Taino diet: Taíno Society – Historical Archaeology

Taíno Society – Historical Archaeology

Economy

The Taínos were farmers and fishers, and practiced intensive root crop cultivation in conucos, or small raised plots.  Manioc was the principal crop, but potatoes, beans, peanuts, peppers and other plants were also grown. Farming was supplemented with the abundant fish and shellfish animal resources of the region.   Cotton was grown and spun into cloth, and along with the many other items produced by the skilled Taíno craftspeople, was used in a widespread trade network among the islands.

Taíno socio-political organization

The Taíno are thought to have been matrilineal, tracing their ancestry through the female line. The Taíno of Hispaniola were politically organized at the time of contact into at least five hereditary chiefdoms called cacicazgos. Each casicazgo had a clearly recognized territory, a system of regional chiefs (caciques) and sub-chiefs, and a paramount ruler. At least two distinct social categories were recognized by the Taíno as subordinate to the caciques. According to the Spanish chronicles, the nitaínos were equated with nobles, and appear to have assisted the caciques in the organization of labor and trade.  Behiques, or shamans, were part of the nitaíno group. The remainder of the population- equated by the Spaniards with commoners -were known as naborías. It is estimated that the cacicazgos each incorporated between seventy and a hundred communities, some of which had many hundreds of residents.

• Native Caribbean preparation of manioc and corn.

• Depiction of Taíno houses by Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Crónica de las Indias, Salamanca, 1547

Taíno gender roles

Documentary accounts at the time of contact indicate that although the paramount rulers among the Taíno were most often men, women could also be caciques. Women seem to have participated at all levels in the political hierarchy, both wielding power and accumulating wealth. Pre-contact gender roles among the Taíno are not well understood, but most researchers indicated that gender roles among the Taíno were relatively non-exclusive, from political leadership and fighting as warriors to food production.

There were few social or economic activities that were assigned to only either men or only women. For example, constructing the conucos (raised mounds for farming) was done by men, and preparing the manioc was done by women, but both genders tilled, planted and harvested the fields.

Art and belief among the Taíno

One of the most distinctive characteristics of fifteenth century Taíno society (at least to the modern observer) is the creative and exuberant artistry in material culture.  Taíno artisans produced a wide variety of craft items, including elaborate decorated ceramics, cotton and cotton products, ground and polished stone beads and ornaments, carved shell and bone ornaments, tools of stone, shell and bone, baskets and hammocks, carved wooden objects, tobacco, various foodstuffs, and exotic birds and feathers.

Because the Taíno themselves did not practice writing, most of the information we have about the Taíno comes from the observations of fifteenth century Spaniards in Hispaniola. Our understanding of them is therefore undoubtedly skewed toward the Spanish point of view, and there is no doubt that the Taínos must certainly have had their own set of complex set of observations about the Spaniards.

• Hollow tube made from polished turkey bone, probably used to inhale cohoba, a hallucinogenic substance unsed in Taíno ritual

• Shell mask ornament from En Bas Saline. Height 5.2cm

• Delicate ornaments made from shell

Reimagining the Taino diet – Kimchi and Beans

What Puerto Rican doesn’t enjoy a good barbecue among family and friends? Beachside or backyard, there’s nothing better than cooking outdoors while catching up and enjoying an impromptu performance by anyone who can play the guitar. That’s how we gather our tribe.

Interestingly enough that’s also how our Taino ancestors used to gather their people centuries ago, during the Neolithic period. Food. Music. Good company. It was that simple.

Our predecessors depended on tradition and social gatherings to keep the group strong and focused. Word of mouth was the only way to pass on knowledge, local stories, and beliefs. They would mostly talk about their hunting and fishing struggles, their commercial exchange with other islands and about finding ways to please their God Yocahú hoping for better weather and a substantial crop. 

The life of Tainos or “kind people” in Arawak was very simple but harsh. In order to survive the erratic Caribbean weather conditions, it was necessary to adapt to a role-based social structure where everyone was expected to perform diligently according to each discipline. Some Tainos would specialize in crafting tools for agriculture, others took care of the irrigation system, others gathered food.

They lived in small communities or yucayeques comprised of a handful or dozens of bohios made out of straw and wood, built next to the conucos or designated farming areas. An entire family could live in one bohio, while the Cacique boss would enjoy a more comfortable Caney. Only a few soldiers and the shaman or bohique could enjoy similar square footage. This social structure would evolve along with changes in agricultural innovation.

