Let's Talk Taíno 5 - Place Names with "ke"

Ever wonder why you see or hear "ke" in the names of many Caribbean islands? Watch to find out what "ke" means in place names like "Kiskeya", "Borikén", "Biéke", and more. Learn the names that Taínos gave to islands, such as Hispañola (Haiti/Dominican Republic) 🇭🇹🇩🇴, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷, and Vieques, as well as what those place names mean. Join Casa Areyto as we continue our journey to learn this Native American language and the culture of our indigenous ancestors.
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[@bruja_cat]

THIS CHANNEL HAS ONLY 17 SUBSCRIBERS ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!!!! I’m about to hype you up

[@elianesewiley733]

I found this channel because of your tik tok!! thank you so much, i have been wanting to learn more about our taino people & culture. loving these videos

[@tomswindell6371]

Nope

[@hanleylopezescano5977]

In the DR there's a river its name is Yuna, it means white flower.

[@CasaAreyto]

Oooh, yes! That reminds me, I need to make a video on colors. 🌈😉

[@JayWalking_360]

And the name Anacaona means Golden Flower..

[@supahjadi8944]

Never stop with the vids, love them, so informative! If only there was a group chat where we can all gather and speak to each other in our ancesteral tongue.

[@CasaAreyto]

Jajóm (thank you)! And yes, there is a group. 🙌 You can join our sister group, Taíno Corner, where we practice writing and speaking together. You can join here: facebook.com/groups/254973329786620 Once you join, the admin will add you to the chats. They're starting to organize meetings by level, from beginners to intermediate to advanced, so you can join whatever you feel most comfortable. Bo-guatukán! (Many blessings!)

[@jsjfreightllc9971]

I’m here to learn the language so I can communicate with my ancestors proud aytien

[@alexskatit4188]

sispann fe tenten si ou se ou vre aysien

[@PH7018c]

Muy bien.. con el pasito de la "bibijagua" vamos aprendiendo.. 👌

[@Biscuit0313]

Hi Itu' .. Kiskeyan Taíno here.. I just want to correct one thing.. The whole island is not called Kiskeya, only the the eastern side, the western side is called Ayiti (Land of mountains I believe) . There were names in between the two sides but have unfortunately been lost either to time or unconfirmed, so we call the island whole island (Colonizer name Hispaniola) Ayiti-Kiskeya-Bohio .. ❤ Also additional "fun" historical fact here, during the Haitian Revolution Many Taíno, some who were basically still living in the rough mountainous areas of Haiti which the Spaniards & French were too lazy to check 😅, and others who were surviving in the Campos of Kiskeya (and all over the island) joined in the Revolution against not only the French but also the Spaniards and as a Tribute to the Taínos for their help, Jean-Jacques Dessalines asked what the Arawak Taíno name of Saint-Domingue used to be and gave it back it's name, eventually naming the whole country Ayiti (For the 20 years it was united).

[@candyluna2929]

Wow did not know that!! Thank you!!!

[@hadeonartx]

I love these videos thank you for helping me connect with my roots!

[@CasaAreyto]

You are very welcome! It means a lot that I'm helping to reach others like you who are also looking to reconnect. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. Bo-guatukán! (Many blessings!)

[@StevenBrundage]

Love the videos

[@CasaAreyto]

Thanks for the love, Steven! And thank you for continuing on this journey with us.

[@iamandraelove]

Takahí ítu, would you do a video on Jamaica? Many claim that the original name is Xaymaca, yet a casiké from Jamaica shares that it is Yamayé and the people of the land would say that they are Yamayéka (in association to the land they are from) in which the word Jamaica derived from. Plus any research on the extinct Xenothrix mcgregori monkey and the refuge the Marroons found with the Taíno in Blue Mountain? Hahom ma 😊🙏🏽🌿

[@jaytayuniverse8872]

Hi there, my sister and I are of Jamaican descent and we are trying to learn Taíno because we were taught that it was our native language! We just wanted to check if taíno was also use in Jamaica and how to say Jamaica in Taíno.

