A Taino’s tale: Dr Swaby launches new children’s book
We have all heard of the indigenous people of Jamaica, the Tainos, but what impact, if any, did they leave on our culture?
Dr Lesley-Gail Atkinson Swaby has been studying the Tainos for years, and she has become an authority on the group of people. Putting her research to good use, Swaby has written a delightful children’s book entitled, Boianani: A Taino Girl’s First Adventure.
This 56-page book, which was published by Plum Valley Publishing Limited, will go some way in giving children an insight into the original inhabitants of Jamaica.
“Boianani is more than an intellectual property. She is part of me. In fact, she is me, not just in name, but her spirit and determination. She represents my journey, and now we have come full circle,” said Swaby.
The Tainos were the principal inhabitants of most of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. When Christopher Columbus came to the New World, he found the Tainos living in the Greater Antilles and subsequently attempted to convert them to Christianity.
