Los mitos taínos

Los mitos taínos is a website that CAC Editor Jorge Estevez recommends to our readers. It is in Spanish. The various sections of the website deal with Taíno themes in Spanish Caribbean literature; Taíno mythical genealogy; photographs of the Tibes museum; monuments that have been built in commemoration of Taíno historical figures; select myths; and, a very useful page of links to complementary resources on Taíno history and mythology, well worth examining.

The first page of the site explains its purpose in the following words:

"Esta página le ofrece al lector un repositorio de información sobre el tema mitológico-literario taíno. Ha sido construída como un recurso educativo para aquellos que desean mantener viva la herencia taína."

The author of the website is Sonia M. Rosa. The site emerged as extracts from her Masters thesis in 2003, and she is the copyright holder for all images on the site.

The Gli-Gli Carib Canoe Sails Again

Aragorn Dick-Read, one of the co-directors of the Gli-Gli Carib Canoe Project, has notified us that the Gli-Gli is about to set sail again on the 10th anniversary of their first voyage to relink the Carib communities of the region. The current objective is to sail the Carib Canoe, “Gli Gli,” with a crew of 12 Dominican Caribs from Antigua to the Virgin Islands, via Nevis and St Kitts, St Eustatia, St Barths, St Martin and Anguilla then across the Anegada passage to Tortola. The voyage is being undertaken to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Gli Gli’s creation and to continue the mission of her 1997 expedition from Dominica to Guyana, by symbolically reuniting the Carib descendants of the Leeward Islands. The expedition intends to draw attention to the role the Caribs have played in the region's history and culture. Throughout the expedition the crew will be presenting slide and video shows about the Gli Gli Carib canoe project and presenting traditional musical performances for schools and heritage groups.

Following in the spirit of the 1997 Gli Gli expedition , which was documented in the BBC film “The Quest of the Carib Canoe”, the Leeward Island Expedition will be recorded to produce a short documentary film for regional and global TV markets. The focus will be on the adventures of Gli Gli and her crew as she sails up the island chain and an introduction to the history of the canoes and journeys of the Carib tribe. The film will be produced under the guidance of David Fanning of PBS and filmed by Mick Kollins from the Caribbean Design group and independent film maker Travis Rummel.

For more information see:
(1) The official website of the current Gli-Gli project at:
http://www.gliglicaribcanoe.com/

(2) Information on the film, "Quest of the Carib Canoe" at:
http://www.nativenetworks.si.edu/Eng/orange/
quest_of_the_carib_canoe.htm

New Book from the Kalinago of Dominica

YET WE SURVIVE
The Kalinago People of Dominica: Our Lives in Words and Pictures

is a new book created by the Kalinago people of Dominica, recently released by Papillote Press in London.

The book is edited by Mary Walters, with a foreword by Lennox Honychurch.

This book tells the story of a remarkable people. Nowadays the Kalinago (Carib) people live in a corner of Dominica as farmers and fishermen, taxi drivers and teachers; they make baskets and build canoes and preserve what is left of their rich cultural legacy.

With their own words and pictures, this book offers an extraordinary insight into the Kalinago people as they see themselves today: at work and play, shopping, schools, religion, the differences between women's and men's lives. It illustrates who they are, how they live, how they see their future.

Yet We Survive is fully illustrated and supports the teaching of social subjects, history, geography, language, expressive arts, ICT, global citizenship and enterprise for pupils at Key Stage 2 in England and Wales, and Primary and S1 in Scotland.

Editor and teacher Mary Walters says: “There is a wealth of material here for students to explore a unique Caribbean culture while comparing and contrasting it with their own lives.”

Professor Peter Hulme, University of Essex, says: “Just 515 years after Columbus arrived in the Caribbean, these indigenous people finally get to speak here through their own words and photographs, showing what it means to maintain a traditional culture while living in the modern world.”

Professor Hulme adds: “Most history books say that the indigenous population of the Caribbean has been extinct since the sixteenth century. As its title suggests, Yet We Survive shows that the Kalinago (Carib) population of the island of Dominica is still alive and kicking in the 21st century. In turn dramatic and commonplace, heart-rending and uplifting, Yet We Survive offers a unique window into a unique culture.”

Irvince Auguiste, former Carib chief writes: “Yet We Survive has been the most interesting literature on the Kalinago people of Dominica because it provided a number of our young people with the opportunity to collect the information and to work on it while they acquired new skills in photography and techniques in conducting interviews. Since the work was done, the infrastructure has improved and new projects are being explored for economic development, particularly in tourism. Congratulations to Mary Walters.”

Excellent teachers’ notes available from www.papillotepress.co.uk or email pollyp@globalnet.co.uk

Publication date: April 16 2007 ISBN: 078-0-9532224-2-1 Hardback £9.99
Title : Yet We Survive - The Kalinago People of Dominica: Our Lives in Words and Pictures
Editor : WALTERS, Mary
Hardback : 40 pages
Publication Date : April 2007
ISBN10 : 095322242X
ISBN13 : 0780953222421

For further information: Polly Pattullo on 0207 720 5983 or email: pollyp@globalnet.co.uk
23 Rozel Road, London, SW4 0EY, UK. www.papillotepress.co.uk

Canadian Government and Native "Terrorists"

April 2, 2007 - by Joseph Quesnel for FIRST PERSPECTIVE, National Aboriginal News

A national Aboriginal leader is asking Ottawa to ensure that Aboriginal groups are removed from a federal National Defense document which lists militant Aboriginal groups alongside other radical groups.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine today demanded that the federal government immediately remove any reference to First Nations in a Department of National Defense draft counter-insurgency manual listing international terrorist threats. According to a report by The Globe and Mail, radical Native American organizations such as the Mohawk Warriors Society are listed in the training manual as insurgents, alongside other insurgent groups.

