2008 Joint Taino Report to the CERD Now Available

UCTP Public Notice: The 23 January 2008 Joint Taino Report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is now available for review at www.uctp.org. To access this historic report at www.uctp.org, please visit the "Documents in English" section, and click on the heading "Taino Advocacy at the United Nations."

The Taino submission to the CERD was a joint effort of the United Confederation of Taino People - Office of International Relations and Regional Coordination; the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos; and the Caney Quinto Mundo in response to periodic reports of the United States of America, which were reviewed at the Committee's Seventy-second session held in Geneva, 18 February - 7 March 2008. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of Alls Forms of Racial Discrimination by its State parties. The report is 30 pgs in English only.

Community Co-Management Agreement Signed for Orocovis Recreational Area

Orocovis, Boriken (UCTP Taíno News) - The Department of Natural Resources and Environment signed a co-management agreement for the Doña Juana Recreational Area in Toro Negro State Forest with the Ala de la Piedra Community in Orocovis, Puerto Rico. Naniki Reyes Ocasio, Board president for Bo. Ala de la Piedra signed the agreement on behalf of the community. The project is described as an environmental educational project and eco-tourism community self-determined initiative that will among other activities reopen a natural water fed pool in the Doña Juana Recreational Area in the Toro Negro State Forest in Orocovis. Reyes Ocasio is also the founder of the Caney, Conclave Taíno Guatukan de la Cordillera, a member organization, and Representative of the United Confederation of Taíno People.

UCTPTN 08.29.2008

International Indian Treaty Council Issues Resolutions

UCTP representative Mildred Karaira Gandia meets with Maya spiritual leaders in Chimaltenago, Guatemala.

UCTP Taino News - The International Indian Treaty Council held its 34th annual conference in Chimaltenago, Guatemala from June 19 – 22, 2008. The 275 registered delegates at this conference, representing Indigenous Peoples from North, Central, South America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, adopted by consensus a series of resolutions to guide their work defending the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the local, national, and international levels.

Among those in attendance, representatives of the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP) participated in the plenary sessions and working groups as well as during spiritual ceremonies led by the local Mayan traditional spiritual authorities. Naniki Reyes Ocasio of the Caney Quinto Mundo, UCTP Liaison Mildred Karaira Gandia, and youth representative Justin Ziegelasch contributed directly to the drafting of the final conference resolutions via specific working groups. As a result of their participation the Taino People are specifically mentioned in the resolutions on “Land, Territories and Natural Resources, Treaties and the Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” and the “Sacred Sites”.

The IITC reaffirmed for example the “land rights and self determination of Indigenous Peoples including the Taino, Cree, Dakota, Yaqui and Mayan peoples that are divided by colonial borders”. The IITC also calls upon the “United States Government and the Island of Boriken (Puerto Rico) to recognize the Taino People of Boriken as the original inhabitants and Indigenous Peoples with full rights as recognized by the UN Declaration, including the right to self-determination.

“This much appreciated support from our indigenous sisters and brothers is extremely important for all our Taino People” stated Mildred Karaira Gandia. “It shows that the Taino are indeed part of the larger hemispheric movement defending the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.” Karaira added “Making these connections today as our ancestors did long ago not only unifies us across borders but it strengthens us on a spiritual level.”

Other resolutions adopted at the conference focused on the position of the CANZUS group and the UN Indigenous Rights Declaration, Lakota and Dakota Treaties, The Right to Food Sovereignty, The Rights of Women and Children, and Economic Justice and Migration.

The final resolutions will be posted at the websites of the International Indian Treaty Council and the United Confederation of Taino People in English and Spanish.

UCTPTN 07.24.2008

Annual International Indian Treaty Conference to begin in Guatemala

Chimaltenago, Guatemala (UCTP Taino News) - The 34th Annual International Conference of the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) begins this week on June 19-22, 2008 in the city of Chimaltenango, Guatemala. The conference will focus on strategic topics that designed to assist in the promotion and defense of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

According to a recent IITC news release, the organizers are looking forward to the most diverse, pluralistic participation of representatives and authorities of Indigenous Peoples from the IITC member countries, as well as from all countries whose people have a keen interest in discussing strategies, plans, programs, visions and goals to continue working towards the challenging objective of ending the racism, discrimination, oppression, marginalization, exploitation, and imposition that Indigenous Peoples, are currently facing.

The conference organizers also note that although certain advances have been made in the field of domestic and international law, they are as yet insufficient and Indigenous Peoples are still facing difficult situations worldwide.

