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    Taino
    Taino
    Taino
    Ebook114 pages1 hour

    Taino

    By Donald H Sullivan

    ()

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    About this ebook

    This a historical novella of adventure and romance . It is in two parts, Part 1, Kiskeya (Present day Dominican Republic) and Part 2, Boriken (Present day Puertto Rico) The first part is the story of Migua, a young Taino and Surani, his sweetheart. It tells of the dangers and hardships they endured before, during, and after the arrival of Columbus.
    It is also of an affair between a young Spanish sailor and a Taino girl and how their lives intertwined with that of Migua and Surani.
    It tells of the lives of the peaceful Taino and their relations with other people in the Caribbean, some of them warlike and some peaceful, and of their ill-fated relations with the Spaniards after the arrival of Columbus
    The second part is about Anoki and his bride to be Aiyana. It tells of the fun and hardships of their growing up together in Boriken and how their lives are drastically affected by the arrival of Juan Ponce de Leon. .

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDonald H Sullivan
    Release dateMay 10, 2012
    ISBN9781476110202
    Taino
    Author

    Donald H Sullivan

    I'm a native Floridian, retired from the US Army, I started writing in the army, mostly training and tech manuals. Boring stuff, but it whetted my interest in writing. I've written sci-fi, thrillers, mysteries, humor, fantasies, horror, and more. I'm now living in NC. While in the army, I served in air defense artillery, military intelligence, and psychological operations. I also worked in Federal Civil Service as a quality assurance specialist, ammunition surveillance. I love writing, reading, most kinds of music, and animals--especially dogs.

    Read more from Donald H Sullivan

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      Book preview

      Taino - Donald H Sullivan

      Taino

      Donald H Sullivan

      ~~*~~

      Copyright 2012 Donald H Sullivan

      ~~*~~

      Smashwords Edition

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, we respectfully ask that you return to Smashwords.com and purchase a copy of your own. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

      ~~*~~

      This is a work of fiction based on a historic event. Except for historical figures, any resemblance of the characters herein to actual people, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

      To the descendants of the Taino who mostly reside in Hispanola (Kiskeya) and Puerto Rico (Boriken.)

      Table of Contents

      Title Page

      Introduction

      Part I: Kiskeya

      Part II: Boriken

      Epilogue

      About the Taino

      Glossary

      About the Author

      Introduction

      The Taino people populated the islands of the Caribbean when Columbus landed in The New World. The Taino originated in South America in regions near the Amazon and the Orinoco. They were known there as the Arawak, but became known as the Taino after migrating to the Caribbean.

      The Taino shared the Caribbean islands with another people called the Carib. The Carib were a warlike people who practiced cannibalism.

      When Columbus first landed in The New World, he was greeted by the friendly Taino . At the outset, things went well between the two cultures, but then Columbus claimed the land they were on as a territory of Spain. He demanded tribute from the Taino, to be paid in gold to the King and queen of Spain.

      When they could not produce enough gold, Columbus punished them, and took some as slaves back to Spain. Relations soured, and there were soon clashes between the Spaniards and the Taino.

      ~~*~~

      Back to top

      Part I: Kiskeya

      (Hispaniola)

      Prologue

      In many eons past, in the area we now call the Caribbean, volcanic activity under the sea caused upheavals of unimaginable violence. At the end of a long period of volcanic violence an arc of islands began to emerge from the sea, a result of the submarine volcanic eruptions.

      In the beginning the islands were hot, steaming wastelands, devoid of life. Ages passed and the islands cooled. More ages passed as the islands were overlain by soluble rock such as limestone, which was conducive to forming the many caves in the islands. After many years of erosion of the volcanic rock and limestone by wind and rain, plus layer upon layer of wind borne dust from the plains of Africa and surrounding land masses, arable soil formed on the islands.

      Eons passed and vegetation began to appear, some brought by the seeds in the droppings of birds and others washed ashore by tidal and wave action. The islands were finally fit for habitation.

      One of these islands was a small, irregular rectangle-shaped island, which would later be called Boriken by its inhabitants.

