11/29/2006

Documento Oficial: Declaracion del CGTB

29 de noviembre del 2006

Declaracion:

El Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos, organo unificador de nuestra madre tierra Boriquen, principal organizacion de la nacion taino-boricua, no reconoce representacion, ni credibilidad alguna a la organizacion conocida como "Nacion Taina de las Antillas, dirigida por el Sr. Rene (Cibanacan) Marcano ya que la misma no representa los mejores intereses del pueblo taino, nativo de Boriquen. El Consejo no reconoce "Nacion Taina" alguna que no se origine en el corazon d nuestra madre tierra y que desde la diaspora pretenda establecer supremacia sobre el pueblo taino que reside aca, en la isla.

La acciones de estos supuestos "lideres" no han dado un buen ejemplo a nuestro pueblo, y por el contrario carecen de autorizacion para continuar enganando y confundiendonos. Estas personas no respetan ni practican los principios y valores de nuestros abuelos ni de sus descendientes. Sus acciones obstaculizan y atrasan el desarrollo positivo del movimiento taino en general.

Porr tanto declaramos que no aceptaremos a imposicion de falsos lideres en nuestro movimientos y que esto constituye una falsa representacion ya que dichas personas no fueron elegidas por nuestro pueblo y se autodenominan faltandole el respeto al movimiento serio y que trabaja por adelantar honestamente nuestra causa.

Personas que usurpen nuestro nombre, no representan bajo ningun concepto la seriedad de nuestro trabajo ni nuestro compromiso con mantener la memoria de nuestros anscestros en alto.

El tratar de ocultar la existencia de las organizaciones autenticas ya establecidas constituye una traicion a nuestra integridad como herederos de un pueblo noble.

Deseaamos aclarar ademâs que el senor Martin Diaz Veguilla no pertenece al Consejo General e Tainos Borincanos y que por el contrario, pretende falsamente representarnos en union con la supuesta nacion defraudando asi el movimiento real nativo nacido en Boriquen y que hoy dia goza de gran credibilidad nacional e internacionalmente por haber diligenciado un trabajo honesto y en pro de los descencientes tainos que viven en la madre tierra.

Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos
Elba (Anaca) Lugo: Directora


11/28/2006

Human Rights For Indigenous Peoples Not Supported by States

UCTP News - Today at the United Nations a non-action motion resolution put forth by African States, seeking to block the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was voted upon and approved. According to preliminary reports a majority of Nation States, 82 voted in favor of the resolution proposed by the African Group with 67 States voting not in favor and 25 Nation States abstaining.

While fierce opposition to the Declaration was openly declared by New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and the United States, around the world Indigenous Peoples were shocked and outraged by the action of African States, most of whom had chosen not to participate throughout this standard-setting process.

"Considering that we have entered the Second UN International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, an initiative based on the theme ‘action with dignity’, the hijacking of the Declaration is an utter disgrace.” stated Roberto Mucaro Borrero (Taino), Chairman of the NGO Committee on the United Nations International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples.

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which represents more than 20 years of work within the UN, was acknowledged to constitute the minimum standards for their survival, dignity and well-being.

Grand Chief Ed John, of the Assembly of First Nations, stated “Today is a very sad day for the United Nations and a very serious setback for the integrity of the newly formed Human Rights Council who urged the General Assembly to formally adopt this historic document. It now appears that the most likely outcome will be that the United Nations never formally adopts the Declaration. This is a remarkable and bizarre development.”

Adopted in June of this year, the Declaration was considered a substantial achievement of the Human Rights Council.

In a statement issued by the Indigenous Peoples Caucus at the United Nations, the group clearly noted that "these actions are a politicization of human rights that show complete disregard for the ongoing human rights abuses suffered by Indigenous Peoples. This betrayal and injustice severely impacts 370 million Indigenous people in all regions of the world, who are among the most marginalized and vulnerable."

Earliest Inhabitants: The Dynamics of the Jamaican Taino

Earliest Inhabitants: The Dynamics of the JamaicanTaino
by Lesley-Gail Atkinson (Editor)

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: University of West Indies Press (July 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9766401497

This book highlights the variety of research conducted on the island's prehistoric sites and artefacts. The text is a compilation of thirteen articles, five of which have been previously published but not widely available. The remaining eight new articles are based on archaeological research within the last five years. The book will appeal to a wide audience of archaeologists, historians, students of archaeology and anyone interested in Jamaica's history.




You can find this book at:
amazon.com/Earliest-Inhabitants-Dynamics-Jamaican-Taino/dp/9766401497

11/27/2006

37th Annual Jayuya Indigenous Festival

2006 Taino Queen of Jayuya

A series of photos from the 37th Annual Jayuya Indigenous Festival (Nov. 17-19) in Boriken (Puerto Rico) have now been posted at:


The photo of the 2006 Indigenous Festival in Jayuya, Boriken were taken by Roger Atihuibancex Hernandez, UCTP News Special Correspondent.

11/25/2006

LATIN AMERICA: Kids Pay Dearly for Lack of Clean Water

Diego Cevallos* - Tierramérica

MEXICO CITY, Nov 16 (IPS) - In Latin America and the Caribbean, one-third of childhood deaths are the result of diarrhoea. The problem could be resolved with clean water and appropriate sanitation systems, but millions of people, especially the indigenous and Afro-descendant populations, lack access to either.

Statistics for the region show that coverage of water and sanitation services is among the best in the world. But the figures can be misleading.

Although 91 percent of the region's population does have access to potable water, there are still 50 million people who don't, and 34 million live in rural areas. As for sanitation, coverage reaches 77 percent, but 103 million people lack access to that service.

Those shortfalls are behind the majority of diarrhoea-based illnesses, which today are the second leading cause of infant mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean, after respiratory infections.

