The Taíno
Borikén before 1493: villages, language, food, and the words still on the map.
Question 1 of 8
What does the name Borikén mean?
Borikén is where Boricua comes from, and it is still what people call themselves today.
Question 2 of 8
Why did the Taíno carve petroglyphs?
They carved animals, human figures and symbols into stone. The Taíno left no writing, so the carvings are what we have.
Question 3 of 8
Why did the Taíno explain storms through the legend of Huracán?
The legend taught people to respect storms. Our word hurricane comes straight from that name.
Question 4 of 8
Why was yuca so important to the Taíno?
A crop that survives a hurricane is a crop that keeps a village alive.
Question 5 of 8
What was a bohío built from?
All materials the forest provided, built round and breathable so air moved through in a hot, humid climate.
Question 6 of 8
How was a behíque different from a cacique?
Healing, ceremony, tradition and the knowledge of medicinal plants belonged to the behíque.
Question 7 of 8
What does it mean that Taíno society was matrilineal?
Descent ran through the mother’s line, which also shaped who could become a cacique.
Question 8 of 8
Which of these English words does NOT come from Taíno?
Hurricane, hammock, barbecue and canoe all come from Taíno. Volcano comes from Latin by way of Italian.
Words we still use
Tap a Taíno word, then the English word that came from it.
Taíno
We say
Word find
A fresh grid every time. Tap the first letter of a word, then the last.
This is one week of eight.
The quiz and the game are free. The lessons behind them are the full unit study: 24 lessons, 360 pages, grades 4 to 8, with read-aloud scripts, hands-on activities and answer keys.
See the unit study