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The absurdity of jumping to "socio-historical" conclusions based on cross-language word coincidences

Takaji My Relatives

For some time now there has been a small but obnoxiously vocal element in the Taino Resurgence movement that has taken exception to the use of the word "Taino" based on the fact that there is a town in the country of Italy that bears a name with the exact same spelling and probably the exact same pronunciation.

 

 Based on this coincidence alone one particularly outspoken individual member of that element has commented at least on one occasion in a public post "Borike not Taino because Taino is a city in Italy...'They serve pizza in Taino' ".

Please note a copy of that facebook post below which, by the way, contains an image that belongs to the UCTP and was used without UCTP permission. The individual was asked to take down the image as long ago as March of this year and has not done it yet.

 

The argument used by the proponents of this particular objection to the use of the word "Taino" is a convoluted mix of baseless conspiracy theory, extremely flawed linguistic analysis, and patently racist anti-Semitism. Evidently the argument perceives some sort of Jewish or pretend-Jewish Zionist plot including a Columbus that may or may not have been Italian or may or may not have been Jewish or some sort of silliness that ultimately ended in the supposedly false naming of our ancestors after an Italian city called "Taino".

 

Now...the fact is that even though there is a town in Italy called "Taino", that has absolutely nothing to do with the name of our tribe. IT IS SIMPLY A LINGUISTIC COINCIDENCE.

 

Yes my brothers and sisters, the fact is that there are millions of words in many  languages that are spelled exactly the same as similar-sounding words in other languages but have ABSOLUTELY NO RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER....They are simply a random coincidence.

The name of the town in Italy called "Taino" is derived from the name of an ancient Roman god called "Taginus". The name was distorted with time as many words do, and evolved into the term "taino".

 

The name of our tribe "Taino" evolved from two legitimate Arawakan Indigenous terms: "tai" (meaning "good" or "noble") and the pluralizing suffix "no" which was used by the Tainos in the same way that we in English or in Spanish add an "s" to mean "more than one". This junction of terms renders the word "THE NOBLE ONES" or as we would say in Spanish "LOS BUENOS". The word "Taino" was heard at least two times by the early Spanish explorers according to recorded chronicles. This fact has been verified at length by our own kasike Roberto Mukaro Borrero of the United Confederation Of Taino People.

So the name of the Italian town "Taino" has absolutely NO CONNECTION to the name of our tribe "Taino".

 

Now, as I mentioned earlier there are many, many instances of similarities between words in different languages. It is true that sometimes those similarities do imply some sort of direct connection. One instance of that is the current name of the island shared by the countries of Haiti and Kiskeya (Dominican Republic). That island is now known as "Hispaniola". Obviously this word IS derived from an European geographic term and there is a logical sequence by which we all accept this fact. After all, the people that claimed to take control of this island called the peninsula where they came from "Hispania" and therefore it is logical that they would call this island that they felt they owned "Hispaniola" (the Spanish island). So we all readily accept that the name of the island Hispaniola is derived from the name of an European country. There is absolutely no logical explanation why anyone would name the Indigenous people of the Caribbean after an Italian town. That is nonsense.

By the same token it is definitely true that words from one language do jump into another language through routine linguistic evolution. The English word "cognition" which is associated with concepts of learning and knowing is obviously derived from the ancient Latin word "cogito" which means "knowing" and "learning". "Incognito", by the same token, means "unknown" or "hidden".

 

That said we now can explore the curious realm of words that look and even sound almost the same but are not in any way related to each other...and there are MANY!

Lets first exploere some words in English and Spanish:

 

the word in Italian "Cara" means "beloved" and is related to the Spanish word "Querida" but is in no way related to the Spanish word "cara" which means "face" THAT IS A COINCIDENCE!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cara_Mia

"Cara Mia" is a

popular song published in 1954 and became a hit for English singer David Whitfield in 1954 and a #4 hit by the American pop group Jay and the Americans in 1965. Jay & The Americans' "Cara Mia" went to the charts in Holland when it was re-released in 1980.

The title means "my beloved" in

Italian.

-------------------------------------

http://cn.linkedin.com/in/trainyh

"Yu hang"

a proper name in Chinese. Is in no way associated with the English words "You hang" or "You'll hang" THAT IS A COINCIDENCE!

