Ciboney (also Siboney) is a word derived from the Caribbean Indian language of the Arawak. Cibo means precious stone, and ney people; they are people of the precious stone, or pearl. The Ciboney people were originally occupants of the Antilles islands of the Caribbean. When Europeans arrived in the Americas there were many Ciboney people in Cuba. Currently, there are approximately 253 families of Ciboney ancestry in Florida.