queenlionesss: “The Taino people’s mode of dress represented their connection to the ear
queenlionesss: “The Taino people’s mode of dress represented their connection to the earth as well as the openness of their relationship to each other. Some of the first Columbian invaders recounted shock and amazement upon encountering the Amerindians.Accounts by Las Casas (in Martyr, 1970) explicitly describe the beauty of the Taino women of the Xaragun tribe in Hispanola:As for the young girls, they covered no parts of their bodies, but wore their hair loose upon their shoulders and a narrow ribbon tied around the forehead. Their face, breasts, hands, and the entire body were quite naked, and of somewhat a brunette tint.All were beautiful, so that one might think he beheld those splendid naiads or nymphs of the fountains, so much celebrated by the ancients.The Amerindians were not without rules of engagement as they had specific guidelines for welcoming the visitors. According to further accounts from the Columbus logs, the Taino considered lending their wives to visitors whom they considered important as a sign of hospitality. This custom was not understood by invaders who mistook the women for prostitutes Their misunderstanding would later cost them their lives.Also astonishing to the colonizers was the free sexual expression reflected in Taino art and religion. ” From the book “Perspectives in Caribbean Pyschology -- source link