Roman was a Jeromitan friar, come with Columbus, who began to convert the Haytians in 1496, and collected their traditions, after learning their language, out of the Areitos or songs and hymns used in festivals. He wrote them in 1498 by order of Columbus, and they are inserted at large in his life by his son; but were almost neglected by Irving. They give us not only an insight into the belief, religion, traditions of the Antillian people; but also a compendium of fragments on their annals. Although very desultory, much less connected than those of Mexico, the Linapis, Ongwis &c., and destitute of chronology; yet they afford an essential addition to American history, and the ancient accounts about the Atlantis and Antilles.
In order to bring them into a kind of order, they shall be analyzed, reduced to a succession of events and divided into 3 parts, 1. Cosmogony and Theogony, 2. the flood and primitive history, 3. ancient [pg 163] history previous to Columbus or 1492. A fourth part foreign to these traditions would be their annals since that time, and till the extinction of the nation; which shall be given hereafter, with the account of the language, and civilization—What is peculiar to these traditions among the Americans, are the metamorphoses of men into beasts &c., as in Ovid.
The nation who furnished these annals, was the Haytian of Hayti, a branch of the nation dwelling also in Cuba, and filling the Lucayes and smaller Antilles: whose collective proper name was Taino meaning noble. But they acknowledged as brothers, many tribes of the continent under the collective name of Guatiaos brothers, this was ascertained in 1520 by Figueroa.—(See Herrera.) These Guatiaos were the Aruac nations and tribes, that were not cannibals. These tribes as enumerated by Figueroa in 1520 were in the Antilles the 1. Haytians, 2. Cubans, 3. Jamaicans, 4. Boriquans (Porto Rico), 5. Cairis that dwelt in Trinidad, Barbuda, Marmagitas and Gianis Islands. While those of the continent were the 1. Aruacas of Guyana, 2. Paracurias of Cubagua, 3. Urinatos of Oronoc, 4. Pavonas of Cariaco, 5. Cariatis, 6. Cumanas, 7. Chiribichis, 8. Coquibocoa, 9. Unatos. These five last were intermixt with the Canibas or Caribas, the cannibal tribes, foes of the Guatiaos, which are the Galibis and Carib tribes; that had desolated [pg 164] and conquered most of the eastern Antilles.
All the Tainos spoke the same language divided into several dialects; but understood reciprocally. D'Angleria tells us in 1512 that two distinct languages were used in Cuba, the eastern was a mere dialect of Hayti; but in the west was a very different language not understood; this was the Cami derived from the Olmeca of Oaxaca or the Maya of Yucatan; they having sent there a colony, and founded a kingdom.—(see the Maya History.) In Hayti there was also in the center of the island a kingdom of Mayas? the people were called Mayo-riexes or Macoryxes, (meaning Maya people). They spoke a language different from the Haytian (Dangleria) divided into 3 dialects Cayabo, Cubaba, and Baichagua. This kingdom of strangers was called Cubaba or Caibaba, and Ziguayos. They are called Caribs by some authors; but erroneously.[62]
Many other additional traditions on the Antilles are scattered in early writers, D'Angleria, Gomara, Herrera, Munoz, Acosta, St. Mery, Oviedo, Columbus, Brigstock, Rochefort, Edwards, Garcia, Laet, &c. which shall be partly noticed here as a sequel to Roman, and all connected as a general outline of a history of the Antillian nations.
Having succeeded to make out a fine vocabulary of nearly three hundred words [pg 165] of the Taino dialects, collected from Roman, Columbus, Dangleria, Munoz, Las-Casas, Herrera, Gili, Humboldt, Vater &c.—and another of about 150 words of the Cairi or Eyeri language of the Aruac Islanders out of Dudley, Rochefort &c. I will be enabled to translate and elucidate nearly all the Taino historical names and allusions, so as to clear up the annals by original etymologies. The orthography will be Spanish, J must be pronounced as Kh, and X as Sh.
The Haytians had besides these songs, other annals; since the priests taught history, and the origin of things to the sons of the nobles. They had also perhaps peculiar symbols to keep their records, since Dangleria mentions that they had paintings of beasts, tygers, eagles &c. on cotton, hung to walls. St. Mery says that in 1787 was found in the mountains of Guanaminto a tomb with a stone of 6 feet covered with hieroglyphs! and in the mountains of Limbé, engravings of human figures on a serpentine rock; besides many sculptures in Caves. Columbus saw in 1492 in Inagua one of Lucayes a gold medal with letters on it! If we had figures of these hieroglyphs and engraved symbols, we should probably obtain another clue to American history and graphic systems. But they are probably lost by neglect like those of North America! The Antilles being on the way from the east to the continent must have [pg 166] served as a stepping place to many nations on their passage to the continent.[63]
1st Part.—Theogony and Cosmogony.
1. Fact. The Supreme God, bears five names or titles given by Roman and Dangleria in two dialects, and is male or female.
| By Roman | By Dangleria | Meanings | |
| 1. | Attabei | Attabeira | Unic-Being. |
| 2. | Jemao | Mamona | Eternal. |
| 3. | Guacas or Apito | Guaca-rapita | Infinite. |
| 4. | Apito or Siella | Liella | Omnipotent. |
| 5. | Zuimaco | Guimazoa | Invisible. |