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Language Of The Land

Day 2 – The Words That Refused to Die

When the Taíno people of Borikén spoke, they spoke not just for themselves, but for the land, the sea, and the spirits that lived within both. Their words were songs of survival, names for the sacred, and descriptions of life’s rhythms.

Colonizers tried to erase that voice. They burned, outlawed, and replaced Indigenous languages across the Caribbean. And yet, some words refused to disappear. They flowed like water, woven into Spanish, English, and the everyday speech of millions.


📜 Common words we use today that come from Taíno:

  • Huracán → hurricane, the spirit of the storm goddess Guabancex 🌪️

  • Barbacoa → barbecue, the sacred fire grill for food + community 🔥

  • Canoa → canoe, the vessel that carried both trade and ceremony across the islands 🌊

  • Hamaca → hammock, the woven cradle of rest and dreamspace 🌙

These words were more than just descriptions — they carried spiritual meaning.

  • A hammock was not just a place to sleep, but a place of dream travel and visioning.

  • A barbecue fire wasn’t just cooking, but community ritual and offering.

  • A canoe was not just transportation, but a spiritual crossing between islands, ancestors, and stars.

  • A hurricane was not just wind, but the presence of the goddess herself, a reminder of the cycles of chaos and rebirth.


🌺 The Taíno tongue carried the codes of spirit. Even when colonizers stripped away rituals and replaced cosmology with saints, these words were too rooted to be torn out.

Today, every time we say “hurricane” or “barbecue,” we unknowingly call back to Taíno ancestry. Their voice still rides on our breath.


🌊 Reflection & Invitation

Language is a living ancestor. The Taíno knew that words shaped reality, that what you spoke could open a door to spirit.

💌 Ask yourself: What words do I use every day that may hold deeper roots? How might I bring awareness to their origin and honor the voices that carried them to me?


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