Worldwide, 1.8 million children die each year from diarrhoea, which proves more deadly than tuberculosis, malaria or HIV/AIDS.

"For the children who don't have water and sanitation, the future is poverty and illness, and will probably follow them the rest of their lives," Liliana Carvajal, one of the authors of the 2006 Human Development Report, presented Nov. 9 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), told Tierramérica.

The report states that "clean water and sanitation are among the most powerful preventative measures for child mortality." And that investment in this area "is to killer diseases like diarrhoea what immunisation is to measles -- a lifesaver."

Halving the proportion of people without access to potable water and basic sanitation is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations, with the deadline of 2015.

Latin America and the Caribbean are well on their way to meeting that goal. But it will only be in terms of averages, because millions of people will still lack access to those services.

"We can't be shouting victory, because there are specific cases that are very complicated," said Carvajal.

"It is no longer ethically or politically acceptable to use averages as indicators of the level of compliance with the MDGs, because they hide very difficult realities," says Nils Katsberg, Latin America and Caribbean director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The fact is that the people who live in rural areas and are indigenous or of African descent -- in other words, some 200 million of the approximately 523 million people in the region -- face serious obstacles in achieving the levels of development set by the MDGs, Katsberg told Tierramérica.

"There is still much to be done, especially with the children," he added.

One-third of Latin America's rural residents do not have safe sources of drinking water, and more than half do not have adequate sanitation facilities, according to UNDP studies.

In Bolivia, 95 percent of the urban population utilise potable water sources, but in the countryside the proportion is just 68 percent. As for sanitation services, access is 58 percent for the urban dwellers and 23 percent for rural residents, according to the agency's figures.

Only 54 percent of Bolivian children under age five who suffer diarrhoea receive oral rehydration treatment. In neighbouring Brazil, where there is greater coverage of both sanitation services (75 percent) and potable water services (90 percent), such treatment reaches just 28 percent of young children with diarrhoea.

In Guatemala, where 95 percent of the population has access to sources of clean or treated water, just 22 percent of children with diarrhoea receive rehydration treatment.

The reverse is true in Haiti. There, only 54 percent of the population has access to potable water and just 30 percent have sanitation services, but 41 percent of children under five with diarrhoea receive treatment.

"A child born without access to water and sanitation is going to have constant cases of diarrhoea, which will affect the immune system. The child will have anemia, which will affect schooling, and the child will learn less," said development expert Carvajal.

"It is a cycle of poverty that will follow the child for the rest of her life," she added.

The Human Development Report, which the UNDP has published annually since 1990, emphasises that investment in water and sanitation would save millions of lives, but also stresses that improved services would be of great economic benefit.

Universal access to potable water and sanitation services would reduce the financial burden of the health systems in developing countries by an estimated 1.6 billion dollars annually.

In countries like Nicaragua, clean water would cut diarrhoea cases by more than 20 percent; in Peru 15 percent; and in Guatemala nearly 40 percent, according to UNDP.

Latin America and the Caribbean "must make a much greater effort in everything related to water and sanitation in the rural sectors, and put a stop to discrimination against indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in access to those services," said UNICEF's Katsberg.

(*Originally published Nov. 11 by Latin American newspapers that are part of the Tierramérica network. Tierramérica is a specialised news service produced by IPS with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme.)

(FIN/2006)

11/22/2006

Emerging Taino Cultural Legacy Connects to Mesoamerica

by Roger Hernandez (Presencia Taina.TV)

Jayuya, Puerto Rico (UCTP Taino News) - Archeologist Robinson "Urayoan" Rosado delivered his ground-breaking presentation "Ën Busca de Iguanaboina" on the 513th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' landfall on the indigenous Taino island homeland of Boriquen (Puerto Rico). This fascinating lecture took place at the Cedetra Centro Cultural in Coabay, Jayuya during the 37th Annual Festival Indigena (Nov.17-19).

Rosado's latest Taino studies of the famed Caguana Centro Ceremonial Indigena in Utuado has regenerated significant interest regarding Caribbean indigenous petrologlyphic stone artworks. Robinson relates the positions of the petroglyphs surrounding the ceremonial grounds (called batey) and their spatial architecture to the mythical symbolism of iguana and serpents in Puerto Rico.

Founder and President of La Sociedad Arquelogical Ciba de Ciales, and a member of the Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos, Rosado has long advocated that the Caguana site reveals linkages to Mesoamerican styling that dates back some 5,000 years. The Maya and Aztec cultures traditionally venerate the serpent and iguana art styles as symbols of water and fertility. These are two major elements deemed most relevant to the neighboring agrarian societies of the Caribbean and Yucatan. Closely related symbolism is also found in Ohio (USA) in the form of large serpent mounds, which can be viewed clearly from aerial photographs.

Prominent members of Caribbean academia have long dispelled any connection between Taino and Mesoamerican civilizations although documented evidence and geopolitical proximity would suggest otherwise.

For example, the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture (ICPR) and its founder; Dr.Ricardo Alegria, have not fully supported this linkage research although Mesoamerican ties are found in the language, mythology, and cultural lifestylesin Boriken. A few decades ago, Dr. Oswaldo Goyco documented and published some of these influences but was dissuaded from delving further into this theme by members of the island's academic elite.

It would seem that funding polemics and academic politics dictate where Puerto Rico's ancestral legacy begins and ends.

This unfortunate situation is evident in all historical and cultural subject areas as the ICPRs adversarial attitude against any challenges to the accepted position of the academic establishment continues to reveals itself. Beyond academia, the ICPR and its policies continue to discount the call for community participation by local Taino leadership with regard to elements of cultural importance such as indigenous related education, sacred sites preservation, and related national/international indigenous policies.

In response to the ICPR's anti-indigenous position, recent direct actions taken by local Taino leaders such as the 2005 seventeen-day take over of the Caguana Ceremonial park (now known as "El Grito de Caguana") have spawned a growing interest in areas of preserving cultural ancestral lands and sacred indigenous sites among various sectors of the Puerto Rican populace.