[@CasaAreyto]

Tau, guaitiáo nitaíno! 👋🏽 (Hello, friend relative!) Yes, we are definitely Taíno family. 🥰 Jamaica was called "Yamayéka" and Jamaican Taínos on the island usually call themselves "Yamayé". • Check out "Let's Talk Taíno 8" (where I cover Jamaica/Jamaican): kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGnJaIdmfquHlbc • Let's Talk Taíno 1 (where I cover all of the places where Taínos lived): kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKrSqWeni7moock I also found this cool site where you can see the full map of all indigenous lands: native-land.ca/ In the meantime, so happy to have you join us! 🙌🏼

[@jaytayuniverse8872]

@@CasaAreyto Thank you so very much 😄😄 what you are doing is great and inspirational!

[@CasaAreyto]

@@jaytayuniverse8872 Jajóm! (Thank you!)

[@CasaAreyto]

I don't know why KZbin deleted your comment from the other video. But I want you to know that I created a video about Taíno writing systems to answer your question. Javier Hernández created a new font for iPhones, which is different from the Taíno Pictographic Alphabet that the Naguaké schools were using. Be on the lookout for the video coming out next week. Bo-guatukán! (Many blessings!)

[@jaytayuniverse8872]

@@CasaAreyto Thank you so much for your response!! Bo-guatukán!!

[@reyesjohannarreyes6004]

I'm so glad I found this videos. Great way to learn our native language. Thanks ❤

[@CasaAreyto]

Yay! I'm so glad that you found us. Dak'toká naboría. (I'm at your service.) 💜

[@bigbellydude2938]

Thank you so much I love learning my culture 💜 ❤

[@CasaAreyto]

It's my pleasure. Jajóm (thank you) for learning with us. And please don't hesitate to reach out with any topic suggestions. Bo-guatukán! (Many blessings!)

[@luza.cordero4563]

Like it 🙂

[@CasaAreyto]

Thank you for the support!

[@edwinmedina1029]

¿Estas palabras que describen algo se pueden usar adjuntas para describir a alguien? Algo así como llamar a alguien amigos gorditos “Bon-guaitiaon” o, “Bon-Taino”. Algo así como en broma, como un chistesito taíno. ¿Es esto posible?

[@SupaMarioG]

I wonder what else the mayans did while in contact with tainos. i know that cacao is mayan origin and may have turnd to "cacahuatl" meaning peanut in nahuatl then as it was mxed with "atl" meaning water it may have became chocalatl. but take it with a grain of salt because its a theory or grain of cacao powder

[@CasaAreyto]

Yes, 🙌 there is some new archeological evidence about cultural exchange! They've found Taíno spatulas in Central and South America. The Spanish also wrote about the Maya living with Taínos. That's how the Spanish learned the word "Kiskéya". The Taínos themselves used "Aytí" or simply "bohío/bojío" (home) to refer to the island. Here's a blog post on the spatula info: caneycircle.wordpress.com/mayaevidence/

[@Gigitalaloca]

If kis mean radiant sun, how does that translate to mother of all land? Wouldn't that just be like land of radiant sun or something like that? I'm just trying to understand why the word is changed

[@CasaAreyto]

Good question! As some people think this may be of Mayan origin, I can only guess that it has layers of meaning that together create something new, rather than a literal translation of each part. Or another reason could be that the definition changed over time. It happens a lot with languages. For example, "pomme de terre" in French means "potato", but the literal translation is "apple of the earth/soil". A similar example in Taíno is the word "mayáni", which means "nothing/nada". But I see 3 words in that: ma (no/not), ya (spirit), ni (water). Literally that means "no spirit or water". So if something doesn't have a spirit nor water, then it can't exist and therefore is "nothing". These are just theories since none of us can be 100% sure given that these words have passed through many tongues, evolving over the last 530 years. 🥰

[@thecoolorphan5876]

Is it true that Hispaniola was named Ahatti before the colonisation ?

