Saturday, March 24, 2012

What's in a Name?

From the October 2011 Smithsonian Magazine "What Became of the Taino?" by Robert M. Poole.

This tribal group was the first New Worlders encountered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, spread over Cuba, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the island of Hispaniola. Unfortunately, those 3-4 million were practically extinct in fifty years and Poole goes in search of their descendants,

Of particular interest were words that we use today that came from the Tainos:

canoe
hammock
barbecue
tobacco
hurricane
Cuba

Eatin' My 'Cue Before Hittin' My Hammock. --Cooter

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