The Earliest Inhabitants: The Dynamics of the Jamaican Taino

of Long Mountain”, Andreas Oberli of the National Arboretum Foundation
highlights the presence of invasive species such as woman’s tongue (Albizia
lebbeck), which is normally found on Taíno sites where land has been cleared
for cultivation (Proctor and Oberli 2002). Mr Oberli had identified woman’s
tongue on the Long Mountain Taíno sites (ibid.). Another invasive species,
logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum), despite being introduced in 1715,
appears on Taíno sites across the island (Selvenious Walters, personal communication,
2002). The presence of logwood on Taíno sites could also be an indicator
of land that had been cleared by the Taínos for cultivation.
The Creation of Useful Products
According to Bray and Trump (1982, 180), much of man’s material equipment
came and comes from vegetable matter – food, fibres for clothing, construction
material for tools and houses, and so on. The Taínos were very resourceful,
utilizing the endemic and indigenous plants to manufacture necessary
commodities.
Housing
According to Fernández de Oviedo, the houses of the Taínos (see Figure 7.1)
are made of substantial framing, with walls of canes tied with lianas, which are
round vines or filaments that grow on large trees and interlaced with them.
The lianas are all sizes and sometimes the natives cut and prepare those they
need to tie the timber and supports of the house. The walls are made of
canes placed close together, plastered over with earth four or five fingers
thick, and extend to the top of the house. The houses are covered
with straw or long grass which is well placed and lasts a
long time. (1959, 39)
In Jamaica, an indigenous wild cane (Gynerium sagittatum)
is readily accessible along the riverbanks. The blue mahoe
(Hibiscus elatus) and red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle)
(Adams 1972) are other species that would have been available
for the construction of Taíno homes. The island has large
lianas, Tanaecium jaroba and the endemic Combretum robinsonii
(Clarke 1974), which could have been used to tie the canes together; the blue
mahoe also was a source of good rope (Adams 1971). The varieties of
Jamaican thatch – silver thatch (Coccothrinax jamaicensis), broad thatch
(Thrinax excelsa) and long thatch (Calyptronoma occidentalis) – provide plentiful
roofing material that is still used in contemporary Jamaica. At this point
Figure 7.1 Fernández
de Oviedo’s illustration
of Taínan caney.
(Rouse 1992, fig. 4.)
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