A delegation representing the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP) is now in Guatemala to attend the conference and includes Naniki Reyes Ocasio of the Caney Quinto Mundo, and Mildred Karaira Gandia (UCTP Liaison), and Justin Seiba Ziegelasch, a youth delegate. In an historic moment for Taino People, the UCTP is scheduled to be officially welcomed as IITC affiliates before the assembly gathered in Chimaltenago.

The history and current situation of Mayan Peoples in Guatemala as well as implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the local to the international level will be some of the featured issues discussed at the conference. Other topics to be addressed include land and natural resource rights, treaties and agreements, reparations and redress processes, free prior and informed consent, self determination, environmental and racial justice. Dialogs will take place via panels, workshops, commissions, and training sessions.

Communications related to the conference can be directed to Conferencia2008@treatycouncil.org and additional information can be found at IITC website at http://www.treatycouncil.org/.

UCTPTN 06.18.2008

UN Special Rapporteur Investigating Racism in the U.S.

UCTP Taino News - At the invitation of the U.S. government, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racisim, Doudou Diène is visiting the U.S. until June 6 to examine issues of racism and racial discrimination in the country. Diène's visit includes stops in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Omaha, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico where he will study incidents of contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the governmental measures in place to address them.

Diène is scheduled to meet with federal and local government officials as well as members of diverse communities across the United States and representatives of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

On Thursday, May 22, 2008, a representative of the United Confederation of Taino People, Roberto Mukaro Borrero met with Mr. Diène in New York to highlight ongoing discrimination against indigenous Taino People in Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Borrero provided the Special Rapporteur with documentation based on the Shadow Report submitted by the UCTP, the Caney Quinto Mundo (CQM), and the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos (CGTB) to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racism (CERD) in March 2008. The UCTP, CQM, and the CGTB also contributed Taino related information to the Shadow Report submitted by the International Indian Treaty Council to the CERD.

Following the recent CERD session, the Committee issued a critique of the United States' record on racial discrimination urging the government to make sweeping reforms to policies affecting racial and ethnic minorities, women, immigrants and indigenous peoples.

"The visit of the Special Rapporteur presents a unique opportunity to follow up on the information we provided to the CERD and will assist in bringing Taino concerns to the forefront of the U.N. system and its enforcement mechanisms," stated Borrero.

The mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance was established in 1993 by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and further extended by the U.N. Human Rights Council. Mr. Diène will submit a final report on the visit to the Human Rights Council in the spring of 2009.

UCTPTN 05.27.2008

Taino Answer 8,000 Drum Call

UCTP Taino News – The Otomi Nation of Mexico has issued a call to “Indigenous First Nations, Peoples, Communities and Organizations of the World and all Humankind” in an effort to fulfill a prophecy that speaks of healing Mother Earth. Entitled the “Grand Ceremony of the 8,000 Sacred Drums”, Otomi spiritual leaders and allies will conduct a ceremony on March 21st 2008 at the Otomi Ceremonial center at 12noon, (local time) in the Temoaya, State of México.

In collaboration with the International Indigenous University, the Otomi have called for solidarity for this ceremony on previous occasions and this year, they have renewed their efforts to “begin a a true Healing of Mother Earth, of All the Species and of the Human Family”. The Otomi feel that the state of the Earth today represents a “total imbalance” and that there is a need to “re-unify” and “re-discover” our connection to the earth and “cosmic energy”. Taino leaders in Boriken (Puerto Rico) and the Diaspora have responded officially to the Otomi Nation, and have pledged solidarity with the 8,000 Drums event on Friday, March 21st.

Council and community members of the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos will conduct ceremony at 12noon at the Jacanas Ceremonial Grounds in Ponce, Puerto Rico. This site has been the center of controversy since last year as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and their contractor, New South Associates, continues to conduct work in the sacred area without consultation with the local indigenous community.

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and New South Associates have removed sacred artifacts from our island with no accountability” stated Elba Anaka Lugo of the Consejo. “These entities, supported by the government, continue to ignore the calls for dialogue.”

In solidarity with the Otomi as well as the event in Jacanas, council and community members of the Caney Quinto Mundo will also gather at 12noon on their 400 acre land base located in the island’s central mountain region in Orocovis, Puerto Rico.

In New York, members of the Cacibajagua Taino Cultural Society and Iukaieke Guaynia will gather in the Bronx with the Friends of Brook Park later that evening to unify with the Otomi’s purification ceremonies also occurring on the 21st and throughout the weekend. The Bronx ceremony will be led by Kasike Roberto Mukaro Borrero and will begin at 5:30pm at Brook Park located at 141st St. and Brook Ave. Participants are urged to arrive at 4pm to assist in the preparations.

