ST. THOMAS – A new exhibit at the Children’s Museum of the Virgin Islands is exploring the history and culture of the territory’s indigenous Taino people.
The exhibit was developed in partnership with the Guainía Taíno Tribe of the Virgin Islands to celebrate and educate visitors about the pre-Columbian Virgin Islanders, the Taino, Kalinago (Carib) and Igneri (Arawak) tribes.
VI Guainía Taíno tribal casique (chief) Maekiaphan Phillips and other tribal members have erected a replica of a Taíno bohío inside the Virgin Islands Children’s Museum to educate visitors about ancestral Taíno life. A bohío is a house built of woven palm leaves and wood from the royal palm. The thatched hut is filled with household items necessary for the maintenance of an ancestral Taíno family, such as a pretend fire pit, agricultural products such as corn, toy fish and baskets. Taíno history and story books have been added for children and their caregivers to learn about Taíno culture together. The bohío exhibit includes multiple ways to learn through imaginative play, sensory exploration and storytelling.
“The stories passed down through oral history of our ancestry and ancestral way of life are being lost. I believe that all types of museums can help preserve and transmit traditional ancestral knowledge by teaching our children the culture, traditions and history of their past,” said Phillips.
People first arrived in the Virgin Islands about 2,500 to 3,000 years ago from South America, and about 500 to 1,000 years ago, the Taíno culture was established in the territory. Although elements of Taíno culture remain strong in parts of the Caribbean, it has been just over a year since Governor Albert Bryan Jr. signed a proclamation recognizing the Guainía Taíno tribe of the Virgin Islands.
“We hope the Taíno bohío exhibit will spark conversations among caregivers and their children about traditional ways of life in the Virgin Islands and increase the visibility of indigenous peoples from across the Caribbean region,” said Amber McCammon, the museum’s curator. “The United States Virgin Islands are home to the Taíno people who have ongoing cultural and spiritual ties to the area. The Children’s Museum of the Virgin Islands is dedicated to recognizing and honoring the human history associated with this land.”
The Children’s Museum of the Virgin Islands is at Buccaneer Mall, Havensight, St. Thomas. The museum is open from 10:00 to 17:00, Tuesday to Saturday, and from 11:00 to 16:00 on Sunday. For more information, visit https://www.vichildrensmuseum.org/.