--------------------------------------

The term "bat" or terms with extremely similar spelling and pronunciation can mean different things in three different languages. In English alone there are two totally unrelated meanings for it.

in the Maya language the word "batz" is the name of one of the calendar days (associated with the howler mokey)

from blog-site "BreatheE"

http://breatheasyouread.blogspot.com/2010/03/8-batz-ceremony-momostenango-guatemala.html

Every 260 days, the Mayan sacred calendar, the Tzolkin, completes a cycle. On 8/Batz (monkey, weaver of time...very important ceremonies take place in Momos (the village of Momostenango, Guatemala). Mayan Daykeepers are initiated at this time. This word is not in any way related to the English word "bat" THIS IS SIMPLY A COINCIDENCE!.

 

 

In ancient Aramaic (used as part of the name of a Jewish ritual)

http://judaism.about.com/od/lifeevents/a/What-Is-A-Bat-Mitzvah.htm

Bat Mitzvah literally means "daughter of commandment." The word "bat" means "daughter" in Aramaic, which was the commonly spoken language of the Jewish people (and much of the Middle East) from about 500 B.C.E. to 400 C.E. The word "mitzvah" is Hebrew for "commandment." This word is in no way associated to the English word "bat". THIS IS SIMPLY A COINCIDENCE!

 

 

In English we find two identically spelled and pronounced words with totally different origins and meaning two  totally different things. One word derived from the old French word of Celtic origin "batre" and the other from an ancient Skandinavian term "bakke".

1.)"bat" in English (used for a stout wooden stick)

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bat

bat 1 (bt)

n.

1.

A stout wooden stick; a cudgel.

2.

A blow, such as one delivered with a stick.

3.

Baseball A rounded, often wooden club, wider and heavier at the hitting end and tapering at the handle, used to strike the ball.

[Middle English, perhaps partly of Celtic origin and partly from Old French

batte, pounding implement, flail (from batre, to beat; see batter1).]

 

2.) "bat" also in English the name of a flying mammal

bat 2 (bt)

n.

Any of various nocturnal flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, having membranous wings that extend from the forelimbs to the hind limbs or tail and anatomical adaptations for echolocation, by which they navigate and hunt prey.

[Alteration of Middle English

bakke, of Scandinavian origin.]

I could go on and on offering examples of words that we know can not in any way be related but that coincidentally look and sound the same just like the name of the Italian town "Taino" and our legitimate tribal name "Taino". But now I want to present you all with the most striking aspect of my argument. These are words from foreign languages that like "Taino" also look and sound exactly the same as legitimate Taino terms. Does this mean that we now have to suspect the origin of these words also?

There is a term in the Japanese language that appears in an innocuous Japanese song called "Itsuki Lullaby". That term is "Yoka-Hu". So now by the logic proposed by the critics of the word "Taino" who claim that "taino" is only the name of a "pizza-eating Italian town" we should now explore some sort of Japanese conspiracy that gave the ancient Taino male spirit Yokahu HIS name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itsuki_Lullaby

japanese child's song

inludes the term "Yoka-Hu"

 

Odoma bon-giri

bon-giri,
Bon kara sakya oran-do
Bon ga hayo kurya,
Hayo modoru. Odoma
kanjin -kanjin,
[1] Anhito-tacha yoka-shu
Yoka-hu yoka
obi,
Yoka
kimon'.

And last but not least I propose to our friends who would rather be called "Borike" than "Taino" because "Taino" is the name of a "pizza-eating Italian town" the name of a horse-breeding center in the Balkan European country of Bosnia. Yes you guessed it ...the Bosnian BORIKE STUD center.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_Pony

Beginning in the 1900s, the Bosnian Pony has been selectively bred through government-controlled breeding programs. The principle breeding center for many years was the Borike Stud in Bosnia. The state controlled all breeding stallions, while mares were privately owned. During the 1940s three stallions, Agan, Barat, and Misco, were used to improve the breed. Agan and Barat resembled the Asian Wild Horse type, while Misco was a lighter type.

 

Does this mean that now we have to doubt the validity of the word "Borike" as a Taino word because there is a place in Europe called "Borike"?