“We felt it was important to honor and unify our traditions on this special day not only with drums but through the purification ceremony known by the Otomi as Temascal and by Taino as Kansi or Guanara” shared Borrero, who is also a representative of the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP).

Another 8,000 Drums Ceremony will be held in Massachusetts and led by Claudia Fox Tree, a local representative of the UCTP. Fox Tree will begin her gathering at 2pm to link to the ceremony in Mexico at 12noon.

To participate in the ceremony at Jacanas, contact Elba Anaka Lugo at 1(787)568-1547. To participate in the ceremony in Orocovis, contact Awilda Lopez Molina at 787 867-2393. To participate in Massachusetts or New York, contact the UCTP at 1(212)604-4186. For more information on the Grand Ceremony of 8,000 Drums, visit the website at http://www.universidadindigena.org/uii/index.html.

Photo: Member of the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos (Courtesy of Bohio de Attabey)

UCTPTN 03.19.2008

Taino People Submit Shadow Report to UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

UCTP Taino News - The United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP), the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos (CGTB), and the Caney Quinto Mundo (CQM) submitted a joint Shadow Report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) in January, 2008. The UNCERD is the "Treaty Monitoring Body" for the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). It monitors compliance of the countries, which have ratified the Convention with its provisions, including the United States (US).

The historic report, the first of its kind ever submitted by Taino People, provides verifiable examples of human rights violations and racial discrimination against Taino People by the governments of the US and Puerto Rico. These violations include the destruction of sacred sites, threats to spiritual and cultural practices, and environmental racism. The report also shows that the Taino attempts to meet with government representatives to resolve these issues have all but been ignored. The report will be considered in the upcoming examination of the US by the UNCERD during its 72nd Session 18 February – 7 March 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The UTCP, CGTB, and CQM also submitted specific information to the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), which has been included in the IITC's "Consolidated Indigenous Shadow Report" to the UNCERD. The IITC also submitted this extensive report in January 2008 in coordination with the Western Shoshone Defense Project.

"It was important to submit our information in the consolidated report along with other indigenous peoples because it gives context to our individual claims" stated UCTP representative DeAnna Sarobei Rivera. The Director of the Tribal Learning Community & Educational Exchange (TLCEE), a program associated with the Native Nations Law and Policy Center at the UCLA School of Law, Sarobei Rivera was one of the lead writers of the Taino submissions.

Alberto Saldamando, IITC General Counsel, who co-coordinated the development of the report stated, "In compiling this report to the UNCERD, it was clear that the institutionalization of racism and discrimination against Native Peoples is ingrained at every level of US society. The data and the many inputs we received from Tribes, Native Peoples and individuals vividly demonstrate that racial discrimination thrives in schools, universities, prisons and in the so-called administration of justice in the US, at every level of government and society at large."

"Our rights as Indigenous People in Puerto Rico and the Diaspora are affected by U.S. policy and before this time, our voice has never been heard during these important proceedings. These reports ensure that we as a People are taken seriously" stated Mildred Karaira Gandia, a UCTP representative in the state of Florida.

Karaira along with Sarobei Rivera were part of the Taino report’s drafting team, which also included Naniki Reyes Ocasio, Liza O'Reilly, and Roberto Mukaro Borrero. The drafting team incorporated testimony of Taino individuals and organizations from Puerto Rico and the Diaspora into the over 30 page joint submission.

Naniki Reyes Ocasio of the Caney Quinto Mundo stated "The completion of our Joint Shadow Report is another step forward in our struggle to denounce colonization, human rights violations and the racial discrimination directed against us as we continue to defend our rights as Indigenous Peoples for past, present and future generations."

Taino People in Puerto Rico and throughout the Diaspora now await the UNCERD's response to their submission.

UCTPTN 02.19.2008

Taino Leaders Speak Out on Sacred Site in Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico (UCTP Taino News) – Taino community leaders Elba Anaka Lugo and Naniki Ocasio Reyes will be interviewed tonight on 1320 Radio Isla starting at 10 PM to provide an update on the recent Taino archeological find in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

During the two-hour program they will also provide commentary on Taino community concerns as well as ways the community plans to address this controversial situation.

Lugo is the Director of the Consejo General of Tainos Borincanos and Ocasio Reyes is the founder of the Caney Quinto Mundo. The first local indigenous organizations to respond to violations being committed at the site known as PO29, the Consejo and the Caney have continued to monitor the situation closely. Besides meeting with local officials to address the issue, the organizations have also jointly organized spiritual ceremonies on behalf of the Taino ancestors, which have been carried out at the site by Taino elders and spiritual leaders.