These educational initiatives are met however with conquista-like reprisals championed by the ICPR. An ICPR media campaign attempting to defame the character and legitimacy of the local Taino leaders has been initiated by this intergovernmental agency, which continues to reinforce the "Taino extinction myth" despite DNA evidence to the contrary.

The indigenous reclamation of "El Grito de Caguana" and Robinson Rosado’s recent presentation suggesting a greater Mesoamerican linkage at Caguana are intricately related. Both events represent aspects of indigenous culture and heritage that the island's academic elite have not been willing to readily accept.

At a time when conflicting reports involving ICPR and its governmental administrative leadership has created less public confidence in the agency's ability to properly manage and direct elements of its own mandate - notwithstanding Taino culture - it remains to be seen if ICPR will continue to resist or will embrace these emerging challenges to the island's established local history.

En busca de Iguanaboina

Por Carmen Leonor Rivera-Lassén / classen@elnuevodia.com

Los bateyes del Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana cobran un nuevo significado: eran un espacio sagrado para los taínos

“Lo sorprendente de esta obra de arte es que en ambas representaciones de serpientes, el artífice taíno, utilizó, probablemente, de manera intencional, elementos de perspectiva e ilusión óptica”. - Robinson Rosado, arqueólogo

El amigo llegó, papeles en mano, a narrar un hallazgo que por fin podía confirmar. Los bateyes del Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana, entre las montañas de Utuado, cobraban un nuevo sentido. Un sentido que las vincula a un mito compartido por los pueblos indígenas del Caribe, Centro y Suramérica: el mito de Iguanaboina, cuyas iguanas y serpientes emergen de la tierra de Caguana.

En el año 1965, cuando Robinson Rosado tenía 18 años, vio por primera vez la serpiente en las piedras de Caguana. Compartió su observación con algunos compañeros y lo que obtuvo fue risas y comentarios sarcásticos. Con la Sociedad Arqueológica Ciba de Ciales, que fundó, volvió en 1980. No se había olvidado de su serpiente y trató de llamar de nuevo la atención a su observación, sin éxito. Un año después, volvió con otros miembros de la Sociedad y, de nuevo, nadie vio la serpiente.

Esas reacciones lo animaron a estudiar a fondo, por varios años, los mitos indígenas antillanos que podían estar relacionados a las representaciones en piedra como aquellas que nacían de la tierra utuadeña. Lo que más le llamaba la atención al estudioso, y que nadie parecía ver como él, era el arreglo particular de los monolitos y de lo que siempre se conoció como las calzadas en Caguana. En las piedras había algo más que una mujer y el arreglo del batey pudo ser para algo más que el juego de pelota. Rosado investigó y leyó todo lo que llegó a sus manos, entrevistó a antropólogos y arqueólogos, y visitó otros centros ceremoniales en Puerto Rico, la República Dominicana y Centroamérica para sustentar lo que de aquella primera observación parecía convertirse en un importante hallazgo.

“Aunque ya se había descubierto el Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Caguana, la utilización de éste por el taíno no se había podido interpretar adecuadamente. El hallazgo de las iguanas-serpientes representa la llave arqueológica que revela el código secreto que contiene su arquitectura, su arte. Descifra en gran medida el arcano simbolismo de sus petroglifos y la primordial función de este centro ceremonial: el culto a la deidad mítica de Iguanaboina, probablemente representada en el principal petroglifo, la mujer de Caguana”, dice Rosado.

Esto nos recuerda que la aparición de grandes hallazgos arqueológicos y sus respectivas interpretaciones es un fenómeno de los siglos XIX y XX. Tras años de sostenerse las teorías de los descubridores iniciales, surgieron otras interpretaciones que ampliaron los alcances de las mismas. Es así como ahora, al volver sobre los datos arqueológicos, las líneas de Nazca dejan de ser meras incisiones de gran tamaño en la piedra para ser muestra del conocimiento geométrico de los pueblos peruanos; los montículos de Ohio se toman como lugares donde los primeros pobladores de la región celebraron sus ceremonias culturales; cobra importancia como códice de la cultura maya la escalinata jeroglífica en las ruinas de Copán; se establece la ciudadela de Huánuco Pampa como el lugar donde ubica el más grande de los observatorios astronómicos de los incas y se establece que la función de la pirámide maya era como soporte de un templo.

LaREVISTA habló con Robinson Rosado sobre el significado de su hallazgo. Sus contestaciones señalan hacia la incorporación de nuestros taínos a un mapa o ruta de centros de veneración y práctica de rituales mágico-religiosos en las Antillas.

¿En qué consiste el hallazgo?

Consiste en cuatro gigantescas formaciones pétreas que representan serpientes, iguanas o la combinación de ambos reptiles. De las cuatro representaciones de reptiles, las conformadas por las calzadas o aceras de piedra norte y sur son dos representaciones artísticas de serpientes. Las otras dos formaciones probablemente representan iguanas, conformadas por las hileras de monolitos al este y oeste del batey principal.

Con las formaciones pétreas o representaciones de reptiles, el artífice, quien probablemente fue un bohíque o sacerdote taíno, quiso plasmar el concepto híbrido -mitad iguana, mitad serpiente- de la deidad de Iguanaboina. Es probable que las piedras que están ubicadas estratégicamente al final y al principio de cada hilera de monolitos del lado este y oeste, si se combinan de adelante hacia atrás y viceversa, con las calzadas de piedras norte y sur, y con las hileras de monolitos, formen ocho representaciones de reptiles. Cuatro serían de serpientes y cuatro de iguanas. Formarían una especie de muro de reptiles alrededor del perímetro del batey principal.