The Taino Diet

Their diet was just as simple and straightforward. Almost completely plant-based. Roots were the most fundamental part of their nutrition and represented close to 90% of their agricultural products. Even during the Spanish Conquest years, their casaba bread was so valued it was considered a method of payment. In the absence of circulating currency, these “cargas de pan” (bread loads) were used to cover payments related to salaries, agricultural tools, and taxes on the Quinto Real imposed by the Spanish Crown.

Colonist Juan Ponce de Leon was one of many who decided to adopt many elements of the Taino lifestyle in order to secure the survival of its people. In Agricultura y Sociedad de Puerto Rico, Francisco Moscoso talks about Ponce de León’s pact with Cacique Agueynaba upon his arrival. The colonist requested assistance in the preparation of his personal conuco to supply the area of Guaynía with yucca, sweet potato, and other Taino ingredients.

Ponce de Leon quickly realized that in order to grow a proper Spanish settlement on the island, there needed to be a strong agricultural base similar to the Tainos system.

The Taino diet was very dependent on yucca, yautia (taro), boniato (sweet potato), a variety of beans, peanuts, and island pumpkin. There were also minor corn crops, but it didn’t spread like it did in Latin America due to frequent storms that would destroy the crops. In terms of fruits, Tainos enjoyed plenty of pineapple, anon (custard apples), guanabana (soursop), guavas, mamey, and quenepas.

Many of their dishes would be grilled or stewed. They would mash a lot of their root vegetables or prepare a type of flatbread. To season their food, they would use ajicito peppers, ají caballero and recao (cilantro). Achiote was used to add color, as well as a mosquito repellent or to paint their faces during a war.

Both their condiments and ingredients continue to play an important role in today’s Puerto Rican cuisine. Those stewed beans just wouldn’t be the same without that gorgeous orange color in achiote. Or what about that delicious yucca al mojo or the refreshing bili made from quenepas?

Each and everyone of these natural ingredients also has amazing benefits for our health. And there are just about a thousand different ways we can play with them in the kitchen. We did a little culinary brainstorming ourselves and came up with a couple of very delicious recipes. We hope you enjoy them. Buen provecho.

Honey glazed mahi-mahi, roasted sweet potat and corn salad

Ingredients

• 1 Large sweet potato
• 2 Corn Ears
• 2 Mahi mahi fillets
• 1 Teaspoon of honey
• 1 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 4-5 Caribbean sweet pepper (pimientos dulces) or substitute with sweet roasted peppers
• ½ Cup of yellow onion, diced
• 4 Garlic cloves, mashed (2 for the fish, 2 for the salad)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil to taste
• Aluminum foil

Honey glazed mahi-mahi

1. Sauté the garlic in olive oil. Add the honey and lemon juice and cook for a minute.
2. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and cook with the sauce. Cook for 3 minutes on each side.

Sweet potato and corn salad

1. Scrub the sweet potatoes under running water. Season with salt and olive oil and cover with aluminum foil. 

2. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender.
3. For the salad, remove the corn off the cob.
4. Sauté the onions, peppers and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil until translucent. Add the corn, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 4-5 minutes.

For the Spanish version of this post, please click here.

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Debts, bullying, hungry fainting. How Korean Kids Prepare to Become K-Pop Stars

February 16, 2020

British Instagrammer Evodias went through a rigorous screening as a child and went to Korea to become a star in K-pop, Korean pop music that is popular all over the world. She told the BBC what the life of future K-pop stars consists of and why she left this career.

K-pop – is a musical genre that originated in South Korea and combines elements of western electropop, hip-hop, dance music and contemporary R&B. At the beginning of the XXI century, K-pop has become a large-scale musical subculture with millions of fans, especially among teenagers. The stars of this genre are called “idols” in the country: they usually not only sing, but also act in films and on television and maintain popular blogs.

Becoming a K-pop star is not easy: it usually takes years of intense training and sometimes even plastic surgery . But that didn’t stop Evodias who, while still a schoolgirl, left her home in northeast England and went to South Korea to become an “idol”. BBC journalist Elayne Chong retells her story as she heard it from Evodias herself.

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“At that time, K-pop was unknown in Britain. But I, half Chinese, half Korean, watched South Korean dramas such as “Boys Over Flowers and “Naughty Kiss” and fell in love with K-pop and culture in general. While my classmates were crazy about Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, I listened to Wonder Girls and B2ST.

I had a burning desire to become an actress and perform. In South Korea, one way to do this is to become an “idol”, someone who does everything: modeling, acting, singing and dancing… I thought K-pop was the way to my dream.0005

Image copyright Euodias

I’ve been auditioning for different companies for 10 years. Often it was necessary to send a video of myself: sometimes I skipped school to record, which my mother was very angry about.

