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Song of the Taino
For many centuries the islands of Haiti and Borikén had been home to the Taino people, the peace-loving inhabitants of the Greater Antilles whose carefree society led Columbus to believe that he had stumbled across the earthly paradise that stirred the imagination of most fifteenth-century Europeans - until he and the Spanish conquistadors initiated the most terrible genocide our planet has ever witnessed. This is the story of the epic encounter between two alien civilizations in the lands that the Spanish renamed Española and Puerto Rico, between a unique culture that would soon vanish from the earth - though its legacy lives on throughout the Caribbean - and a crusading nation whose lust for gold and missionary zeal brought the fires of hell to a new world that was as old as its own.
410 pages, Paperback
First published June 18, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 26, 2018
Wow! This book has literally turned my world upside down and has opened up doors about my ancestry that I never knew. Sure, I knew that the Spain invaded the Island of Boriken (now known as Puerto Rico), sure, I knew that they brought African slaves to the island as well, sure, I knew that in my Puerto Rican blood there is a mix of Taino, African, and Spaniard…. but DAMN! My ignorance to what really happened is completely embarrassing.
This book took me over a week to read – not because it was a difficult read… although, it was. But only because there is truth to the content and knowing that, broke my heart a thousand times. There were times that I had to stop reading and just think about what happened, I needed to google if what was mentioned really happened, I needed to see which of the Caciques (chiefs) were real and I needed to read their stories.
Many of the the other Caribbean islands as well as Puerto Rico, such as Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and more, had their lives changed forever once Christopher Columbus and the Spaniard conquistadors set foot on their soil and decided to take over these islands. Genocide and slavery at the hands of Columbus and these conquistadors all in the name of Christianity and their greed for gold and riches.
The Tainos were forced to convert to Christianity, they were forced to do labor and work in the mines, they became slaves, they were branded with an “F” on their forehead if they tried to escape (not sure how historically accurate that is), the women were raped and taken as wives or concubines. Some were slaughtered to set examples, some died from being overworked in the mines, some died from diseases that were brought over by the Spanish and many committed suicide to escape the hands of the Spanish by eating raw cassava. Their history, their culture, their freedom and everything they knew was taken from them.
Why is Christopher Columbus celebrated to this day? I’ll never understand.
“Their fathers will think that they are Spanish, and from the outside they may seem to be, but a man’s true lineage comes from the land and the air and the water of his birth. They may think that they are Spanish, but they will cease to be Spanish from the day they open their eyes to this world and see the sun shining over Borikén. They will be Taino.”
Simply said – This book is a must read! Though it is written as a historical fiction, it is based on true events and that hits home much harder. Understanding the past is crucial and it’s an important part of our future. As they say, “Knowledge is power!” ….. On a lighter note, Happy Reading! 🙂 check out my full review at loveatfirstreadcom.wordpress.com
This book took me over a week to read – not because it was a difficult read… although, it was. But only because there is truth to the content and knowing that, broke my heart a thousand times. There were times that I had to stop reading and just think about what happened, I needed to google if what was mentioned really happened, I needed to see which of the Caciques (chiefs) were real and I needed to read their stories.
Many of the the other Caribbean islands as well as Puerto Rico, such as Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and more, had their lives changed forever once Christopher Columbus and the Spaniard conquistadors set foot on their soil and decided to take over these islands. Genocide and slavery at the hands of Columbus and these conquistadors all in the name of Christianity and their greed for gold and riches.
The Tainos were forced to convert to Christianity, they were forced to do labor and work in the mines, they became slaves, they were branded with an “F” on their forehead if they tried to escape (not sure how historically accurate that is), the women were raped and taken as wives or concubines. Some were slaughtered to set examples, some died from being overworked in the mines, some died from diseases that were brought over by the Spanish and many committed suicide to escape the hands of the Spanish by eating raw cassava. Their history, their culture, their freedom and everything they knew was taken from them.
Why is Christopher Columbus celebrated to this day? I’ll never understand.
“Their fathers will think that they are Spanish, and from the outside they may seem to be, but a man’s true lineage comes from the land and the air and the water of his birth. They may think that they are Spanish, but they will cease to be Spanish from the day they open their eyes to this world and see the sun shining over Borikén. They will be Taino.”
Simply said – This book is a must read! Though it is written as a historical fiction, it is based on true events and that hits home much harder. Understanding the past is crucial and it’s an important part of our future. As they say, “Knowledge is power!” ….. On a lighter note, Happy Reading! 🙂 check out my full review at loveatfirstreadcom.wordpress.com
September 5, 2020
Incredibke book. The mixture of stories talks about the mentality of these two species that clashed and ended in such a sad way.
Being from the Dominican Republic it was so nice to hear about stories and traditions of the people that lived in these islands before the Europeans discovered the continent.
I will be definitely recommending this book.
Being from the Dominican Republic it was so nice to hear about stories and traditions of the people that lived in these islands before the Europeans discovered the continent.
I will be definitely recommending this book.
January 10, 2026
This book instigated many emotions: anger, sadness, and disgust along with moments of awe and happiness. Reading this history in the shadow of our current political climate left me dismayed at how little we have learned.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews