Boriken Youth to Begin Sacred Run

Yari Sierra promoting the 2012 Peace and Dignity Run in Ponce

Ponce, Boriken/Puerto Rico (UCTP Taino News) – One of the coordinators of the 2012 Boriken Peace and Dignity Run, Yari Sierra, hosted a final fundraising activity at Ponce's Plaza del Caribe shopping mall to promote the upcoming Taíno sacred run and related events in the Ponce area. Sierra is working hard to generate the necessary funds to cover the expenses of this year’s Run scheduled to begin in two days.

Equipped with promotional material brochures and summary pages, Sierra presented video clips of last year's successful Peace and Dignity Run along with photographs to an interested public. Many individuals stopped by her information table to learn more about this historic event and the young Taíno community members that are putting this all together.

Participants and supporters of the Boriken Peace and Dignity Run will camp out at Jayuya's "Cemi Cedetra y Casa Canales" located in Coabey on Tuesday afternoon to begin preparations for Wednesday's Sunrise ceremony. This ceremony will officially begin the 2012 Peace and Dignity Run on the island, which links to an additional run down the East Coast of the U.S., and the main continental run schedule to end in Guatemala this December. An additional run will take place in Kiskeia (Dominican Republic) around the same time period.

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Runners will make the journey from CEDERTA in Jayuya to Utuado's Caguana Ceremonial Center on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday's morning events will start at Jacanas from where runners will trek to Tibes Ceremonial Park in Ponce.  From Tibes, the runners will head to Mayaguez with activities scheduled till the end of the week.

For more information on how you can support the 2012 Boriken Peace and Dignity Run contact yarisina1@yahoo.com or visit http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/164824 .

Author: Roger Guayacan Hernandez

Source: UCTP Taino News

Taíno Flag Presented to National Museum of the American Indian

José Barreiro accepts Taino Confederation flag on behalf of the Smithsonian Institution

Washington D.C. (UCTP Taino News) - On Friday, July 13 2012, the flag of the United Confederation of Taíno People was formally presented to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The flag will now become part of the Museum’s permanent collection and is scheduled to be displayed annually along with the flags of other Indigenous Peoples of the Western Hemisphere during the observance of Native American Heritage month. The Taíno flag was presented to José Barreiro, the Museum’s Assistant Director for Research by Confederation President Roberto Mukaro Borrero. The historic flag presentation opened a public symposium entitled “Beyond Extinction: Updates from the Field”, a program that culminated a week long workshop session focusing on indigenous Taíno related themes.

UCTPTN 07.08.2012

Smithsonian Talks Taino Beyond “Extinction”

Dr. Juan Martínez Cruzado, Roberto Mukaro Borrero (Taino), Dr. Juan Manuel Delgado Colon, and Dr. Osvaldo García Goyco in Washington D.C.

Washington DC (UCTP Taino News) - The second workshop focusing on Taíno and Caribbean Indigenous “consciousness” opened today at the Smithsonian’s National Museum on the American Indian in Washington DC. Well-respected scholars and activists from diverse disciplines around the Caribbean and Diaspora will meet though the week to further discuss various Taíno and Caribbean indigenous themes as well as plans for a proposed exhibition in 2016.

Participants include Dr. Joseph Palacio (University of the West Indies), Dr. Juan Martínez Cruzado (University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez), Dr. Rachel Beauvoir-Dominique (Independent Scholar, Haiti), Lesley-Gail Atkinson (Jamaica National Heritage Trust), Alejandro Hartmann (Museo Matachín de Baracoa), Dr. José Barreiro (National Museum of the American Indian), Dr. Lynne Guitar (Independent Scholar, Dominican Republic),  Dr. Juan Manuel Delgado Colon (Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe), Jorge Estevez (National Museum of the American Indian), Ariel Boinayel Mota (Filmmaker, Dominican Republic), Clennis Tavarez Maria (Museo del Hombre Dominicano), Dr. Jose Antonio Garcia Molina (Independent Scholar, Cuba), Alejandro Hartmann Matos (Museo de Matachin, Cuba), Dr. Osvaldo García Goyco (Jardín Botánico, Puerto Rico), Alex Zacarias (Filmmaker, Puerto Rico), and Roberto Mukaro Borrero (United Confederation of Taíno People).  

The program is a collaboration between the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Smithsonian Latino Center, and will culminate on Friday, July 13 with a free public symposium from 2-5pm.

UCTPTN 07.09.2010

Investiture Ceremony for Guainía Kasike

New York (UCTP Taíno News) - On Sunday June 24 2012, the President of the United Confederation of Taíno People (UCTP), Roberto "Mukaro Agueibaná" Borrero's title of Kasike (chief) was blessed by elders and medicine people of the Guainía Taíno Tribe and other Taíno communities from Borikén (Puerto Rico) and the diaspora.

The ceremony took place at the chief's home in New York and follows a previous, private blessing ceremony that took place in Borikén. Kasike Borrero was presented and accepted the title of Kasike by a group of elder community women in 2006 under the condition that community members would reaffirm the position via election at a later date.

A main impetus for the investiture ceremony was the presentation of a new gold guanin (chief medallion) to Kasike Borrero, which bears the official symbol of the Taíno iukaieke (community)  Guainía. Community members gathered the resources required and commissioned the making of the guainin for this historic presentation. 

After presentations by several bibino (grandmothers) such as Vanessa Pastrano and Mildred Karaira Gandia, Behike (ceremonial leader) Miguel Sobaoko Koromo Sague conducted part of the closing ceremonies in cooperation with Caney Indigenous Spiritual Circle Beike and Guainía member Domingo Turey Hernandez.  

A number of other prominent figures of the contemporary Taino Resurgence movement were also in attendance, including Kasike Roman Guaraguaorix of Yukayeke Maisiti and Guainía member Nani Morales, first runner-up for Miss Indian World. Supporting the ceremony were a number of Northern Native American dignitaries including Chief Osceola Townsend of the Matinecock Nation of New York, among others. 

UCTPTN 06/25/2012

Peace and Dignity Fundraiser

Saturday, July 07 2012, 6:30pm - 10:00pm

FROM AREYTO TO HIP HOP

Featuring Music, Poetry, & Dance of the

Indigenous People of the Caribbean

~ Saturday, July 7th, 2012 ~



featuring

- Chilo from El Grito de Poetas

- The Expressive Dance of Milteri Tucker

- The Taino Music of Roberto Mukaro Borrero with members of Kasibahagua

- Percussionist Anibal Collazo Jr.

- The Poetry of White Heron Woman

- Photography"Ancestral Footsteps" by Amy Majagua'naru Ponce

- Taino Indians Mini Museum

- DJ "MUSIC-BY-YOKO"

- Native Arts & Crafts, Prize Raffle Drawing, & More

Doors Open at 6:30pm

Tickets $12 in advance by July 2nd

$15 at the door

$10 with Student ID or UCTP affiliate ID


Venue: The Brecht Forum,
451 West Street New York, NY 10014

For more information contact:
718-549-5677 or 347-242-0516
http://brechtforum.org/directions