Postulo que debido al descubrimiento de la imagen de serpientes y de probables iguanas, el petroglifo principal, conocido como “la mujer de Caguana”, es realmente la representación de Iguanaboina. Este petroglifo sería la representación de “la mujer iguana-serpiente de Caguana”.

¿Cómo se dio el hallazgo?

Se dio durante la excursión que realicé en 1965, cuando cursaba el cuarto año de escuela superior, al Centro Ceremonial de Caguana. Fue cuando por primera vez asocié la calzada norte y la primera piedra de la hilera de monolitos del lado este del batey principal con la silueta de una serpiente. A principios del 2004, volví a Caguana y esta vez fotografié la calzada. Al revelar las fotos y observarlas, me reiteré en la idea de que podía ser la representación artística de una serpiente, realizada por los taínos con algún propósito. En enero de 2006, estimulado por el resultado de las fotografías, tomé un video de ambas calzadas y de los monolitos del batey principal. Al observarlo, mi sorpresa fue inmensa, al ver que era evidente el parecido de las calzadas con la silueta de una serpiente. Al observar un acercamiento de la primera piedra de la hilera de monolitos del lado este, me percaté de que además de tener un parecido con la forma casi triangular de la cabeza de un reptil, tenía dos orificios. Podían coincidir con los orificios del ojo y la nariz del reptil. Igualmente, pude observar que la parte superior de la piedra de la posible representación de la cabeza pétrea del reptil presentaba evidencia de haber sido modificada por medio de una devastación intencional, con el posible propósito de lograr un parecido con la cabeza de una serpiente o una iguana.

¿Cuál es la tesis que has desarrollado?

Mi tesis la componen las siguientes premisas:

· La existencia en Caguana de la representación de la deidad Iguanaboina, parte del mito recogido por fray Ramón Pané a finales del siglo XV en La Española.

· Hay una correlación entre el mito recogido por Pané y el hallazgo de las iguanas-serpientes de Caguana.

· Las aceras o calzadas de piedra norte y sur del batey principal son representaciones de serpientes, y las hileras de monolitos este y oeste del batey principal y la hilera de monolitos de la plaza ovalada son representaciones de iguanas.

· El mito de Iguanaboina evolucionó de un culto a la iguana y la serpiente en una cueva, al culto en una plaza ceremonial.

· La plaza principal del Centro de Caguana era el lugar principal donde los taínos celebraban el culto a Iguanaboina. Era un espacio sagrado donde convergían el mito, el símbolo y el rito.

· El culto a la deidad taína de Iguanaboina fue una adaptación antillana del culto de Quetzalcoatl, la serpiente emplumada, de nahuas, toltecas y aztecas, y de su contraparte, Kukulkán o Cucumatz, de la cultura maya-quiché.

¿Por qué estas estructuras no se habían asociado antes a las figuras de las serpientes o iguanas?

Los primeros estudios del Centro Ceremonial de Caguana y de su batey principal fueron realizados entre 1914 y 1915 por el Dr. Franz Boas y un grupo de investigadores. El lugar, además de estar cubierto por maleza, estaba en ruinas y era difícil asociar las estructuras a serpientes o iguanas. Igualmente pasó más tarde con los investigadores John Alden Mason y Robert T. Aitken, quienes tampoco pudieron hacer la asociación debido a las mismas circunstancias.

En el año 1956, el Dr. Ricardo Alegría solicitó a la Asamblea Legislativa los fondos necesarios para adquirir los terrenos donde ubica el Centro Ceremonial, excavarlo y restaurar los monumentos. Gracias a ese extraordinario esfuerzo, este patrimonio cultural se rescató para que las generaciones actuales y futuras pudieran apreciarlo, estudiarlo, disfrutarlo y conservarlo. Alegría y sus colaboradores cercanos hicieron una labor que debemos agradecer y valorar. Pienso que no se percataron de las representaciones de estos reptiles por varias razones. Dada la morfología aparentemente simple de las calzadas norte y sur y de las hileras de monolitos este y oeste, resulta difícil detectarlas y asociarlas a algún símbolo o patrón.

A primera instancia, y más aún viéndolas de cerca, cualquier otro investigador en las mismas circunstancias las hubiese asociado con simples aceras o calzadas de piedra. Solamente pueden detectarse las siluetas de las calzadas y asociarse a serpientes o iguanas desde ciertos ángulos, distancia y perspectiva. Otra razón fue debido a la gran cantidad y calidad gráfica de los petroglifos en el batey principal de Caguana, que podían observarse a simple vista. Estos petroglifos con representaciones antropomórficas y zoomórficas eran tan sugestivos e interesantes que las personas que restauraron las calzadas y las hileras de monolitos se concentraron en ellos. Los investigadores, después de finalizada la restauración del lugar, continuaron concentrando sus estudios en los petroglifos sin prestar atención a las calzadas, ni a la rara morfología de las hileras de monolitos. Continuaron viendo y asociando las aceras o calzadas a una función obvia y práctica de servir para caminar sobre ellas. No asociaron su forma a su otra función, la ceremonial. Lo mismo pasó con los miles de turistas que han visitado el lugar, cuya atención la capturó lo majestuoso de los petroglifos.

Otra razón por la que nadie se percató de la existencia de las formas de las serpientes es que las siluetas no pueden catalogarse como esculturas. Son una especie de instalación o composición. El artífice indígena elaboró la imagen utilizando el elemento natural de la piedra, con diferentes tamaños y posiciones, sobre un soporte de tierra. Lo mismo se puede decir de las representaciones de iguanas-serpientes con las hileras de monolitos. Lo sorprendente de esta obra de arte es que en ambas representaciones de serpientes, el artífice taíno, utilizó, probablemente, de manera intencional, elementos de perspectiva e ilusión óptica. Vistas de cerca, las serpientes o calzadas tienen un ancho aproximado de 5 pies. Cuando se miran desde cierta distancia y de cierto ángulo, en ambas configuraciones se recrea por medio de la perspectiva la morfología exacta de una serpiente. Se puede observar a la perfección que las figuras se vuelven más angostas desde la parte superior hasta reducirse a un ancho de pocas pulgadas, al final de la calzada, lo que correspondería al rabo.

