Product Description

A noted archaeologist and anthropologist tells the story of the Tainos of the northern Caribbean islands, from their ancestry on the South American continent to their rapid decline after contact with the Spanish explorers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #163401 in Books
• Published on: 1993-07-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Library Journal
Although Columbus's diaries contain almost all firsthand information about the Tainos, who became extinct as a result of European colonization, the author has managed to piece together a robust chronicle of their past. Sifting through reports on Caribbean archaeological sites and plumbing studies of language and biology for historical clues, he traces the Tainos back to the initial colonization of the West Indies 5000 years ago. Developing a subject introduced in a chapter of Rouse's Migrations in Prehistory (Yale, 1986), this masterpiece of the cultural/historical approach in archaeology caps 35 years of research. Rouse (archaeology, Yale) fully justifies his reputation as a committed teacher with this informative and accessible volume. Highly recommended for a general audience and anyone interested in the quincentenary. For more books on the Columbus quincentenary, see "Rediscovering Columbus," LJ 8/91, p. 120-22.--Ed.
- William S. Dancey, Ohio State Univ., Columbus
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Exceptional Book! A MUST READ!
There were so many things of the Taino Indians I didn't know about and this book gives such a wonderful view of their lives and heritage you think they were your neighbors next door! This book makes you realize how important it is to keep your heritage alive.

Opus Magnus
When writting this book, Dr. Rouse put a lifetime of research and studies on the Indians of the Caribbean into one work.
Since Rouse is considered the "Dean of Caribbean Archaeology", this book is a "must have" for anyone interested in the region and its native inhabitants.
Very few people have worked for so long, in so many locations and with such dedication as Dr. Rouse.

Este libro es la Biblia del tema taino
Irving Rouse, nos presenta un libro muy completo y bien investigado sobre el tema taino. Todos aquellos estudiosos que quieran aprender sobre esta etnia, la etnia amerindia que tuvo el primer fatal encuentro con Cristobal Colon , debe leer este libro.Este libro es la Biblia sobre el tema taino.