Were the Taíno Really Jamaica’s First People?

Who lived in Jamaica before the Taíno? When we talk about Jamaican history, the story often begins with the Taíno, and then jumps forward to European colonization and slavery. But Jamaica's history goes much further back. In this first episode of Threaded Lineage, we follow the archaeological thread into Jamaica's pre-Columbian past and explore the people and cultures who inhabited the island before the societies commonly associated with the Taíno. We'll look at archaeological evidence connected to the Redware and Ostionoid traditions, the Meillacan/Meillacoid tradition, early settlement in Jamaica, and the complicated question of how these earlier Caribbean populations relate to the people later identified as Taíno. And then there's the bigger question: When we say "the first people," what do we actually mean, and what can the evidence really tell us? This isn't an attempt to force a conclusion. It's an invitation to follow the thread, examine the evidence, question the narratives we've inherited, and stay in wonder about the history of the Caribbean. Because Jamaica's story didn't begin with slavery. Follow the thread. Stay in wonder. 🧵 ------ Jamaica history, Jamaican history, Jamaica before the Taíno, Taino history, Taíno Jamaica, pre-Columbian Jamaica, pre-Columbian Caribbean, Caribbean history, ancient Jamaica, Jamaica archaeology, Jamaican archaeology, Ostionoid, Ostionoid culture, Meillacoid, Meillacan, Redware people, Redware Jamaica, indigenous Jamaica, indigenous Caribbean, Caribbean archaeology, Caribbean indigenous peoples, Taíno people, history of Jamaica, Black Caribbean history, African Caribbean history, ancient Caribbean, Threaded Lineage Hashtags #JamaicanHistory #CaribbeanHistory #ThreadedLineage