Listeners can tune in tonight for the 2 hour special program in Spanish by visiting the station's live on-line link at http://www.radioisla1320.com/index_html.php.

UCTPTN 11.02.2007

Taino Concerned over New Archeological Find in Puerto Rico

Ponce, Puerto Rico (UCTP Taíno News) – Tomorrow at 9am, the President of the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos, Elba Anaca Lugo will issue a public statement concerning a recent archeological “discovery” in Ponce, Puerto Rico via University of Puerto Rico Radio (WRTC 89.7 FM). Lugo’s statement will highlight the declaration issued by the Consejo General and the Caney Quinto Mundo in response to this major archeological find said to date back from 600 A.D. to 1500 A.D. Lugo will also note violations observed by the local indigenous Taíno community in relation to this already controversial case.

The Taíno archeological site was uncovered last week while land was being cleared for construction of a dam to control flooding in the area.

At the site a number of unique archeological finds have already been documented including monolithic stones displaying petroglyphs (carvings) that are surrounding ceremonial plazas as well as burial grounds. At least one of the stone monoliths depicted a human figure with frog legs similar to one found at another site – Caguana - in the island’s mountainous interior.

Although local archeologists have been aware of the historic importance of the area since at least 1985, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture has called for the construction to stop as heavy machinery has already destroyed important artifacts. The investigation and the “discovery” is one that is sure to bring the subject of ancient indigenous culture back into to the spotlight on the island. The case however is already amidst controversy regarding the construction permits, their relation to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the island’s Institute of Culture.

Same Old Story

Local Taíno leaders and activists are all too familiar with the scenario unfolding in Ponce. In July 2005, a group of indigenous community leaders entered the Caguana Ceremonial Center in Utuado to mount a peaceful protest to not only bring attention to condition of that “park” but the ongoing destruction of sacred sites around the island. This historic action, which ended in the arrests of several Taíno leaders, is known locally and internationally as “El Grito Indigena Taíno de Caguana.”

Reports indicate that at this new archeological discovery in Ponce, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave permission for the construction to begin with evidence that there was the potential for a major find in the area. As in other similar cases, the U.S. Army Corps is said to have already removed major artifacts to undisclosed locations in the U.S. One question locals have concerns the Puerto Rican Institute of Cultural and if it was aware of and allowed the U.S. Army Corps to engage in this practice without challenge.

At least a year before “El Grito de Caguna”, local Taíno leaders raised the alarm about another major archeological site that was being destroyed to make way for construction. This case occurred in Arecibo at “Ojo del Agua.” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Institute of Culture were also involved in this case and again, many unique artifacts have left Puerto Rico without pubic knowledge or consultation. The Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos and the Caney Mundo brought the destruction at Arecibo to the attention of both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Institute. The local Taíno called for a halt to the construction and for consultative meetings to discuss their concerns but their requests were ignored. The construction continued and the destruction to that site remains an inconceivable loss barely mentioned by local media.

“The lack of respect for the local community and the continuous destruction and looting of our national patrimony were among the major reasons why we chose to enter Caguana and symbolically reclaim the site through our protest.” stated Elba Anaca Lugo.

“These corrupt practices have been going on in Boriken (Puerto Rico) for many years and we, the Taíno People have continuously attempted to bring these cases to the attention of the government authorities who in turn continue to ignore our concerns.” continued Lugo. “This is a violation of our basic human rights.”

Speaking on behalf of the United Confederation of Taíno People (UCTP), Roberto Mucaro Borrero stated “The UCTP is in full support of the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos and the Caney Quinto Mundo with relation to their declaration concerning the ancient Taíno site recently found in Ponce, Puerto Rico.”

“As they represent the concerns of the local indigenous community, the UCTP looks toward the Consejo General and the Caney Quinto Mundo for guidance in this situation and will do all that it can to highlight their exclusion from the consultation process” noted Borrero.

Representatives of the Consejo General visited the site on Saturday, October 27, 2007 to survey the situation first-hand as well as to perform traditional ceremony on behalf of their ancestors. Lugo’s statement and commentary on UPR radio tomorrow morning is the first in a series that the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos will dedicate to this issue.

Photo: Prof. Elia Vega García

Declaraciones del Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos y el Caney 5to Mundo en torno al hallazgo del yacimiento Tibes/Bucana Baramaya (Portugués)

Declaraciones del Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos y el Caney 5to Mundo en torno al hallazgo del yacimiento Jacanas -Tibes/Bucana Baramaya (Portugués) en Ponce.