"Any reference to First Nations people as possible insurgents or terrorists is a direct attack on us - it demonizes us, it threatens our safety and security and attempts to criminalize our legitimate right to live our lives like all other Canadians do. Just being referenced in such a document compromises our freedom to travel across borders, have unimpeded telephone and internet communications, raise money, and protest against injustices to our people," stated AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine.

"I am calling upon Prime Minister Stephen Harper to immediately and without reservation, reject and remove any references to First Nations from all versions of the training manual."

READ MORE...

Untold Origins -- Caribbean Indigenous Museum Exhibition

"Untold Origins," an exhibition dedicated to indigenous Caribbean heritage and identity, took place under the auspices of the Cuming Museum in Southwark, London, from October 19, 2004 to February 26, 2005.

The Cuming Museum sought to challenge several myths of Caribbean history, such as those of the cannibalistic Caribs eating their way through docile Arawak communities, or those pertaining to the often repeated notion that indigenous peoples in the Caribbean are extinct. In this vein, the organizers of the exhibition explain, "the Cuming Museum wanted to explore their survival in more depth and to discover whether there are any echoes of indigenous culture surviving in Southwark's Caribbean culture today." The Untold Origins exhibition was originally presented for Black History Month in 2004. It sought to explore "the untold history of the indigenous people of the Caribbean and their contribution to the Caribbean culture of today." An attempt was made to join reflection of Caribbean indigenous survival with contemporary ways of making sense of one's identity, and how movement and cross-cultural contact could affect the process of making one's identity.

The Cuming Museum has since decided to provide online the various photographs and information boards that were used for the exhibition, for the sake of those who could not have been present.

These materials include the following:

• The tradition of cassava production (1mb)
• Untold Origins introduction (742kb)
• The Schomburgk collection (624kb)
• History of migration from South America (165kb)
• The shared culture (152kb)
• Women’s' role in indigenous culture (1mb)
• The impact of European contact and conquest (280kb)
• Resistance and survival (280kb)
• The indigenous craft tradition (96kb)
• Indigenous contributions to Caribbean culture today (96kb)
• The continuity of Caribbean indigenous people (196kb)
• The gli-gli carib canoe project (136kb)
• Useful websites and references (1mb)

Please click here to go to the original site for the exhibition.

Una travesía por nuestra cultura

[Ed: article submitted by Jorge Estevez]

1 de agosto, 2007: Una travesía por nuestra cultura

El 1 de agosto, 2007 se producirá un evento histórico en Boriken. Taino Almestica, junto con David Mayoleth y Wendy Killoran, navegarán alrededor de la isla de Boriken, haciendo escalas en las islas de Vieques y Culebra.

El señor Almestica llegará a Boriken el próximo 29 de julio y permanecerá allí hasta el 1 de septiembre, 2007. Su esperanza es inspirar a otros en Puerto Rico a aprender sobre las maravillas de la navegación en canoas y en kayaks. Su visión es ver más personas involucradas en estos deportes.

Nuestros ancestros eran maestros mareantes que viajaban a las islas del Caribe en sus canoas todos los días. Taino Almestica viajará alrededor de la isla de Puerto Rico con este espíritu. Taino ha expresado muchas veces que cuando se navega en canoa o kayak en alta mar, donde cada ola es diferente, aunque igualmente persistente, se alcanza un despertar espiritual. Esto nos recuerda a nuestra cultura, a pesar de haber pasado 500 años después del primer contacto, del colonialismo y la aculturación: nosotros como pueblo, con una cultura singular, persistimos.

Taino es hijo de Boriken y miembro de la sociedad Guabancex Viento y Agua, con bases en Kiskeya y en los Estados Unidos. Esta organización está dedicada a investigar y diseminar los aspectos de las expresiones culturales tainas pervivientes, incluyendo la cultura material, la tradición oral y el rescate de tradiciones culturales que han desaparecido con la rápida expansión de la cultura occidental en las islas caribeñas.

Para Taino el ideal sería contar con el apoyo de todas las personas, grupos y organizaciones tainas. Sería un reto para todos enfocarnos sólo por 24 horas como colectivo y vitorear a Taino y sus acompañantes en este arduo viaje.

Por favor apunten esta fecha en su agenda y oremos porque Taino tenga un buen viaje y un mejor regreso a casa. Para más información, por favor visite estos enlaces:

www.tainokanoa.com y www.kayakquixotica.com

Bo Matum
Jorge Baracutei Estevez (Taino)
National Museum of the American Indian
One Bowling Green
New York, NY 10004
(212) 514-3716
Estevezj@si.edu