Indigenous Caribbean Network

This past weekend we here at the Verona, Pennsylvania teaching and healing lodge of the CANEY INDIGENOUS SPIRITUAL CIRCLE originally expected to spend the two days in ceremony with members of the United Confederation of Taino People and the Yukayeke Guania for an honoring ceremony in behalf of our kasike Mucaro. Unfortunately this event had to be postponed til June.

Instead a small number of us gathered in the company of the extraordinarily ancient sacred relics of our Saladoid ancestors which I had procured from a local archeologist for the honoring ceremony and celebrated a very intimate Full Moon Ceremony on Saturday afternoon.

We were honored by our sister Suzy Hall, the talented pow wow fancy dancer who dances with a beautiful beaded image of Ata Bey embroidered on her regalia. She played the sacred role of the cosmic matriarch in the ceremony and lit the two torches that symbolize the double light of the full moon on that day.

We were joined by our dear Romanian friend Mihnea.

We were also joined by local Boriken Taino couple Alliea Taitt-Martinez and her husband Rafael Martinez

For me it was such a humbling experience to be able to share the power and magic of the artifacts that Dr Watters had loaned us with the participants of our little ceremony. Among them was a rustically carved 2000-year-old three-ponted cemi stone sculpture of Yoka Hu which was one of the antecedents to the later three-pointer cemies that the Taino descendants of those ancient Arawak immigrants from Guayana and Venezuela would eventually carve centuries later.

Of course, the trasure trove of ancient relics included small broken examples of the beautiful white-on-red painted pottery that the Saladoids were famous for.

What a pleasure it was to see in the hands of our sister Suzy a two-millenia-old pestle which was likely handled by ancient Saladoid women so long ago.

Interesting also was the opportunity to experience pottery that exhibited hints of the beautiful incised artistry that our Taino ancestors would eventually develop long after these objects had been created.

I want to thank our talented photographer sister Alliea for the beautiful photos of our ancient artifacts and the rest of the participants in our little ceremony for their love and energy.

Taino Ti

Miguel