[@CasaAreyto]

That is correct; one of the names given to the island is/was Aytí or Ayití (though I have not heard of Ahati). That's were we get the name for modern-day Haiti (if you pronounce it the Spanish way). Check out the explanation at 1:31 minutes of the video. According to some chronicles this was the Taíno name for the island. Others believe that Kiskéya was the name given to the island by the Maya who frequently traveled and stayed there among the Taíno. The origin of Kiskéya is still highly debated. Nowadays, the Dominicans have adopted "Kiskéya" as the name for their part of the island, while Haitians use "Aytí" for their part. I hope this helps. 🥰

[@thecoolorphan5876]

@@CasaAreyto thanks you for the details, yes i watched the video and a lot of other lessons on your channel. But i saw on Wikipedia the « Ahatti » name, and i wanted to ask to someone who knows the language

[@CasaAreyto]

@@thecoolorphan5876 Ah, I see. Yeah, I think the Wikipedia entry was probably done by someone who speaks English and mixed up some letters. The information I got comes from the original Spanish chronicles. Thank you so much for trusting me with your question. 🥰

[@Biscuit0313]

What is the Taíno name for cuba and the translation?

[@candyluna2929]

It is that: cuba. I think it was UKUBA. Today jusy Cuba

[@SupaMarioG]

Wouldnt boriken and buruken have a simbolic connection as a crab can move from shell to another for home and shelter?

[@CasaAreyto]

That is a very good way of looking at it. Crabs are very adaptable. There are also lots of these land crabs on the island. During certain seasons, it's as if they all decide to go on land and you practically step on them everywhere you walk. 🦀😁 It's just another way of Mother Earth showing us her abundance. 🌎🙌

[@kangroxx]

Aytí is the land of the goddess Aya 😉

[@CasaAreyto]

Oh, I hadn't heard about this. Do you have more info you can point to? I'm super interested. 🥰

[@kangroxx]

Yeah 4 sure, I've found out in other sources that Ayti also means the land of the deities. Ay, Aya, Ayi, Ya or Yaya are synonymous to divinity in the indigenous languages. Example, when we see something amazing or a pretty girl/boy, we be like "Ayayay", it's like saying "Oh my god"... But I feel like "The land of the goddess Aya" fit the definition of KiskeYa "The Mother of all Lands" Another source is saying that it means "The land that obliges one to elevate self in order to enjoy life". So it's all about self elevation or being aware of our higher self...

[@kangroxx]

But don't worry, the definition that you gave in this video is the official definition that they gave us in the education system in Ayti too. We got to dig deep to find out these other hidden facts... I enjoy watching your videos! Keep up the good work! 😉

[@joaquintorreslol]

Im Puerto Rican and for some reason my google said the taíno land of Puerto Rico was Boricua

[@CasaAreyto]

Thank you for the question! Google is wrong in this case. 😑 "Borikén" is name original name of the island as far as we can tell from written historical records. The term "Boríkua" is used to talk about people like you and me who are from "Borikén" or who are descendants of people from Borikén. 💜 It's why you hear Marc Anthony yell in his salsa songs "Boríkua!", a call to all the Puerto Ricans in the audience. 🥰 I hope this helps!

[@joaquintorreslol]

@@CasaAreyto thank you! That was very helpful cause I thought for a second that I was saying it correctly

[@justinbolivar7248]

If only Christopher Columbus knew about this

[@CasaAreyto]

Right?! It's sad, but I doubt he would've cared. He was bent on proving he was in China that it didn't matter what anyone told him. 😟 I'm reading the Columbus Book of Privileges... very tough to read, though I like the authors call him an ego maniac and with good reason. 😁

[@justinbolivar7248]

@@CasaAreyto i don't hate him or anyone. You know we are here because of history. We are la Raza. Latino América! Viva la raza

[@CasaAreyto]

@@justinbolivar7248 Agreed! It's a beautiful reminder that we have survived. 🥰

[@Faithless_Bastard]

How do you say “I love you”?

[@CasaAreyto]

Thanks for the question! 🙌 "Dak'ro buk." means "I love you." I did a video on that (see below). Before you watch the 2 videos on love, you'll also need to know the basic pronouns: I, you, he, she, etc. (A lot of the videos I do build on each other.) 😉 Here's what I recommend: Let's Talk Taíno 7 - I am... You are... kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqStfX-QfdSWn8U Let's Talk Taíno 11 - I love... You love... kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5PJiYaYZZ1_jrc Let's Talk Taíno 12 - I love my... You love your... kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6DZgH-fjNZpZs0