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:
“I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little, odious vermin that Nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth.”
—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)