Meet the Survivors of a Genocide on Paper

Introduction

• Perspective of the Taínos on Columbus's "discovery."
• Taínos, Arawak people of the Caribbean with origins in South America 4000 years ago.
• Arrival of the Spaniards in 1492 in search of gold and spices.

Consequences of Colonization

• Slavery and genocide of the Taínos by the Spaniards.
• Myth of the extinction of the Taínos after the 1565 census.
• Declaration of extinction in 1802, although evidence of indigenous presence persisted.

Survival and Resistance

• Forced conversion during the Spanish Inquisition.
• Classification and reclassification of indigenous slaves.
• Marriages between Spaniards and Taíno women.

Genocide on Paper

• Disappearance from census records despite evidence.
• Indigenous identity concealed in encyclopedias and historical records.

Reaffirmation Movement

• Emergence of a movement to claim and preserve Taíno culture.
• DNA studies showed the presence of Taíno DNA in Caribbean peoples.
• Revision of history and indigenous identity through the internet and young studies.
• Changes in identification options in census records.

Cultural and Historical Importance

• Recognition of the role of the Taínos in the formation of the Caribbean islands.
• Reflection on the historical atrocities committed by the Spaniards.
• Need to tell stories from the indigenous perspective.

Conclusion

• Importance of knowing and understanding the true history of the Taínos.
• Photographic project to make visible and reaffirm indigenous identities.

Note: Chief Jorge Baracutei Estevez is an associate specialist at the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian, who works on documenting Taíno oral histories. Haruka Sakaguchi is a photographer collaborating on the hypothetical census records project.

Original Source: National Geographic.