No se puede descartar que el artista taíno haya querido incorporar en las tallas una de las características de las serpientes y de las iguanas, el mimetismo o la habilidad de confundirse con el entorno que les rodea por medio de la coloración o de los diseños de su piel. Por la forma en que están instaladas, las piedras de las calzadas norte y sur se pueden asociar claramente con las escamas de la piel de una serpiente. Las piedras de las hileras de los monolitos este y oeste recrean el lomo de la iguana con sus espinas.

Deseo aclarar que el único investigador que intuyó anteriormente una relación entre calzada y serpiente fue el arqueólogo Osvaldo García Goyco.

¿Quién era Iguanaboina?

Era una deidad taína documentada por Pané, de carácter híbrido. Estaba constituida por los cemíes gemelos Marohu, representado por la imagen de la iguana, y Boinayel, representado por la imagen de la serpiente. Esta deidad, por medio de sus dos cemíes, era adorada en la cueva de Iguanaboina. Representaba para los taínos las poderosas energías de Yocajú Bagua Maorocotí, la deidad principal. Las energías de este dios eran canalizadas a través de la representación de Iguanaboina mediante un culto mágico-religioso. Por medio de éste, los taínos obtenían la fertilidad para sus conucos, para todos los seres vivientes de los cuales obtenían su sustento, así como para los árboles y plantas de donde obtenían la materia prima para elaborar diferentes artefactos de su cultura material, vivienda y productos medicinales.

¿Cómo se relaciona el mito recopilado por fray Ramón Pané a las serpientes de Caguana?

En su segundo viaje a América en el año 1493, el almirante Cristóbal Colón encomendó a Ramón Pané, fraile de la Orden de los Jerónimos, la misión de investigar y documentar las creencias religiosas de los indígenas de la isla de Bohío o Haytí, a la que después se conoció como La Española. Recibió la orden de vivir en el Fuerte de La Magdalena y para aprender la lengua fue a vivir con el cacique Guarionex. Pané terminó su trabajo alrededor de 1498 y cuando Colón volvió a España en 1500, cargó con el documento. En el capítulo 11 de su libro ‘Relación acerca de las antigüedades de los indios’ aparece la mención de Iguanaboina.

¿Qué otras figuras, además de la serpiente, aparecen entre los petroglifos de Caguana?

Aparece la probable figura o petroglifo de un jaguar. Es una hipótesis preliminar que habré de comprobar posteriormente. La probable existencia de ese petroglifo es sumamente importante, pues el jaguar está asociado en la mitología antillana a la serpiente. Es un símbolo que no había aparecido aquí, en el contexto del Centro Ceremonial de Caguana. En Mesoamérica está presente esta asociación de la serpiente y el jaguar; acá reflejaría una influencia maya.

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*Source: El Nuevo Dia - La Revista www.endi.com/

11/21/2006

Mohawk: Thanksgiving serves up some 'old time religion'

Thanksgiving is the only holiday celebrated in the United States which was inspired by and is a descendant of a celebration practiced for untold centuries by America's first peoples. Of course, this is a holiday with a history and that history includes Native peoples. But Americans know very little about indigenous peoples, even the Natives of the places where they live. And they don't know very much about history, even their own. Therefore, surprisingly few people know where the Thanksgiving tradition comes from or how its modern manifestation became an American tradition and a legal holiday.

The history of Thanksgiving as a legal holiday starts with a sad story. In 1863, following the battle of Gettysburg during the Civil war, President Lincoln visited the battlefield. It was one of the saddest moments in the history of the Republic. Robert E. Lee and the army of the Confederacy had been turned back, but at an almost unbearable cost. Over three days of fighting, some 50,000 Americans were killed. It was the worst loss of American life on the battlefield in history before or since. It is said that its impact was felt in almost every town and village North and South. Lincoln expressed the sentiment that at that moment the country needed something positive to celebrate and asked aides to scour American history for a tradition that could serve the purpose. They did, and they found a day of celebration that had been associated with the Connecticut Puritans early during the 17th century but which had been discontinued by 1863. He thought it was the perfect memorial and ordered a new national holiday: Thanksgiving.

Most Americans' shared version of the origin of Thanksgiving skips over Lincoln and the Gettysburg battlefield and goes directly to the original Puritans, but the story is usually abbreviated. The Puritans survived the first year to enjoy a harvest and decided to do a ceremony they had done at home, the Home Harvest. They then invited the Indians for a feast and the two groups enjoyed turkey, cranberries, and pumpkins. One sees visual representations of this showing the Puritans serving dinner to the Indians, but that's not exactly how it happened. The English at Plymouth had been lucky, very lucky, and had a lot to be thankful for.

The story begins in 1605 when a Wampanoag Indian accompanied a friendly English explorer, John Weymouth, to England. The Indian is known to us today as Squanto and while in England he learned English. He returned to New England but was later captured by an English slaver (the English were big-time slavers for centuries) and sold to the Spanish in the Caribbean. A priest befriended him and helped him get to Spain and later to England where he found Weymouth who paid his way home. While in England he met a Wabanake individual who had traveled with an English explorer, Samoset. Both returned to Patuxet, present-day Plymouth, in 1620 but they found the village deserted because of epidemic disease which was probably introduced by slavers. They went to live in a nearby Wampanoag village.