Of  course not!   

 Intelligent people realize that this similarity between the Bosnian site known as "Borike Stud" and the name of the island "Borike " or "Boriken"  which many of my brothers and sisters call home is a simple COINCIDENCE. There is NO RELATION between one and the other. There is no dark deep conspiracy...JUST COINCIDENCE.

Seneko Kakona to all my Taino brothers and sisters and in this case especially to my Borike relatives.

Taino Ti

Miguel

 

 

 

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Comment by Miguel Sague Jr on December 2, 2013 at 1:53am

Sadly that is true. It was true back then when I first posted this comment and even more true now since those originally advanced this ridiculous idea reacted very energetically against what should have been a pretty obvious, hands-down statement of reasoning. They are even more vehement about their bizarre opinion now than they were back then.

Comment by AkuTurey on December 2, 2013 at 1:35am

It's amazing that this has to be elucidated with so many examples!-I guess,as is evidenced,that there are a few individuals who do need this type of "eye opener"!   Yes,the ignorance runs very deep I'm afraid,in a fairly large segment of our society!  

Comment by Miguel Sague Jr on September 8, 2013 at 11:31pm

Jajom for your remark my brother...It is satisfying to realize that reasonable Tainos are out there and cognizant of just how goofy these bizarre theories really are.

Seneko Kakona

See you in New York at the NMAI Columbus Day event

Miguel

Comment by Jorge Baracutei Estevez on September 8, 2013 at 10:46pm

Hermano, I was just about to post something on this, when I came across your article here. I realize it makes no sense for me to add to it as you did a F^%%&*^ING awesome job on this. Great lookin out my brother!

Comment by Miguel Sague Jr on August 9, 2013 at 4:11am

I meant to say "northern Italian" NOT "northern European".

Comment by Miguel Sague Jr on August 9, 2013 at 4:10am

Takaji my brother AmaHura I want to go on record as admitting that I agree with you that the name of the Intalian town Taino is more likely to be derived from the Gallic or Germanic languages that predominated in that northern European region in ancient times. I also found the term "Tavyn" when I was doing the research on that town. Thanks for your input.

Comment by AmaHura on August 7, 2013 at 2:34am

 I applaud your efforts to set this record straight and am in agreement with what you have posted. In addition to what you have written I simply wish to add more validity to your statements:
There are two very strong possibilities to the origin of the name Taino, Italy according to historical sources and scholarly research.Especially considering that it wasnt always called TAINO, Italy. The name changed throughout the ages like many cities, countries and nations do. Example..do we still call France, Gaul? or England, Britanny? Scotland, Caledonia? etc

1: During the 3-4 Century BC the land area of modern day Lombardy, Italy(which includes the town of Taino) was heavily populated by the ancient tribes of Gauls. The Gaul are the ancestors of the modern day Celts. They left massive archaeological evidence of their society throughout the land. It is a known fact that this part of Italy produced some of the worlds best wine. In Gaelic TaVyn, means Earth of Good Wine. Historical records show that this portion of the land inhabited by the Gauls was called TaVyn plus I personally asked Gaelic speaking friends what that word meant and they gave me the same answer.

2: The other origin of the name Taino can be traced to the marauding Visigoths who came through this part of Italy around 410 AD. They actually sacked Rome and much of the outlying countryside including Lombardy. In the ancient language of the Germanic Visigoths Taivyn or Taivyno means Staff or Rod of the gods and was a commonly used term by them whenever they would come through and thoroughly demolish a village or town until there was nothing left. They're belief being that the gods had used them as a staff of destruction to obliterate their enemies. Roman history records that the Visigoths burned this town to the ground during their rampage through the land.

Interestingly enough during the 3-4th century Julius Caesar writes about a tribe in the same area who are known as the Belgae. What is unique about these people is that they are a ethnic mixture of tribes from the Celtic and Germanic tribes. 

I personally do not believe in the translation being from the Roman(Latin) word Taginus since there was no god in the pantheon of the Romans with this name. Neither during the peak of the Roman Empire or in the beginning stages. Roman society was very careful to honor their gods by naming all sorts of things after them and there is no historical record of anything being called Taginus by the Romans.

Seneco Kakona

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