Tainos 1.1 HAITI
What was the main social and political structure of the Tainos, led by a chief called a cacique?
75% of players answered correctly.
THE CORRECT ANSWER: A system of tribal chiefdoms
The social and political organization of the Tainos was structured around the caciquat, a system of well-defined tribal chiefdoms. The villages were grouped under the authority of a supreme leader called the cacique. This leader exercised important political, judicial and religious functions.Below the cacique were the nitainos, who made up the nobility and served as advisors or warriors. The Bohites, for their part, represented the priests and spiritual healers of the village. Finally, the vast majority of the population was made up of the naborias, the working class of farmers and artisans.This strict hierarchy ensured social stability and the coordination of economic and ceremonial activities. The power of the cacique was hereditary and generally transmitted through the maternal line, demonstrating a major cultural importance given to kinship and descent among the Arawaks.