The following year they were hunting when they came upon the English who had settled at the very spot that Squanto's village had stood. The English were startled to meet Indians who spoke their language. The English were in bad shape, almost half had died over the winter, and they had too few survival skills. Squanto stayed with them for the next few months and taught them how to cultivate corn and beans and to build Indian-style shelters. He brought venison and taught them to dig clams and showed them medicines. By fall, thanks mostly to Squanto, the English were doing much better and they had enough food to last the winter.

The agricultural Indians of the Northeast woodlands, including the Algonkians of which the Wampanoag were members, celebrated the fruits of the harvest and the arrival of the hunting season in November with a feast which included three days of dancing, singing, and speeches of thanksgiving. Indeed, most of the North American Indian cultures had a whole calendar year of ceremonials of thanksgiving. There were six such major ceremonials of thanksgiving among the New England peoples. They told the English about their custom and asked about a joint celebration. The English could remember a similar ceremony, Home Harvest, practiced in England for centuries, and the two had found something they had in common. The English invited the Indians to their town, but when the Indians arrived it was discovered the English didn't have enough food, so the Indians brought venison and vegetables. They would have eaten very much the menu mentioned earlier, except that the first shared Thanksgiving had no turkeys. Those came later. There was also no singing or dancing, the Saints (Puritans) disapproving of such as pleasures even when they were mostly religious. The Indians, we can be certain, thought the Puritans as odd, as we would today. The first Thanksgiving celebrated by Europeans in North America in 1621 was largely supplied by the Indians.

The contemporary Thanksgiving as celebrated by Americans takes place at the same time of year and involves a feast as did the ancient first Americans' thanksgiving harvest celebration, but they are as different in spirit as are these peoples. When Americans are asked what they have to be thankful for, they produce a list of things related to their individual happiness or well being: good health, friends and family, economic well-being, and strong emotional relationships. The English at the first Thanksgiving had reason to express gratitude to their God for their collective survival against difficult odds in a new land, and had they even a trace of self-awareness they might have included Squanto on their list.

The Indians of the time had a different custom. They recognized that life, all life on the planet, is a miracle of good fortune, that it is dependent on numerous components which include earth and vegetation and water and sun and moon and in all a complex order of higher powers and that humans, as a species which is aware of this good fortune, has an obligation to express a collective statement of gratitude in joyous celebration of the good gifts of the powers of the universe. That, for the Indians, was an important part of their "old time religion."


John C. Mohawk Ph.D., columnist for Indian Country Today, is an author and professor in the Center for the Americas at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

© Indian Country Today November 26, 2003. All Rights Reserved

11/17/2006

African States Jeopardize Passage of UN Indigenous Rights Declaration

United Nations (UCTP News) – The United Nations Third Committee of the General Assembly is meeting to discuss the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights ofIndigenous Peoples. While many states favor the adoption of the Declaration, several countries such as the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Russia have gone on record to take a hard line approach against it. This group is now being referred to as the CANZUS group.

Within the UN system, Indigenous Peoples have historically counted on African states to support their issues. This dynamic is now shifting as some of the African governments are now tabling a resolution asking for the postponement ofthe Declaration's adoption.

"The African Governments seem to have been pressured by [the CANZUS] group of countries to push their agenda." stated Vicky Tauli-Corpuz,the Chairperson of UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Tauli-Corpuz also noted that "China, India, Philippines, Nepal, etc. spoke in favor of [the Declaration's] adoption but there might still be Asian countries who will support the African resolution."

In a November 15th communication issued by the Indigenous Peoples Caucus at the United Nations, the group states "the world's Indigenous Peoples [are calling] on states from Asia and the Caribbean not to support the procedural motion put forth by the African states to defer the decision on the Declaration.

Lobbying efforts are now being directed toward government capitals to urge them to support a resolution from Peru, co-sponsored by many governments, calling for the adoption of this long awaited human rights document.

The Declaration is described as a "standard of achievement to be pursued in a spirit of partnership and mutual respect".

Strong Leonid Meteor Shower Expected Nov. 18

The Leonids are caused by debris left behind by Comet Temple-Tuttle, a celestial body that orbits the sun every 33 years. This year there could be a big burst of up to 150 meteors per hour on Saturday night. Get details and see Leonid photos.

When and Where to Watch: People in eastern North America could see the burst of meteors starting at 11:45PM ET that night. Meteor activity also occurs for a few nights before and after the peak. Full Story Below, check out photos from previous Leonid meteor showers.

Moderator's note: Celestial activity was and continues to be important to the Taino people and in this context should be observed with reverence.

11/09/2006

Officials to free Puerto Rican parrots

















SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Twenty-one Puerto Rican parrots raised in captivity will be released - a first attempt to create a new population of the threatened species by reintroducing it into an area where it previously existed, U.S. wildlife officials said Wednesday.

The parrots - which are bright green with a red forehead and wings that flash turquoise in flight - will be let go at the Rio Abajo aviary in Utuado on Sunday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement.

The Rio Abajo forest in central Puerto Rico was the last place the parrots were documented in the wild before they sought shelter from humans in the Caribbean National Forest, a mountain rain forest known to Puerto Ricans as El Yunque, said the wildlife service, which has conducted previous releases of the parrots.

The parrot population has suffered at the hands of humans, who snatch them for pets, and from the forces of nature - including hurricanes. It is listed on the World Conservation Union's "Red List" as a threatened species.

The bird - called "Iguaca" by the Taino Indians after the sound of its squawk - was plentiful when Columbus arrived in the Americas and coexisted with a Puerto Rican macaw and parakeet that have since died out.