And one day when we went to visit my grandmother in Seoul, I went to the casting, which was attended by 2000 people.

We were all gathered in a huge waiting room. You might have seen something similar on Britain’s Got Talent, but we didn’t have chairs. We sat on the floor in rows of ten.

My turn came after six hours of waiting. My heart was beating very fast as we were called one by one.

Photo by Euodias

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When the first girl sang, the judge shouted “Stop! Next!” before she even started singing the chorus. The other girls were treated the same way.

When it was my turn, I gave a monologue from a Korean TV movie. The referee cut me off in the middle. “We are looking for those who sing,” he said. – “Will you sing?” I didn’t prepare a song, but I decided to try singing “A Whole New World” from Disney’s Aladdin.

The judge interrupted me and asked me to dance. I was not ready for this either and felt like an idiot. They turned on the music and I improvised something. After conferring with the assistants, the judge gave me a piece of yellow paper. This meant that I passed to the next stage.

I was sent to a room where I was asked to walk along a line on the floor, and my face was photographed from different angles to see how I would look in the frame. A few days later I was asked to come with my parents and discuss the contract.

According to the contract, I had to leave my family and move to South Korea to pursue a career in the company. The company could get rid of me at any time if they thought I wasn’t good enough for them. But if I decide to leave my career on my own, I will have to pay the full cost of my education, which is thousands of dollars.

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My mother reluctantly signed a two-year contract for me, which was the minimum they could offer. After that meeting, we quarreled, and my mother did not speak to me for a month.

Shortly after I became an apprentice, the company transferred my contract to another firm. Such movements are common, and no one asks for the opinion of the students.

My new company was harsh. I had to live in her building along with other students who were between the ages of nine and 16. Boys and girls lived separately.

We only left the building to go to school. Korean students went to local public schools, but because I was British, I went to an international one. Apart from school, we were not allowed to go anywhere without permission. But even when we asked permission, we were usually denied.

If parents wanted to visit their children, they had to get permission beforehand. Relatives who came without warning were not allowed.

image copyrightEuodias

Our usual day went like this: we got up at five in the morning and danced. School started at eight. After school they returned to the company and were engaged in singing and dancing. The students practiced until 11 pm and even later to impress the instructors.

At night we were on our own. We had a tight schedule and they made sure we were all there before locking the doors.

It was forbidden to go on dates, although some people secretly did go. All students were required to act as if they were heterosexual, even if they were not. Anyone who claimed to be gay was kicked out.

Both boys and girls had “managers” – older people who could text us at night to keep an eye on us. If we didn’t answer right away, they called and asked where we were.

We didn’t have weekends or holidays. On holidays such as the Lunar New Year, the students stayed in the company building while the workers took a break.

Photo by Euodias

The company divided us into two groups, something like Team A and Team B. I was one of 20 or 30 members of Team A – we were considered to have the strongest potential.

Team B had about 200 students. Some of them even paid tuition. They could have been preparing for years and not be sure that they would ever “debut” at all. “Debut” was the moment someone started performing in K-pop.

Team A girls lived four people in a room. Ordinary students slept together in a huge room on rugs – right on the floor.

I saw how tired students from Team B slept right in the dance studios after class – the mats there were still the same as in the hostel.

Only once did I see a student from Team B move to Team A. But if a member of Team A behaved badly or complained about something, they could be intimidated by being kicked out or transferred to Team B.

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However, usually no one complained. We were all young and ambitious. The company believed that everything we have to go through is part of the discipline training, and this is necessary for the future “idol”. We agreed with everything.

We didn’t use our own names in the company building, except when talking to other students. We had a number and a stage name, given in accordance with the image that was chosen for us.

I was given the name Dia. But our instructors usually referred to us by the numbers they saw on our shirts. It was wild, like we were participating in some kind of scientific experiment.

I knew that I had the makings of a successful “idol”. The company liked me because I was small – the instructors constantly praised me for being petite. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat, but I have a high metabolism and don’t gain weight.

And the weight was an eternal headache for everyone. Each student had to weigh no more than 47 kg, regardless of age and height. At the weekly weigh-in, we were examined by a coach and our weight was announced to the whole room.

If they were overweight, they reduced their food intake. Sometimes those who were “overweight” were left without food at all, given only water.

It all seemed pretty cruel to me, because some of the girls couldn’t help it – they were tall.

