Modern Indian boys meet General Custer at the principal's office in high school and this time lose the battle.



War dances are held in front of the 7/11 while holding on to a 40 oz. for good luck.



Gang colors are the new traditional regalia as they fight each other instead of the true enemy.



Manhood ceremonies are now called hazings or gang bangs.



Modern Indian boys cut their hair short and wear bandannas around their heads that are now symbols of… Continue

Don Manuel (left) and Grandfather Cyril (Right)



This year we have lost 2 of our great spiritual leaders, Grandfather Cyril Taylor, Carib, in July, and Don Ángel Manuel Galagarza, Boricua, this past Sunday, December 13. When we lose an elder, we lose an encyclopedia of knowledge as well as their wisdom and strength for our community.



I had the privilege of accompanying the two Grandfathers, Grandmother Naniki Reyes Ocasio and Don… Continue

Awhile back I did some interpretations of myths that I had read in the writings of Ramon Pané. Here is my interpretation of the myth of Deminan and Turtle Woman.

As soon as they came to the door of Bayamanaco, the old man and saw that he carried cazabe (bread made from cassava flour), they said “Ahiacabo guarocoel!” which means, “We know our grandfather!” In the same way, Deminan Caracaracol, seeing his brothers ahead of him, entered… Continue

This image was suggested to me by my dear friend, Joanna Aviles-Soto. It is a chalk drawing (6 feet x 5 feet) and will be on display at the Kennedy Center until November. Then it will be "hosed down" to make room for another chalk drawing. Many people asked about the symbolism of the piece and there were "boricuas" who I didn't have to explain anything to. It was a long hot day but worth… Continue

This prayer was created for the celebration of the end of U.S. Naval activities on the island of Vieques by myself and Samuel "Koki" Paneto. We now share it with the wider indigenous community. Since we were studying the language by ourselves using resources from the Library of Congress, we combined some elements of Carib to get the grammar. This may not be correct, but it was a humble effort on our part to honor the ancestors.



_______________________



Tau… Continue

My language is not dead.



It lives in the rustling leaves of the ausubo, the tabanuco, the caoba and the sacred ceiba tree whose deep roots reach into the caves of my heart.



The yuca, maiz and batata still grow in the conucos where we once buried unmarked cemis to inspire the land to be even more fertile.



The sweetness of the guayaba fills me with memories of the joyous freedom and abandon of the time before the others arrived. The colibris, bijiritas and… Continue

Created to show the roots of our strength.

Just read the posting by a dear friend, Miguel Sague. Due to an unfortunate accident, I was unable to attend the Jornada Indigena as intended. My participation in the Jornada was to be the creation of a chalk mural representing the continuation of our indigenous heritage into the present. During my enforced "stay-cation" I was able to flesh out my original sketch and present it here. The flag on the upper right is the bandera of Jayuya and represents… Continue

The people of the forest -- Thank you to my relatives and a dear friend for letting me use their images.

This was done in 2002 -- again what would archeologists love to find and display even though they would have very little idea of the true meanings of the symbols. It was originally a goache drawing done from my imagination and manipulated in photoshop. I had also thought that the "cage" could be made into a ceremonial headpiece.