________________________

c) Manioc _____________________________________________________________________

d) Polytheism __________________________________________________________________

e) Zemi _______________________________________________________________________

2. Using TWO main points, describe the religious organization of the Tainos. (4 marks)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. List TWO crops that were planted by the Tainos. (2 marks)

______________________ ______________________

4. Why was the cahoba important in the religious ceremonies for the Tainos? (2 marks)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Based on the description provided about the social lifestyle of the Tainos, create either a labelled picture, song, poem or advertisement that illustrates the description provided in the handout. Content (8marks) + Creativity (4marks) = (12 marks)