The Taino of Jamaica (Jamaica)     about us  Jamaica Primetime
The Taino of Jamaica  Published Jan 1, 2003  The prehistory of
Jamaica saw three separate waves of colonization by Amerindian
peoples. Somewhere between 5,000 BC and 4,000 BC saw the arrival
of the Guanahatabey or Ciboney people, who followed a now
submerged chain of small islands that used to run from the
eastern Yucatan through to Cuba and Jamaica. They were a cave
dwelling people, who used basic tools for fishing and gathering.
At the time of Columbus' arrival the Guanahatabey were recorded
as still surviving in western Cuba.  Next upon the scene were
the Saladoid or Igneris people, who arrived around 300 AD; they
were the first wave of Arawakan peoples to come from South
America. The Saladoids brought with them their skill in fine
ceramics, shards of which still turn up around the Island today.
The third wave saw the arrival of Arawakan people now known as
the Taino, who came originally from the Orinoco region in
Venezuela, between 650 AD an