It was normal to starve yourself. Some had anorexia or bulimia, and many girls did not have their periods. Fainting was common. We often ourselves carried those who lost consciousness to the hostel.

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I fainted twice in class, probably from dehydration, although maybe from malnutrition. I woke up in bed and couldn’t remember how I got into it.

At some point, I realized that I had no friends there. They were all colleagues. The environment was too tense and competitive to make friends.

Monthly reviews supported the atmosphere of stress. Each student performed in front of everyone and received marks from the instructors. If the grades were low, the student was immediately kicked out.

Image copyright Euodias

The streams of newcomers came to replace them. Many of them came after plastic surgery and looked like K-pop stars.

Bullying was widespread among students. One girl was teased for being overweight. Another, who danced well, had her ballroom shoes stolen.

I missed my old friends back in England, but I couldn’t get in touch with them as the instructors told us to hand over our phones so we could focus on class. The company wanted us to look more mysterious before debut and not post anything inappropriate on social media.

We could get our phones for 15 minutes in the evening and I used that time to call my mom. But many students secretly had second phones.

My parents knew that studying was hard, but they couldn’t do anything because I was bound by a contract and they were very far away. Most of the Korean students didn’t tell their parents because they didn’t want them to worry.

It helped me to believe that one day I would debut as a member of a K-pop group. However, the company had seats for less than half of the members of the A-Team. We competed for them through constant examinations.

K-pop groups are usually structured like this: lead vocalist, dancer, rapper, youngest member, and so on. Everyone has a special role.

I was delighted when they first told me that they wanted to choose me as a vocalist. But then the company said that they see me in a different role – visual.

The visual is the face of the group. You are chosen for this role because of your appearance, and especially because of how you are likely to look in the future. Another girl competed for this place with me. She was more attractive than me, but the company thought that if I got plastic surgery, I would be prettier than her and could become a visual.

My face is too large for Korean standards, and they wanted to change my nasal septum and make my jaw smaller. The company could not force me to go for the operation, but it encouraged me in every possible way. Plastic surgery in South Korea is a common thing, and this prospect did not scare me. I looked at it as an investment in my future. The cost of the operation was to be added to my debt to the company.

My mother didn’t like the idea. She understood that the operation brought me closer to the dream of becoming an “idol”, but she was worried about me.

When the company announced that I had been chosen for the role of visual, I was happy. I was told that I would be a K-pop star. You can imagine what that meant to a teenager.

Then I learned more about my future image. Dia, which I would have to become, was supposed to be modest, sweet and innocent. As a visual, I had to become the embodiment of these qualities. But Dia was not me. I am sassy and loud. And I began to doubt whether I could be an obedient girl in public.

I thought that acting would be worth the trouble if I ended up becoming an actress. But when I tried to talk to the company about it, the answer was: “No, we think you’re more suitable for a girl group.”

Some of the management told me that since I’m only half Korean, my acting career is only for supporting roles. I felt that my dreams were crumbling.

My contract was just about to expire and needed to be renewed before starting the group. And I said I don’t want to.

This was a rare case: most students go to great lengths to realize their dreams. But despite my refusal, I parted ways with the company kindly. I fulfilled my obligations under the contract and did not owe anything. If I had stayed and debuted with the group, I would have had to pay for instructors, housing, and plastic surgery. Even successful artists must keep working to pay off the debts that build up during training, as well as the new debts that form when a student becomes an “idol”. In general, it is quite difficult for K-pop stars to earn something.

I returned to England with my friends without having the operation. I passed my final exams along with everyone else. Later I studied art and got a place at a fashion school in France. And I was lucky because a lot of K-pop students dropped out at 18 or graduated at 21 and didn’t know what to do next. They gave everything for trying to become a K-pop star – and ended up with nothing.

image copyrightEuodias

My mother was happy to have me back. She always considered my training a mistake. But she knew that I had to figure it out myself. And it took a long time before I realized that my mother was right.

When I see videos of the band I was supposed to be in, I feel relieved: thank God I’m not on stage with them. All this seems to me a lie, but I know these girls personally, and the way they behave in public does not at all correspond to what they are in life.

Now I don’t think about performing. If only as a hobby. Instead, I am a blogger on YouTube. I discovered an entrepreneurial spirit in myself, I love making videos for my channel. Much of what I learned in Korea came in handy. I feel free to be in control of everything from planning to filming and editing.

And the more I think about it, the more I feel like I’ve made the right decision.”

