The Ciboney, or Siboney, were a
Taíno
The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...
people of
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
,
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
, and the
Tiburon Peninsula of
Haiti
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
. A Western Taíno group living in Cuba during the 15th and 16th centuries, they had a dialect and culture distinct from the
Classic Taíno in the eastern part of the island, though much of the Ciboney territory was under the control of the eastern chiefs. Confusion in the historical sources led 20th-century scholars to apply the name "Ciboney" to the non-Taíno
Guanahatabey of western Cuba and various
archaic cultures around the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
, but this is deprecated.
History
At the time of
Spanish colonization, the Ciboney were the most populous group in
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. They inhabited the central part of the island, between western
Pinar del Río Province and eastern
Oriente Province.
Bartolomé de las Casas
Bartolomé de las Casas, Dominican Order, OP ( ; ); 11 November 1484 – 18 July 1566) was a Spanish clergyman, writer, and activist best known for his work as an historian and social reformer. He arrived in Hispaniola as a layman, then became ...
, who lived among the Ciboney in the early 16th century, related that their dialect and culture was similar to that of the
Lucayans of the present-day
Bahamas
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
.
[Granberry and Vescelius, p. 20.] As such, scholars classify the Ciboney as a Western
Taíno
The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...
group, associating them with the peoples of the Bahamas,
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
, and westernmost
Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...
, while distinguishing them from the Classic Taíno of eastern Cuba, most of Hispaniola, and
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
. In addition to the Classic Taíno in eastern Cuba, the Ciboney shared the island with the
Guanahatabey, an
archaic people inhabiting western Pinar del Río Province. The Ciboney spoke a dialect of the
Taíno language
Taíno is an Arawakan language formerly spoken widely by the Taíno people of the Caribbean. In its revived form, there exist several modern-day Taíno language variants including Hiwatahia-Taino and Tainonaiki. At the time of Spanish contact ...
conventionally known as Ciboney Taíno; it was distinct from, but mutually intelligible with, Classic Taíno.
The Ciboney were the dominant population in Cuba until around 1450.
[Granberry and Vescelius, pp. 20–21.] Las Casas states that unlike the highly organized Classic Taíno to the east, the Ciboney had no integrated
chiefdoms or wider political structure.
[Granberry and Vescelius, p. 9.] In the mid-15th century, Classic Taíno from Hispaniola began migrating into eastern Cuba, overcoming the Native Ciboney. These "Cuban Taíno" established chiefdoms concentrated in Oriente Province, though they established settlements as far west as
Havana Province.
[ However, the Cuban Taíno never established an island-wide political structure as existed in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.][ Classic Taíno migration from Hispaniola to Cuba increased after Spanish contact, with many Taíno leaving to escape the Spanish incursion. Notably, Hispaniola Taíno chief Hatuey fled to Cuba with most of his people; he remained there until the Spanish captured and executed him.][ Following the Spanish conquest of Cuba in 1511 under Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, the population of all Native groups declined precipitously until they had disappeared as distinct groups by the end of the century.
]
Confusion with the Guanahatabey
In the 20th century, misreadings of the historical record led scholars to confuse the Ciboney with both a neighbouring group, the Guanahatabey, and with archaic-level populations around the Caribbean. Las Casas referred to both the Ciboney and the Guanahatabey, but he was clear they were different: the Guanahatabey were a primitive society of hunter-gatherers in western Cuba, and they spoke a separate language distinct from Taíno. A confusion of the sources led archaeologists to use the term "Ciboney" for the aceramic (lacking pottery) archaeological sites found on various Caribbean islands. As many of these were found in the former Guanahatabey territory, the term became associated with the historical non-Taíno Guanahatabey. Scholars recognized the error in the 1980s and have restored the name "Ciboney" to the Western Taíno people of Cuba.[Granberry and Vescelius, pp. 22–23.]
See also
* Siboney, Cuba, a town in eastern Cuba.
*Taíno
The Taíno are the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles and surrounding islands. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of what is now The ...
, Indigenous people of the Greater Antilles and northern Lesser Antilles
Notes
References
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{{Authority control
Taíno
Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean
Indigenous peoples in Cuba
Paleo-Indian period
Ethnic groups in Antigua and Barbuda
History of Barbuda
History of Hispaniola
Indigenous peoples in Jamaica
Indigenous peoples in Haiti
Extinct Indigenous peoples of the Americas