I, like at least 128 million others, spent Feb. 8 watching Bad Bunny perform in the Super Bowl halftime show. And like most of those 128 million, I loved the performance; it was rich with cultural references, amazing visuals and a message of love. What Bad Bunny did was celebrate Puerto Rico, with all of its beauty and struggles. He also showcased an important cultural legacy: the Indigenous Taíno peoples and their survival, which is part of the broader story of Puerto Rican culture.
The Taíno are a subsect of the Arawak peoples, who originated on the South American continent. Different Taíno tribes settled all across the Caribbean, especially on islands that today make up the countries and territories of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. These peoples were the first in the region to encounter Christopher Columbus in 1492. Columbus first visited Puerto Rico in 1493, claiming the territory for Spain. Of course, we know what happens after: Spanish colonization, the enslavement of Taíno peoples, the creation of the mestizo class, mass casualties among Indigenous peoples due to disease and more. Spain held Puerto Rico as a colony for over 400 years; it wasn’t until the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898 that Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States.
But even before Puerto Rico was considered part of the United States, Taíno peoples were thought to be extinct. Intercultural mixing — both with Spanish colonizers and with enslaved Africans brought to the island — made it seem as though Taíno peoples had somehow disappeared. In a traditional American conception of indigeneity, this is true: There is no ‘full-blooded’ Taíno tribe in Puerto Rico. The American government relies on blood quantum requirements, which are designed to deny Indigenous peoples’ culture and identity. But this worldview cannot change the fact that Indigenous peoples and cultures persist.
If you want to talk blood, then we can talk about how over 60% of Puerto Ricans show genetic markers for Indigenous heritage, but I think that line of questioning is a zero-sum game. What really matters is culture, and Taíno culture has survived in the face of 500 years of colonization. One way is through music, and Puerto Rican bomba is a perfect illustration. Before colonization, the Taíno practiced ‘areítos,’ or oral storytelling through music and dance. When enslaved African peoples were brought to Puerto Rico, areítos combined with African drum beats and call-and-response communication; this is what bomba is today.
Bad Bunny showcased bomba-style beats and dance through his song “El Apagón” from 2022. The song is a political call to action concerning dangerous power outages in Puerto Rico today. When he performed “El Apagón” at the Super Bowl, he demonstrated just how integral Puerto Rico’s Indigenous history is to the present. Bad Bunny also mentions bomba by name in “DtMF,” which he performed at the end of the show.
Today, the U.S. government refuses to acknowledge the Taíno as an Indigenous group. Even so, over 96,000 Puerto Ricans identified themselves as Indigenous in the 2020 U.S. Census. As Taíno peoples regain political and cultural authority on the island, we must recognize the importance of survival in all forms. Puerto Rico, and Puerto Ricans, are inherently multicultural; that is part of the Taíno legacy. Instead of denying this reality because it doesn’t fit the American definition of Indigeneity (which, to be clear, is outdated, flawed and actively discriminatory), it is our job to learn, to listen and to fight for their recognition.