Ever since Evodias started studying in Korea, the South Korean Free Trade Commission has enacted rules that prohibit companies from drafting bonded contracts for students, who want to become stars K-pop

Meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner What is a carnivore diet and how it affects the body?0005

Taina Fedoseeva

January 19, 2022

“Chicken wings, two soft-boiled eggs and coffee with heavy cream for breakfast, beef steak for lunch, roast duck and a steamed omelette for dinner” – this is what the menu of a carnivore dieter looks like. The Carnivore Diet, or “predator diet,” is a food system that is gaining popularity and is based entirely on animal products. The scheme is simple: only they are allowed, plants are prohibited.

According to the protocol of the creator of the diet, physician Sean Baker, the system involves the gradual elimination of products. At the first stage, meat, seafood, fish, poultry, fatty dairy products, eggs are allowed. On the second, the last two items are eliminated, and on the third, only grass-fed beef and water remain. Each stage lasts a month, then you can return some foods to the diet, monitoring the body’s reaction.

Dieters report rapid weight loss, increased energy, improved skin condition and increased libido. Sounds attractive enough. But how does such a diet actually affect the body? Natalya Naumova, PhD in Biology, analytical biochemist, nutritionist, medical researcher at the Venice Institute of Molecular Medicine and the University of Padua, talks about this. According to her, the carnivore diet has a number of significant drawbacks.

Artur Bondarenko.

No fiber

The Predator Diet eliminates all fiber. A diet without at least a minimum amount of fiber is not only not useful, but dangerous in the context of the state of the gastrointestinal tract, the formation of humoral and cellular immunity, and blood biochemical parameters.

Why is it so important? For many reasons. Fiber is necessary for the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract in terms of motility and in terms of the secretion of all gastrointestinal juices, it normalizes the excretory function of the intestine, providing regular stools and controlling the balance of beneficial / pathogenic flora in the intestine. Fiber is incredibly important for the correct balance of bacteria in the intestines, it helps to increase immunity through the growth of “correct” intestinal bacteria (they feed on fiber, it is a “substrate” for them). Lack of this balance can lead to a number of problems, including immune problems.

Fiber adsorbs excess fats and simple carbohydrates in the intestine, normalizing fat and carbohydrate metabolism. It promotes a long-lasting feeling of fullness with less food, and also controls blood glucose fluctuations by slowing down its absorption – and here we are talking about the prevention of insulin resistance and diabetes, as well as weight control.

An important aspect: fiber helps slow down the absorption of toxic substances and their removal from the intestines, reducing the load on the liver and gastrointestinal tract, especially in the presence of chronic inflammation and chronic diseases.

High/Low Fat

The Carnivore Diet consists entirely of animal products, thus it is very high in saturated fat and low in unsaturated fat. Cholesterol itself does absolutely no harm, and the absence of a correlation between cholesterol in foods and elevated blood cholesterol levels has long been proven. But saturated fats – if there are significantly more of them in the diet than unsaturated ones – just lead to an increase in the level of low-density lipoprotein and, as a result, an increase in the level of cholesterol in the blood.

Fats can also affect cholesterol levels in the body, fat metabolism in general, and liver function in different ways. A diet high in “bad” saturated fats (which are just the majority found in meat products, and not in vegetable products, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, and so on) and trans fats increases blood cholesterol levels, and a diet with high content of the “right” monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can lower cholesterol levels and support the proper functioning of the liver.

Too much protein and no carbohydrates at all

All protein diets, including Dukan, Atkins, Carnivore (Carnivore is a variant of the Atkins diet), have many side effects, severely disrupt metabolism and lead to an imbalance in protein/carbohydrate/fat metabolism and violation of the acid-base balance of the body.

Due to the lack of carbohydrates in the diet and an excess of protein, the body switches to the consumption of its own fats as a reserve source of energy. The body receives energy from ketone bodies, which are formed as a result of the breakdown of fat. But first, the body will exhaust the reserves of glycogen, which is stored in the liver, and only then will the breakdown of fat begin. When liver glycogen stores are depleted, ketosis begins, a state in which the body begins to break down fat for energy. But its effectiveness depends on the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin: if the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, the acid-base balance of the body is disturbed.

Excess protein in the diet for a long time is a serious risk to the excretory system and kidneys, this situation can lead to severe kidney failure.

Other popular low-carb and high-protein diets, such as the keto and paleo diets, limit but do not eliminate carbohydrate intake. In this context, the carnivore diet even more significantly disrupts protein-carbohydrate metabolism.

Vitamin deficiencies and other risks

Following such a strict restrictive diet will in no time lead to a deficiency of some vitamins, trace elements and some essential nutrients, as well as an overconsumption of others.