Editing Hispaniola (section)

===Pre-Columbian===
{{see also|Taíno|Arawak}}
{{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=240
|image1=Pictografia igneri.jpg
|image2=Cueva El Pomier.jpg
|image3=Fosil perezoso.png
|footer=The [[Pomier Caves]] are a series of 55 caves located north of [[San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic|San Cristóbal]] in the Dominican Republic. They contain the largest collection of 2,000-year-old rock art in the Caribbean, primarily made by the [[Taíno people]], but also the [[Island Carib|Carib people]] and the [[Igneri]].}}

The Archaic Age people arrived from mainland Central America or northern South America about 6,000 years ago, and are thought to have practiced a largely hunter-gatherer lifestyle. During the [[1st millennium BC]], the Arawakan-speaking ancestors of the Taino people began to migrate into the Caribbean. Unlike the Archaic peoples, they practiced the intensive production of [[pottery]] and agriculture. The earliest evidence of the ancestors of the Taino people on Hispaniola is the Ostionoid culture, which dates to around 600 AD.<ref name=":13">{{Cite journal |last1=Fernandes |first1=Daniel M. |last2=Sirak |first2=Kendra A. |last3=Ringbauer |first3=Harald |last4=Sedig |first4=Jakob |last5=Rohland |first5=Nadin |last6=Cheronet |first6=Olivia |last7=Mah |first7=Matthew |last8=Mallick |first8=Swapan |last9=Olalde |first9=Iñigo |last10=Culleton |first10=Brendan J. |last11=Adamski |first11=Nicole |last12=Bernardos |first12=Rebecca |last13=Bravo |first13=Guillermo |last14=Broomandkhoshbacht |first14=Nasreen |last15=Callan |first15=Kimberly |date=2021-02-04 |title=A genetic history of the pre-contact Caribbean |journal=Nature |volume=590 |issue=7844 |pages=103–110 |bibcode=2021Natur.590..103F |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-03053-2 |issn=0028-0836 |pmc=7864882 |pmid=33361817}}</ref> The Taino represented the dominant group on the island during the period of European contact.<ref name="Poole">{{Cite journal|last=Poole|first=Robert|date=2011|title=What Became of the Taíno?|journal=Smithsonian|volume=70|id={{ProQuest|897718111}}}}</ref> Each society on the island was a small independent kingdom with a lead known as a [[cacique]].<ref name="Corbett">{{Cite web|url=http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43a/100.html|title=The History of Haiti|last=Corbett|first=Bob|date=1995|access-date=November 20, 2018}}</ref> In 1492, which is considered the peak of the Taíno, there were five different kingdoms on the island,<ref name="Poole" /> the Xaragua, Higuey (Caizcimu), Magua (Huhabo), Ciguayos (Cayabo or Maguana), and Marien (Bainoa).<ref name="Corbett" /> Many distinct Taíno languages also existed in this time period.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Berman|first=Mary|date=2008|title=The Greater Antilles and Bahamas|url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/estarch/the_greater_antilles_and_bahamas/0|journal=Encyclopedia of Archaeology|doi=10.1016/B978-012373962-9.00391-5|via=Credo}}</ref> There is still heated debate over the population of Taíno people on the island of Hispaniola in 1492, but estimates range from no more than a few tens of thousands, according to a 2020 genetic analysis,<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Reich|first1=David|last2=Patterson|first2=Orlando|date=2020-12-23|title=Opinion {{!}} Ancient DNA Is Changing How We Think About the Caribbean |work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/opinion/dna-caribbean-genocide.html|access-date=2020-12-24|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="2020 genetic" >{{Cite journal|last1=Fernandes|first1=Daniel M.|last2=Sirak|first2=Kendra A.|last3=Ringbauer|first3=Harald|last4=Sedig|first4=Jakob|last5=Rohland|first5=Nadin|last6=Cheronet|first6=Olivia|last7=Mah|first7=Matthew|last8=Mallick|first8=Swapan|last9=Olalde|first9=Iñigo|last10=Culleton|first10=Brendan J.|last11=Adamski|first11=Nicole|date=2020-12-23|title=A genetic history of the pre-contact Caribbean|url= |journal=Nature|volume=590|issue=7844|pages=103–110|doi=10.1038/s41586-020-03053-2|pmid=33361817|pmc=7864882|bibcode=2021Natur.590..103F |issn=1476-4687}}</ref> to upwards of 750,000.<ref>{{Cite book|title=21st Century Anthropology: A Reference Handbook|last=Holguín|publisher=Sage Publications|year=2010|isbn=-9781412957380|location=Thousand Oaks, CA, USA}}</ref>

A Taíno home consisted of a circular building with woven straw and palm leaves as covering.<ref name="Corbett" /> Most individuals slept in fashioned hammocks, but grass beds were also used.<ref name="Poole" /> The cacique lived in a different structure with larger rectangular walls and a porch.<ref name="Corbett" /> The Taíno village also had a flat court used for ball games and festivals.<ref name="Corbett" /> Religiously, the Taíno people were polytheists, and their gods were called Zemí.<ref name="Corbett" /> Religious worship and dancing were common, and medicine men or priests also consulted the Zemí for advice in public ceremonies.<ref name="Corbett" />

For food, the Taíno relied on meat and fish as a primary source for protein.<ref name="Cook">{{Cite book |last=Cook |first=Noble David |author-link=Noble David Cook |url= |title=Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity |title-link=Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity |date=2005 |publisher=Macmillan Reference |volume=3 |chapter=Taino (Arawak) Indians}}</ref> On the island they hunted small mammals, but also snakes, worms, and birds. In lakes and in the sea they were able to catch ducks and turtles.<ref name="Corbett" />
The Taíno also relied on agriculture as a primary food source.<ref name="Cook" /> The indigenous people of Hispaniola raised crops in a conuco, which is a large mound packed with leaves and fixed crops to prevent erosion.<ref name="Corbett" /> Some common agricultural goods were [[cassava]], maize, squash, beans, peppers, peanuts, cotton, and tobacco, which was used as an aspect of social life and religious ceremonies.<ref name="Corbett" />

[[File:Copia de Cacicazgos de la Hispaniola.png|thumbnail|[[Chiefdoms of Hispaniola]]]]
The Taíno people traveled often and used hollowed canoes with paddles when on the water for fishing or for migration purposes,<ref name="Corbett" /> and upwards of 100 people could fit into a single canoe.<ref name="Poole" /> The Taíno came frequently in contact with the [[Kalinago|Caribs]], another indigenous tribe.<ref name="Corbett" /> The Taíno people had to defend themselves using bows and arrows with poisoned tips and some war clubs.<ref name="Corbett" /> When Columbus landed on Hispaniola, many Taíno leaders wanted protection from the Caribs.<ref name="Corbett" />