      Meanwhile, much farther to the north, the latest ice age had caused a land bridge to form between Asia and North America. Various tribes from different parts of Asia used the bridge to cross over into then uninhabited North America, and from there on into South America. These tribes of various Asiatic races split up and formed many different cultures and nations throughout the Americas.

      From them sprang cultures like the Sioux, Navajo, and Cherokee in the north, and Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans in the south. Also included were the Arawak people of the Orinoco and Amazon regions of South America. From them sprang the Taino people who populated the Caribbean.

      Arawak

      Migua stood in the crowd and watched as Surani was escorted to the sacrificial table. She was being led up the steps of the platform where the table rested. She was, in Migua's eyes, the most beautiful girl in all creation. Her slim, tanned body moved with the grace of a Jaguar. She held her head high as she climbed the steps.

      The sacrifice would be with much ceremony. Surani would be placed on the stone table with its ornately chiseled images. The sacrificial knife, also ornately decorated, lay on a stand next to the table.

      Caobara, the high priest and great boheek of the region, was now blessing the rope which would hold Surani to the table, and an assistant was preparing the cup of brew, especially prepared to keep her in a stupor during the proceedings.

      But with all the rituals and formalities, Migua saw it as nothing less than the murder of the girl who was his bride to be. He had only recently reached the age of marriage, and she would reach the age in one more season.

      But Surani had disobeyed the edict of their leader, Gocatai, the supreme kaseek of this region.

      Migua brushed the coarse black hair away from his eyes as he watched. The muscles under his bronze skin tensed. He balled his fists and clenched his teeth.

      Gocatai mounted the stairs to the platform and a hush came over the crowd. The great kaseek held his hands up, palms facing inward, and then slowly turned, facing each direction.

      "My honored high priest, Caobara, was given a sign by Yakahu that our people must observe a day of fasting, to begin on the first morning and end on the second morning the following day.

      Yakahu decreed that nothing was to be taken into our bodies but water from dawn to dawn of the fast. As advised by Caobara, I issued a proclamation announcing the day of Fast. He looked down at the form of Surani, now secured to the sacrificial table.

      This virgin maiden chose to ignore me, to ignore Caobara, and to ignore Yakahu himself. The penalty for such an offense is death. She must be sacrificed to appease Yakahu.

      It's not a sacrifice at all, Migua whispered to his best friend, Kokyu, who stood beside him. It's punishment. They just call it sacrifice because they think it justifies the killing. They gave no consideration to the fact that she had been sick and could not eat for two days just before the fast began.

      Yes, said Kokyu, She was starving. Her crime was trying to sneak a piece of dried fish.

      Migua saw the fear in Surani's eyes as the boheek was blessing the knife. They had not yet given her the brew.

      We must act before they give her the brew so that she will be clear headed, said Migua. When I give the signal we must all act in unison, each doing our part in carrying out the plan. If we fail, all eight of us will end up being sacrificed."

      The boheek held the cup up and began mumbling his blessing. As he did, Migua began screaming. The Anaki! The Anaki! To your weapons. The Anaki simply meant enemy, and it meant a tribe with which the Arawak had long been at war for decades, a war of raids, pillaging and ambushes.

      Several well hidden accomplices of Migua began beating Anaki-sounding drums and yelling their battle cries. Confusion ensued. Everyone was running to their house for weapons. The kaseek and the boheek both jumped from the platform and started screaming for order as they followed the crowd.

      Migua and Kokyu leapt on the platform and cut the ropes, freeing Surani. He grabbed her hand. Come on, he said. To the river.

      As they ran toward the Orinoco, they could hear the shouts of the kaseek barking orders. By now he would have realized that he had been tricked, and would be organizing an armed party for pursuit.

      When Migua reached the river he found that the others had already reached the bank of the Orinoco and were waiting for him and Surani. The two dugout canoes they had chosen had already been secretly provisioned. They could have chosen one of the longer canoes, to hold twenty or more people, but it would be wiser to use two smaller, more maneuverable canoes.

      The

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