Dominican ecologists vow to protect the mountains

SANTO DOMINGO. – Despite that Dominican Republic’s major rivers are born in the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range), and the Caribbean’s most extensive hydrographic system is in such a state of sustained deterioration, the public policies envision and citizens perceive it as something alien and distant.

For that reason, the environmental group Pro Cordillera Voluntary Society plans to collaborate with a campaign to rescue and to protect the Central Mountain Range.

In a statement, Pro Cordillera announced the start of the media campaign to make the citizens aware and to stir their feelings of identity and ownership of the mountains where the Yaque North and South, Yuna, Artibonito, Nizao, San Juan, Haina, Ocoa, Camú, among others rivers are born.

The Cordillera is the source of so many rivers, the Taino Indians dubbed it "Mother of the Waters."

Source: Dominican Today

Puerto Rican unemployed urged to pick coffee beans

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico is turning to the newly surging ranks of the unemployed for help with an old problem - a shortage of coffee pickers.

Agriculture Secretary Javier Rivera Aquino says he's spoken with the labor secretary about recruiting unemployed workers for the coffee industry.

Rivera says in Tuesday's edition of newspaper El Nuevo Dia that letters will go out to the jobless encouraging them to take jobs on coffee plantations.

Puerto Rico's unemployment rate is above 14 percent higher than any U.S. state.

The island has long struggled to harvest coffee because few locals want the difficult and low-paying job of picking beans. In the past, farmers have sometimes even turned to prisoners to do the work.

Source: Associated Press

Grandfather Cyril Taylor Yabisi Caona Scholarship

Grandfather Cyril O. Taylor

Bohio Atabei Caribbean Indigenous Women’s Circle is proud to announce that this year’s Yabisi Caona educational stipend has additional sponsors. These include the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP) and its member organizations as well as Taino artist Gina Rixturey Rosario Villalba and Mrs. Marie Taylor (Meherrin), the widow of elder Cyril Taylor (Karib).

This however is not the only change for the Yabisi Caona educational stipend as it has been renamed the “Grandfather Cyril Taylor Yabisi Caona Scholarship” in honor of our beloved Grandfather Cyril Taylor.

Until his passing last year, Grandfather Cyril was a respected elder representative of the UCTP. He was co-founder of a Washington D.C. cultural organization called Biaraku, a staunch defender of our indigenous rights as Caribbean Indigenous peoples and a strong advocate of the Bohio Atabei Caribbean Indigenous Women’s Circle. As such Grandfather Cyril’s widow Mrs. Marie Taylor has honored us with her total support in this endeavor. Words alone cannot express our gratitude to her.

The UCTP will manage the scholarship fund that will be focused toward giving Caribbean Indigenous students’ some financial assistance with the purchase of school text books or supplies.

The “Grandfather Cyril Taylor Yabisi Caona Scholarship” scholarships are open to Caribbean Indigenous students age 17 and older entering or returning to college and/or technical school in the 2009-2010 year.

All applicants for this educational stipend must submit a 1000 (minimum) word essay describing what they have done to help their communities and how they see themselves doing this within the context of their future educational goals. Students should demonstrate pride in and respect for their ancestral culture and be active in their community.

Three students will be selected from among the submitted applications.

Selections will be based on essay content, school and community references. Each recipient will receive a sum no less then or greater then $250 dollars (U.S.) towards the purchase of his/her school curriculum books and or supplies.

After some consultation, the sponsors have decided to award these stipends using a selection process conducive to the ideals of Caribbean First Nations. Therefore applicants should be only individuals within the specified age category, and who are registered members of Caribbean Indigenous communities, organizations, groups recognized by the Caribbean Organization of Indigenous Peoples (COIP) and the United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP).

If you are of Caribbean Indigenous decent but do not meet the above criteria, to submit an application you must contact UCTP Grandfather Cyril Taylor Yabisi Caona Scholarship Board first for any possible consideration.

In our efforts to protect, promote, and honor our culture, the UCTP and the Bohio of Atabei have sought ways to motivate the community into collective and collaborative efforts and as such these stipends are viewed as way to carry out our missions. The stipends will be presented at a community luncheon to be held in November 2009 during Native American History Month. Venue details to be announced.

All submissions for the 2009 Grandfather Cyril Taylor Yabisi Caona must be entered and postmarked no later than Monday, September 30, 2009. All documents must be neatly typed, double spaced, dated and signed and should include the following:

1.) Name and contact information.

2.) Brief Bio

3.) Essay

4.) Letter of reference from either or current school
principal/headmaster/dean.

5.) Letter from current community council /chief/community leadership.

For those sending submissions via email, a signed original hard copy
must follow via post. All forms via Email must be in PDF format.

Email correspondence to oirrc@uctp.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hard copies are to be mailed to:

UCTP,

P.O Box 4515,

New York, NY 10163

For additional information, contact bohiatbei@aol.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 646-309-3722 or 212-604-4186.

No submissions will be accepted postmarked after deadline date.

Donations to Grandfather Cyril Taylor Scholarship Fund can be sent to United Confederation of Taino People UCTP. Address listed above.

Source: http://www.uctp.org

Australia adopts UN Indigenous declaration

Australia (UCTP Taino News) – In an historic moment in Australia’s relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the government officially adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at a ceremony this morning at its Parliament House. This action reverses the decision of the previous Government who voted against the Declaration in 2007.

The Declaration was adopted at the United Nations by all but four countries - Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. It contains 46 articles outlining Indigenous people's rights in international law, but it is not legally binding and cannot override domestic law.

Noting the importance of meeting the standards set out in the Declaration, Australian Aboriginal leader Professor Mick Dodson said "The value of human rights is not in their existence, it's in their implementation."

The new Australian decision could have an impact on at least one of the other countries still not supporting the Declaration.

On March 31, New Zealand’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Key stated that his government will look at the way the Australian Government interprets the Declaration and “see whether its interpretation is applicable in New Zealand.”

A petition calling on the New Zealand government to support the UN Declaration is now being promoted by Peace Movement Aotearoa.

No comments have been issued as yet from the governments of Canada and the United States with regard to Australia’s new position on the Declaration.

UCTPTN 04.03.2009

Puerto Rico lacks adequate place to house pre-Columbian artifacts

PONCE, Puerto Rico — The chief of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture says the U.S. island does not have an adequate place to house indigenous artifacts.

Institute director Carmen Teresa Ruiz says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to return dozens of ancient ceramic pieces, tools and bones to Puerto Rico but the U.S. territory is not prepared to receive them.

She said Sunday it is "a real problem" since local archaeologists and students do not have the chance to study the pre-Columbian pieces.

In 2007, the Army Corps uncovered a cache of artifacts outside the city of Ponce.

At the time, Puerto Rican archaeologists blasted the federal agency for shipping the indigenous artifacts to the U.S. for analysis.

Source: The Associated Press