Haitian Ciboney

The Ciboney were Indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. By the time Europeans arrived, they had been pushed to isolated areas of Hispaniola (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Cuba by the more powerful Taino people. The name "Ciboney" means "cave dweller," and many of them lived in caves. Their origins and language are unknown, with some cultural aspects suggesting connections to Florida, Central, or South America. The Ciboney of Cuba and Haiti had different material cultures; both were primarily hunters and gatherers, but the Cuban Ciboney used shell tools, while the Haitian Ciboney used stone tools. Their diet consisted mainly of shellfish, with some rodent, turtle, and manatee also consumed. Their culture was largely extinct within a century of European contact.1