La Nación Taino/ Buricua representada a través del Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos, órgano unificador de nuestra madre tierra Boriken y el Caney 5to Mundo:

1. Declara que en este hallazgo han habido innumerables violaciones de leyes al patrimonio del pueblo Buricua Taino de Boriken (Puerto Rico), así como al patrimonio universal.

2. Exige que se detenga las excavaciones y saqueos inmediatamente.

3. Exige la repatriación al Consejo General de Tainos Boricanos y al Caney del Quinto Mundo de las osamentas saqueadas del yacimiento para su retorno a la madre tierra con todo el protocolo espiritual ceremonial según nuestras costumbres y tradiciones.

4. Proclama el yacimiento Tibes Bucana/Baramaya Tierra Sagrada y Santuario del patrimonio cultural indígena de Boriken.

5. Denuncia que el gobierno federal, a través del cuerpo de ingenieros, así como el gobierno estatal y las instituciones que manejan nuestro legado cultural y ancestral han incurrido en una clara crasa violación de leyes de derechos internacionales indígenas de las Naciones Unidas y la Organización de Estados Americanos, leyes arqueológicas estatales, constitucionales y federales.

6. Denuncia que el pueblo Buricua Taino ha sido discriminado y excluido de su plena y efectiva participación, el procedimiento de consulta previa y del consentimiento libre, previo e informado en el manejo y destino de nuestra herencia cultural ancestral por las instituciones gubernamentales.

7. Exige que se detenga las profanaciones a nuestros enterramientos y yacimientos indígenas.

8. Reclamamos respeto y dignidad para con nuestros enterramientos, restos y objetos Sagrados Fúnebres Ancestrales..

9. Exige la preservación de este yacimiento para pasadas, presentes y futuras generaciones.

Nota: anexos A, B, C, y D, fundamentos legales.

Contacto:
anacaotoao@hotmail.com
caney@prtc.net
http://naciontaino.blogspot.com/

Photo: Prof. Elia Vega García

Burial Ceremony for Elder Huacan at Caney Quinto Mundo on 02/03/07

Takahi Guaitiao:

As most of you are aware, a beloved community elder, and UCTP representative, Hu’acan John P. Vidal, crossed over into Coaibei (the Spirit World) recently on 12/15/2006.

Hu’acan's sister, Sonia Vidal and Teresa Fair, his niece will be traveling to Boriken to fulfill one of elder Hu’acan's last wishes, which was to buried at the Caney Quinto Mundo’s Sacred Burial Grounds in his island homeland of Boriken.

We will hold Burial Ceremony for Hu’acan on Saturday, February 3, 2007. In the tradition of our ancestors, those who would like to join us are welcome. Those who cannot be here physically are welcome to join us in a prayer ceremony at 12:00pm.

You are all also welcome to send messages to be shared with the Hu’acan’s family on Friday evening as we gather around the sacred fire to share stories, songs and prayers in preparation for Saturday's Burial Ceremony.

Our Community is honored and humbled as we fulfill his last wishes to be here at the Caney.

If you will be coming on Friday or Saturday please let us know so that we can prepare for your arrival. Our email address is caney@prtc.net and our phone number is (787) 847-5039.

Tio Bo Guatukan,
Naniki Ata


Taino Elder Hu'acan at Caney Quinto Mundo, Boriken Regional Gathering, Summer 2004

See also: Elder Hu'acan: Brother, Leader, and Friend

UCTP Reps visit Boriken

Puerto Rico (UCTP Taino News) - UCTP Representatives Roger Atihuibancex Hernandez and Roberto Mucaro Borrero visited Boriken (Puerto Rico) recently as part of ongoing UCTP consultations with Taino community members on the island. They conducted video interviews with community leaders as well as participated in ceremony with family representatives from throughout the island attending the National Indigenous Festival in Jayuya.

Hernandez and Borrero also visited the hospital to meet with our respected Elder Manuel Galagarza. The elder who is a founding council member of the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos has been ill. A recent request for prayers for his well being was issued via the UCTP communications netowrks. The two UCTP reps shared the wishes sent to him from indigenous peoples from around the world. Although in he was in critical condition, receiving these messages along with the prayers and visits from immediate family and local community members have lifted his spirit, Galagarza is now resting at home.

Local Taino leaders stress that Elder Manuel is still in a very weak condition and in need of community prayers and good thoughts. It has been he wish to spend time as much time as he can in the mountains at the Caney Quinto Mundo and preparations are being made to facilitate this as soon as possible.

For more information on how you can help this elder, contact Naniki Reyes Ocasio at
caney@prtc.net .