Arawak (Taino) Natives
The original inhabitants of the Caribbean as a region, including Jamaica, were the Arawaks. Explorer Christopher Colombus named the island Saintaingo, sometimes referred to as Tainos. It was created from the words, "Yamaye," as "Xaymaca .The Taino word means "many springs." The abbreviated name, "Ja" and the Rastafarian term "Jamdung" (Jamdown) are used by some residents, along with "Yaahd" (Yard),
Read more: Culture of Jamaica - history, people, clothing, women, beliefs, food, customs, family, social http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Jamaica.html#ixzz20VltgmEJ "While it appears that some Arawak survived the arrival of the Europeans, there are no self-identified Arawak communities living as such in Jamaica, and recovering traces of their original culture requires sophisticated archaeological techniques.
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Famous quotes containing the word natives:
“As I walked on the railroad causeway, I used to wonder at the halo of light around my shadow, and would fain fancy myself one of the elect. One who visited me declared that the shadows of some Irishmen before him had no halo about them, that it was only natives that were so distinguished.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)