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Related Links:

Puerto Rican Parrots
http://biology.usgs.gov/s+t/noframe/b016.htm

Puerto Rican Parrots: Questions and Answers
www.fws.gov/southeast/pubs/facts/PR_parrot_QA.pdf

11/08/2006

11/07/2006

American Indians in Puerto Rico: U.S. Census 2000

U.S. CENSUS 2000 for PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico Population (overall): 3,808,610

Whites: 3,064,862

Blacks: 302,933

Asians: 7,960

Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders: 1,093

Some Other Race 260,011

Two Racial Mix: 158,415

AMERICAN INDIANS: 13,336

"The same way they wrote us out of history,
we will write ourselves back into history"
-Naniki Reyes Ocasio, Boriken Taino Leader

Boriken Taino Protest: Compilation of Articles 2005-06

TAINO PROTEST IN CAGUANA, PUERTO RICO
ONGOING VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS & DESECRATION OF SACED SITES
Consejo General de Tainos Borincanos, Caney Quinto Mundo, and the
United Confederation of Taíno People

Compilation of Articles from 2005-2006

11/03/2006

Archaeologist says Guanches Came from South America

Despite much evidence to suggest that the origins of the guanches - the aboriginal inhabitants of the islands before the Spanish conquest - were in the Berber tribes of North Africa, archaeologist, Pablo Novoa, has discovered, during 30 years of study, similarities between indigenous cultures in the Caribbean and the Canary Islands.

In his book about the pre-colombian culture in the Canary Islands, "Los Araguaco-Tainos, una cultura precolombina en Canarias", published by Benchomo, Novoa has tried to demonstrate that contact existed between these cultures.

They could have done it and, there is the fact that the chronicles of Christopher Columbus, tell us that the indigenous populations of Central America has an ample knowledge of navigation. Novoa's theory is based on the analysis of more than 600 items repeated in various locations and, the existence of around 100 aboriginal words that have a similar meaning to those used today by Canary Islanders.

For those who speak Spanish and are also fascinated by this subject, the matter is discussed, at considerable length at El Foro de Canarias. It is an ever repeating theme, but as the first comment in that thread begins, "There is an awful lot unknown about the Guanche reality, very affected by myth." And it is true that most Canarians themselves, know little of their true history, free of myths and legends.

Un arqueólogo afirma que los guanches proceden de Sudamérica

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

The James J. Peters VA Medical Center of New York,
in collaboration with the
Native American Indian Special Emphasis Program,
The United Confederation of Taino People – Regional Coordinating Office,
Tanama Yucayeke Taino, Ku Karey Taino Spiritual Circle, Cacibajagua Taino Cultural Society, and Yaboa Indigenous Women's coalition
welcome
Miss Indian World 2006,
Violet John


for a Special Tribute To American Indian Veterans,

Saturday, November 18, 2006

The program begins at 12 noon – 3:00pm in room 3d-22 on the third floor of the James J. Peters VA Medical Center located at 130 West Kingsbridge Road, Bronx, New York 10468.

For more information please contact:

Marie Maweiaru at 718-741-4212,
Vanessa Inarunikia at 718-796-2460,
R. Mucaro Borrero 212-604-4186

11/01/2006

Dominican agents arrest Spaniard with cocaine-stuffed Taino figurines

SANTO DOMINGO. - The National Control Drugs Agency (DNCD) last night seized 18 artisan figures stuffed with cocaine that would’ve been flown to Madrid from the Las Americas International Airport (AILA), in a suitcase if the Spanish citizen Maria de la Soledad Martinez, who was immediately arrested by agents assigned to the terminal.

The clay souvenir Taino figures of different sizes confiscated would’ve been taken to Spain aboard Air Europe flight UX-0088, but were detected when the foreigner’s luggage was inspected.

DNCD spokesman Lebrón Robert said investigators are trying to determine the source of the souvenirs.

Article source: Dominicantoday.com

National American Indian Heritage Month, 2006

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

During National American Indian Heritage Month, we honor the generations of American Indians and Alaska Natives who have added to the character of our Nation. This month is an opportunity to celebrate their many accomplishments and their rich ancestry and traditions.

America is blessed by the character and strength of American Indians and Alaska Natives, and our citizens are grateful for the countless ways Native Americans have enriched our country and lifted the spirit of our Nation. We are especially grateful for the Native Americans who have served and continue to serve in our Nation's military. These brave individuals have risked their lives to protect our citizens, defend our democracy, and spread the blessings of liberty to people around the world.

My Administration is working to ensure that American Indians and Alaska Natives have access to all the opportunities of this great land. My fiscal year 2007 budget proposes more than $12.7 billion for government programs for Native Americans. Education is vital to ensuring all citizens reach their full potential, and my budget includes funding to help Native-American schools succeed and meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is providing education for approximately 46,000 American-Indian and Alaska-Native children. To help keep Native Americans safe, I have also proposed to increase law enforcement personnel and improve law enforcement facilities in American-Indian communities. My Administration will continue to work on a government-to-government basis with tribal governments, honor the principles of tribal sovereignty and the right to self-determination, and help ensure America remains a land of promise for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and all our citizens.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2006 as National American Indian Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to commemorate this month with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Environmental Action Alert

Two mega-resorts are putting one of the Caribbean's last great unprotected areas at risk. The Northeast Ecological Corridor (NEC), on the eastern corner of the mainland of Puerto Rico, is home to many tropical habitats and endangered species. Help protect the NEC and its ecological wealth by sending an email today.

Take action at:
http://action.environmentaldefense.org/campaign/mega_resorts?rk=E7zs2y51rzy8W

LA VIDA TAINA Y LA PLAZA DE CHACUEY

Por Franklin Domínguez Cruz
Publicado el jueves, 19 de octubre de 2006




Durante varios años exploramos La Reserva Indígena de Chacuey en la comunidad de los indios, Municipio de Partido, Provincia de Dajabón n. Esta Zona Pertenecía al Cacicazgo de Marién, dominado por Guagacanagarix y los sub. - Caciques: Chacuey, Guaraguanó y otros.

La Plaza de Chacuey, es un instrumento Astronómico Megalítico, que marca la existencia de una civilización, anterior al impactante " descubrimiento de Don Cristóbal Colon" el 12 de octubre de 1492.

