A Cacique (Spanish: [kaˈθike]; Portuguese: [kɐˈsikɨ, kaˈsiki]; feminine form: cacica) is a title for the leaders of indigenous groups, derived from the Taíno for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The Spanish used the word cacique as a title for the leaders of the other indigenous groups they encountered in the Western Hemisphere territories they occupied.