Table of Contents
What does the word Lucayan mean?
The name “Lucayan” is an Anglicization of the Spanish Lucayos, itself a hispanicization derived in turn from the Taino Lukku-Cairi (which the people used for themselves), meaning “people of the islands”. …
What is the Lucayan story?
The Lucayan Story is a fascinating anthropological account of the Lucayan people and the inception of the nations of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. It also serves to lay some historical foundational stones in the early establishment and colonization of our modern-day Americas at large.
Who is native to the Bahamas?
The original inhabitants of the Bahamas were indigenous Taino (Arawak) who are also known as Lucayan. They originated from both Hispaniola (today Dominican Republic) and Cuba and migrated by canoe into the Bahamas, settling the entire archipelago by the 12th century of the Current Era.
What did the Lucayans do for a living?
The Lucayans were skilled at making dugout canoes that they used to travel to, and trade with, other islands. Their trading routes within the Bahamas included Long Island, Great and Little Exuma Islands, and Great and Little Inagua Islands.
Why did the Arawaks paint their faces?
Body painting was common among Arawakan peoples, partly for the sake of aesthetics but mostly as an act of spirituality.
What kind of people are the Lucayan Indians?
The Lucayan tribe was a branch of the Taino people. Through enslavement, they were scattered throughout Europe. There are many people of mixed Taino, African and Cuban descent living today, a rich diversity that adds to the vibrancy of today’s Bahamas.
Where are the locations of the Lucayan villages?
From Cat Island the expansion proceeded to Eleuthera, from which New Providence and Andros to the west and Great and Little Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama to the north were reached. Lucayan village sites are also known on Mayaguana, east of Acklins Island, and Samana Cay, north of Acklins.
Where did the Lucayans live in the Bahamas?
The Lucayans were the first in recorded history to have inhabited The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands. It was here among these islands where Columbus made his historic landfall in the Americas on a tiny island he renamed, San Salvador, meaning Holy Savior. San Salvador is located in the central Bahamas.
What was the legacy of the Lucayan sea?
At the dawning of The modern Americas, the Lucayans were the first to suffer complete genocide. The storied past of the Lucayan Sea is an aquatic monument to the Lucayan plight and legacy, and to humanity’s continued quest to discover peace and rest.