The subject of European colonization remains steeped in controversy and continues to be a persistent hot-button topic. The pursuit of treasures, spices, textiles, wealth, influence, and even religious expansion motivated European kingdoms to finance costly explorations across the globe. Tracing the ethnic heritage of Chief Resul M. M. Bey reveals a lineage that reaches far earlier than the recorded planting of European flags in the Western Hemisphere. Long before the Spanish-funded voyage of Christopher Columbus, numerous Indigenous tribes already inhabited not only the Greater and Lesser Antilles, but also the Southeastern mainland territories now known as Florida.

The Greater Antilles—Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica, and Puerto Rico—were home to flourishing Arawakan civilizations with established governance, agriculture, trade routes, and spiritual systems. Historical and archaeological research also confirms that related Indigenous peoples occupied the mainland of Florida, including the coastal and woodland regions that would later become central to colonial expansion. The Caribbean islands and the Florida peninsula were culturally and commercially connected long before European arrival.

Both terms “Taíno” and “Moor” can be classified as exonyms—names assigned by outsiders rather than self-designations used by the people themselves. Accounts of Columbus’ first encounters with Arawak island inhabitants describe the words “Taíno, Taíno…” interpreted to mean “We are good. We are noble.” Unfamiliar with the Arawakan language, Columbus is believed to have mistaken a statement of character for a tribal name. Subsequent expeditions followed, and because these Spanish voyages were largely male expeditions, they contributed to the birth of mestizo (mixed-heritage) descendants.

Over time, relations between the Arawak and Spanish colonizers deteriorated, leading to forced labor systems, displacement, disease, and one of the most devastating population collapses in the region’s history. Many surviving Indigenous peoples migrated outward—into remote areas of the Greater Antilles, into the Lesser Antilles, and into mainland territories such as Florida, where Indigenous communities continued to endure, adapt, and survive.

In recent years, many descendants of Arawakan peoples have been rediscovered through ancestry registries and genealogical research. As a Tribal Chief, Resul M. M. Bey researched his Puerto Rican maternal lineage and proudly embraces his Taíno heritage, recognizing its spiritual and cultural connection to both the Caribbean and the mainland of Florida. Today, the Chief walks in love with his identity and shares that love through education rooted in LOVE, TRUTH, PEACE, FREEDOM & JUSTICE.

To move forward as a people, we must confront the uncomfortable truths of history—not to dwell in pain, but to prevent repetition of past atrocities. The TAINO MOOR TRIBE of the Florida mainland seeks recognition as an Indigenous people among cultures and governments alike. While nothing can undo the past, we can learn from it, educate one another, protect our heritage, and build a healthier tomorrow grounded in dignity, unity, and lawful self-determination.