Bainet and the "Taino"

 

While perusing Nicolson's Essai sur l'histoire naturelle de l'isle de Saint-Domingue , avec des figures en taille-douce on Gallica, we found an interesting allusion to the indigenous past in Bainet parish. According to Nicolson, in the Gris-Gris quarter of the parish, a cave site on one habitation indicated past use by the "Taino" to bury their dead. Nicolson himself visited the site in 1773 and brought back human remains while also noticing the larger number of bones. Supposedly, the area was used as a refuge by the Indian population to escape the Spanish. No source is given for this, but it is interesting to hear about the indigenous past in this part of the island.