The Taino Project
The Taíno Project is an outreach program that educates our community about the influence of the indigenous Taíno people in the formation of the modern Caribbean. The Project includes community lectures by current Taíno scholars, and a semester-long in-school component for area high school and elementary students.
The project begins in January when area teachers attend a special training program to learn how to bring the Taíno Project to their classrooms. The PRAA is a CPDU-certified organization. For the next four months, teachers are encouraged to integrate hands-on arts projects with lessons on the history and culture of the Taínos. Participation in the Project includes a curriculum that meets local and state standards. The PRAA also provides experienced art teachers to help lead classroom art projects. Student artwork is exhibited in the community, and a special exhibition reception is held to celebrate our students’ hard work. An estimated six schools and over 100 students participate annually in this program.
In the Spring, the PRAA invites experts on Taíno history and culture to Chicago for our community lecture series. Join our mailing list to find out about our next Taíno Project community event.
The Content and Context of a Culture
The Taíno culture, though absent from most American history books, did not go unrecorded. From Christopher Columbus’s 1492 encounter with the Taínos, the first indigenous people he “discovered” in the Caribbean, the fates of Puerto Rico and the United States have been linked. Through the Taíno Project, the PRAA works to instill new generations with cultural identity, pride and stability by teaching them the history, traditions and accomplishments of their ancestors.