Taino Indians
Christopher Columbus, wrote in his diary shortly after they hit land on their second voyage, in a country we know as Puerto Rico, Columbus and his crew dicovered "naked men" whom they found "very healthy-looking." Columbus soon noted a widespread language and system of beliefs and life styles. Talking with the chief, he heard them call themselves "Taino."
The word Taino meant "men of the good," and from most observations the Tainos were good. With the hospitable islands over half, the indigenous people of "La Taina" developed a culture where the human personality was gentle. Among the Taino at the time of contact, generosity and kindness were dominant values. Among the Taino peoples, as with most lifestyles, the physical culture was geared toward a sustainable interaction with the natural surroundings. The Taino's culture has been designated as "primitive" , yet it prescribed a lifestyle that worked to feed all the people, and a spirituality that was respected, in ceremony most of their main animal and food sources, as well as the natural forces like climate, season and weather. The Taino lived respectfully in a bountiful place and so their nature was bountiful.