Al realizar estudios de Astronomía, a través del club Dominicano de Radio- Astronomía (CEDORA), para entonces; recibíamos lecciones del club CEDORA, con Titulares como este: Astro-Arqueología Taina.

Descendimos al lugar y encontramos que la construcción de una carretera destruyó parcialmente la Plaza.

Desde 1988, exploramos palmo a palmo, la zona de Chacuey, altiplanos y montañas. En el río Chacuey, encontramos el Charco de las Caritas, estudiado por el Museo del Hombre Dominicano y por el Antropólogo, el gran amigo; ido a destiempo Dr. Fernando Luna Calderón.

En el marco Histórico de este río, encontramos una visión representada en el arte rupestre, con bailes de Areitos.

Areitos es el baile tradicional de los indígenas, el cual guarda el "Secreto Taino" es la tradición de persona a persona que a través del tiempo, lo transmiten, manteniendo viva la cultura y la existencia Taina en la Isla de Santo Domingo.

Luna Calderón, " Establece que entre los huesos encontrados en el

Cementerio Indígena de la Caleta, en Boca Chica, con pruebas de laboratorio a varias personas de color Indio Dominicano, "se encontraron Cromosomas idénticos en la química del Ácido Deciserrenobonucleico (ADN)”.

Los Tainos del Caribe, tienen Tribus en franca civilización en Cuba y Puerto Rico, pero en Santo Domingo, se mantienen diseminados en la Composición Social Dominicana.

Sin embargo; en la Sabana de los Indios, en Partido, varias Familias; demostraron que son descendientes directos de los indígenas que poblaron esta zona de Haití, Quisqueya o Babeque*.

El Estudio, se realizó, revisando el árbol genealógico de las familias participantes, los cuales fueron Orientados por miembros de La Fundación Conservacionista Cubituarios. FUNDARIOS.

*¿Que desea en esta tierra? Eso quiere decir ¡Babeque! según el diccionario de la lengua Taina, en el "Diario de Colon".

Cálculos del CEDORA: Resultado del estudio Megalítico, resumen.

“La indiada Taina, del grupo cultural Arawac, localizada hace 514 años, en la zona Noroeste de la RD. , en el área que ocupan ahora las poblaciones de la provincia de Dajabón, utilizaban para sus ceremonias lo que hoy es conocido como la Plaza de Chacuey, la cual consistía en :

Una Calzada , un sector empedrado, Este Nordeste, el Portal llamado " del este u oriental", el Portal del " oeste occidental", Dos Camellones Parejos, que bajaban hasta el río Chacuey, " Los tres Menhires encontrados" y lo más concreto en este monumento, la zona petroglifica del charco de las caritas".

- Todo este complejo ha sido ubicado sobre una extensa sabana, por dos razones Fundamentales: su máxima cercanía al Charco de las Caritas y porque desde allí se tendría un horizonte mas amplio para estudiar las estaciones del año, que le servían a Marién y demás Cacicazgos, de las precisiones para la agricultura y la pesca .

Indudablemente, que esa gigantesca calzada cuasi elíptica fue construida con fines ceremoniales, de índole deportivo, religioso, junta Social festiva y Astronomía -.

La Plaza de Chacuey, fue un instrumento megalítico Astronómico, aunque; fuera objeto de otros usos.

Dada esta demostración, para los investigadores futuros; podemos indicar que estos petroglifos (pintura en las piedras) con los grabados de los Menhires, las Caritas, la Calzada, el sol, son ideogramas (representación de la plaza megalítica)

Realmente los Tainos estaban atraídos por las influencias ejercidas por la divinidad solar, así era practicado por los usuarios Tainos de la plaza de Chacuey, Estos Glifos (de lo cual hemos echo un levantamiento en video y fotos ) son concebido en el contexto animal- vegetal, las figuras en la rocas representan la plaza y sus actividades, veamos:

Interesantes grabados semicirculares, crestado en cortas líneas, 12 en total, encierran un circulo y entre ellos se destacan tres gruesos puntos, que pudieron resultar " Solsticio- Equinoccio - solsticio".

Otras figuras antropomorfas con prolongaciones radiales en el circulo de la cara, representa el Sol, la cual se repite, pero sin piernas retorcidas,

“Haciendo un ejercicio en la Plaza, tuvimos la satisfacción de ver corroborada nuestra hipótesis, cuando vimos salir el Sol, a unos 6 grados 30 segundos (6.5) desplazado hacia el este, de una trocha que fabricamos cercano al polo astronómico, precisión que puede considerarse exacta en los equinoccios, en un grado cada 71.62 años, o un grado,. 396 segundos por centurias, ese era; el solsticio de verano”.

La Plaza Indígena, virtualmente ha desaparecido, los curiosos, extranjeros y busca tesoros, han violado prácticamente este importante centro arqueológico, pese a la prohibición publica del Museo del Hombre Dominicano, quien tiene instalada una valla informativa, La cual rescatamos de la maleza que la arropaba , contando con el apoyo de los comunitarios de la Sección de los indios-.

Recomendamos leer: "Secreto Taino " libro que trata sobre la vida de los indígenas en la Isla, del Escritor Dominicano, Nelson Olivo, de circulación reciente, el cual coincide en algunos puntos con la exposición nuestra y el CEDORA .

¡ Solicitamos al SEFA y Medio Ambiente, protección para que los ignorantes, no sigan desfigurando lo poco que queda de los petroglifos en el Charco de las caritas en el Río Chacuey de Partido !

Ahora nos falta, el rescate de los descendientes Tainos, que podamos identificarlos por regiones, para crear reservas protegidas para esas personas, quienes de manera Mística; han sobrevivido en la marginalidad entre indignados y orgullosos.

¡Ellos son los dueños de la isla, así debemos reconocerlos!

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por: Diario Horizonte

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