06/08/2025
🪶 Why Florida Must Recognize the Taíno as the Original Peoples of Palm Beach and Beyond 🪶
The time has come for the State of Florida to recognize the Taíno — not as a footnote in history, but as the living descendants of the original Indigenous peoples of this land.
We Are Not an Extinct Indigenous People.
We are here, 532 years later, and we are the Largest Living Indigenous Native American Tribe today, supported by history, cultural continuity, and DNA studies conducted from the Amazon Rainforest and Orinoco River Delta of Venezuela and Brazil to the entire Caribbean including the Lucayan Archipelago and Archaelogical and Oral Lineage to Florida and the Contiguous 48 States.
🌴 We Are the First Peoples of Florida's Coasts
In what is now Palm Beach and Martin Counties, we are the Jagua aka Jaega — the same people who used the Jagua fruit, native to Florida, the Caribbean and South America, to create a black-blue tattoo ink when oxidized. Alongside it, we used achiote (annatto) to produce a vibrant red body paint. These plants and practices were sacred, and they still grow here.
In Miami-Dade, we are the Tekesta.
From Crystal River to Ocala, we are the Timucua/Utina.
In Martin County northward, the Ais.
In Charlotte County and the Gulf, the Calusa.
These are not separate peoples — they are branches of the Taíno tree.
❌ Clarifying Our Identity
Let’s be absolutely clear:
We are not “Arawaks.” That is a language group — not a tribe, not a nation.
We are not Arhuaco. That is a Colombian tribe that speaks a Chibchan language, not Ta-Mápurean
Some academics call us Lucayan.
Some call us Boricua.
Some call us Floricua.
Some even call us Pre-Seminole.
But today we call ourselves Taíno.
And we are reclaiming our name, our voice, and our rightful legacy.
🧭 Connecticut Did the Right Thing — Florida Must Too
On June 6, 2025, the State of Connecticut passed House Resolution 10, titled:
“Resolution Recognizing the Culture and Heritage of Taíno Descendants in This State.”
Introduced by Representatives Geraldo Reyes, Chris Rosario, Aundre Bumgardner, and Jame Sanchez, this resolution reads:
“To respect and affirm the cultural identity of Taíno descendants in Connecticut, ensuring that their heritage is recognized and preserved for future generations while fostering a greater understanding of their historical and ongoing contributions to the state.”
It acknowledges:
That many English and Spanish words — such as hurricane, canoe, barbecue, hammock, and to***co — come from the Taíno language.
That Taíno people were declared extinct by colonizers, but in truth, survived through assimilation, refuge, and misclassification.
That Taíno descendants are active today in cultural revitalization, advocacy, and education.
Rafael Feliciano, president of the Afro-Caribbean Cultural Center in Waterbury, called the resolution a “historic and emotional victory.”
✊🏽 The First Indigenous Tribe Enslaved By Colonization Should Not Be the Last Recognized Or Respected!
Florida — with its rich Pre Seminole Taino Indigenous past and thriving Caribbean-descended communities — should be leading, not lagging, in recognition.
Before it was America First, it was — and always will be — Indigenous First.
Let Florida follow the lead of Connecticut. Let us honor those standing up for truth and justice.
🔗 Read Connecticut’s Full House Resolution 10 Here
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/taino-house-resolution-10-passes-ct-20365149.php
✊🏽 The First Indigenous Tribe Enslaved Should Not Be the Last Recognized Or Respected!
State lawmakers passed a House resolution recognizing the heritage of the Caribbean’s Indigenous people.
