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Look up cacique in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Cacique (in Spanish and Portuguese) (female form: Cacica) is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The Spanish, subsequent to encounters with the Taíno upon their arrival in the New World, used the word as a title for the leaders of the other indigenous tribes they encountered in the Western Hemisphere territories they occupied. The term is still used in the Portuguese language to describe the leaders of indigenous communities in Brazil (which is a Portuguese speaking country). In Mexico and Central America, the term refers to any local "political boss".

The Spanish RAE (Royal Academy of the Spanish Language) dictionary estates^[1]:

cacique, ca. (De or. caribe). 1. m. y f. Señor de vasallos en alguna provincia o pueblo de indios. 2. m. y f. Persona que en una colectividad o grupo ejerce un poder abusivo. 3. m. y f. coloq. Persona que en un pueblo o comarca ejerce excesiva influencia en asuntos políticos. 4. f. coloq. p. us. Mujer del cacique.

In Spain the word is most commonly used in the 3rd acception, meaning "a person in a village or region who exercises excessive influence in political matters"

See also

• Curaca
• Lonko
• Kalku
• Machi (shaman)

References

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