Content Warning: This section includes discussions of colonization.

Morning Girl focuses on an Indigenous Taíno community in the Bahamas. The Taíno people historically inhabited many Caribbean islands, including Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, and their customs continue to influence these nations’ cultures today.

The Taíno practiced shifting agriculture, growing staple foods such as cassava and yams, along with beans, squash, tobacco, peppers, and peanuts. They gathered wild plants and fruits and relied heavily on fish and shellfish. They also captured and ate small animals, such as lizards and birds. They domesticated dogs and occasionally parrots. The Taíno had a religious system that included worshiping spirits through carved idols. They also had a structured society led by hereditary chiefs and subchiefs with different social classes. For special occasions, Taíno people painted themselves and wore feathers and adornments such as shells (“Religion.” Taíno Museum). Morning Girl gives a glimpse into these traditions. After the storm, Morning Girl describes the community members, each painted and decorated, wearing flattened gold leaves in their earlobes, hibiscus blooms in their hair, and shell necklaces. The novel also highlights the Taíno’s deep respect for nature. Morning Girl loves swimming, running, and picking flowers, and the night sky fascinates her brother, who collects shells.