Dance
The people lived in small, clean villages of neatly appointed thatch dwellings along rivers
inland and on the coasts. They were a handsome people who had no need of clothing for
warmth.
They liked to bathe often.
They painted their bodies with earth dyes and adorned themselves with shells and metals.
Men and women chiefs often wore gold in the ears and nose, or as pendants around the neck.
Some had tattoos.
From all early descriptions the Tainos were a healthy people who showed no signs of distress
from hunger or want. The Tainos, whose color was olive-brown to copper, reminded Columbus
of the people of the Canary Islands.
In parts of Cuba and Santo Domingo, some of the caciques, village or clan and nation chiefs,
wore a type of tunic on ceremonial occasions, but they saw no apparent need to cover their
breasts or genitals and they were totally natural about it.
The Taino had plenty of cotton, which they wove into mats, hammocks and small sails and numerous "bejucos" or fiber ropes.
