La Boda De Jesse y Aku......................Jesse and Aku's Wedding

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Takaji Datiaono

Saludos mis parientes

Greetings my relatives

Fue para mi un gran honor haber oficiado la boda de nuestra linda hermana taina Boricua Jesse Rivera y su novio el waribo Apache-Maya Michael Aku Rodriguez.
Yo llegue el Miercoles 20 de Agosto al aeropuerto en una ciudad del estado de  Connecticut. Alli me recojio el novio Aku y me llevo al bed and breakfast donde ellos me hospedaron durante mi estancia en ese lugar. Este bed and breakfast le pertenece a los guardianes de la novia y se encuentra en un precioso local silvestre con arboles y bosques de todos lados.

It was for me a great honor to officiate the wedding of our beautiful Boricua Taino sisterJesse Rivera and her life partner the Apache-Maya waribo Michael Aku Rodriguez.

I arrived Wednesday August 20 at the airport of a city in Connecticut. There I was picked up by the groom, Aku and he took me to the bed and breakfast where they lodged me for the duration of my stay there. This bed and breakfast is owned by the bride's guardians and is located in the midst of a gorgeous wooded locale with forests and trees all around.

Fue en este impresionante ambiente rural donde se proponian a celebrar la boda dos dias despues, el Viernes 22 de Agosto.

 A mi me instalaron en una habitacion increible de esta cabina de troncos, construida al estilo rustico tipo "tiempo de los vaqueros".

It was in this impressive setting that they proposed to have their wedding two days later, on Friday August 22.

I was put up in an incredible suite of this log cabin, built in a rustic, kind of old west, cowboy style.

El dia de la boda fue un dia muy ocupado para todos. Miembros de la familia de Aku viajaron desde Texas mientras otros invitados llegaron desde New York City y diferentes partes de Connecticut. Todos se encontraban muy ocupados con los preparativos del evento, el cake, las sillas de los invitados, las mesas, la musica etc etc. Yo me atarie en la labor de prepararme para la ceremonia y asegurarme que todo lo que debia estar en su lugar estaba en su lugar, incluyendo el altar de la tradicion de nuestra comunidad espiritual llamada CIRCULO CANEY.

The day of the wedding was an extremely busy day. Members of Aku's family traveled from Texas while other guests came in from New York City and different parts of Connecticut. Everybody was running around working on something or other preparing for the event, the cake, the chairs for the guests, the tables, the music etc. etc. I got busy preparing for the ceremony and making sure that everything that needed to be in place was in its place, including the altar of the tradition of our spiritual community, known as the Caney Circle.

La potiza del matrimonio con sus dos copas de las cuales beberan los novios compartiendo la misma agua pura va en la mesa, y en el suelo, el cemi de la vida, Yoka Ju Bagua Maorokoti que representa la llama incandente de la energia humana. Habia dos platos que llevan las dos comidas con las cuales los novios alimentaran el cuerpo y el alma uno del otro. El Casabe es el fruto de la cosecha vegetal ganada de la tierra madre y preparado por la mujer. La novia le ofrece ese alimento al novio. La carne, que representa el ave adquirida por el cazador masculino, es la comida que el novio le ofrece como alimento a la novia.

The wedding vase and the two glasses from which the couple would drink the pure shared water were placed on a nearby table. On the floor YokaJu Bagua MaOkoroti the semi of Life sat, representing the incandescent flame of human energy. There were  two plates that held the two foods with which the bride and groom would eventually feed each other's body and soul. The casabe bread is the fruit of the plant harvest acquired from the earth mother and prepared by the woman's hand. The bride offers this sacred food to the groom to eat. The meat that represents the bird which is acquired by the hand of the male hunter is the food that the groom offers to the bride for nourishment.

Comienza la ceremonia con una bella cancion interpretada por una joven pariente de la novia.El novio a elegido esperar a la novia ante el altar para que ella marche en su procesion hacia el, al tempo de la cancion, acompa~ada de sus hermanitas, primos y otras personas importantes en su vida. La mama del novio se encarga de los dos alimentos sagrados, la carne y el casabe. La mama de la novia se encarga de la cobija que ellos van a compartir sobre sus hombros durante la ceremonia. Yo abro el ritual con las tres purificaciones, el sahumerio de tabonuko, la purificacion de agua optenida de la potiza y la purificacion de palabras y oraciones.  Despues continuo con  los cantos tradicionales del Circulo Caney a Ata Bey y a Yoka Ju, y tambien con mas oraciones.

The ceremony begins with a beautiful song, interpreted by a young woman who is a relative of the bride. The groom  has elected to wait for the bride at the altar so that she can march in procession toward him, to the tempo of the opening song, and accompanied by an entourage composed of sisters, nieces and other important persons in her life. The groom's mother is in charge of the two plates holding the two sacred foods, the meat and the casabe bread, that they will eventually feed each other. The mother of the bride is in charge of the blanket under which both the bride and the groom will stand sharing the same covering and the same spiritual shelter. I open the ritual with the three traditional purifications, the tabonuko (copal) smoke smudging, the water purification, using water from the wedding vase, and the purification of prayer and words. later on I carry on with the traditional chants and songs of our Caney Circle dedicated  to AtaBey and YokaHu, and also with further prayers.

La ceremonia del tabaco es fundamental en todos los ritos del Circulo Caney. Aqui me fumo un peque~o Cohiba cubano y despues lo comparto con el novio y la novia. Ellos tiene la opcion de fumarlo si desean, o de simplemente tenerlo en las manos por unos cuantos segundos para una breve oracion privada. El novio fumo. La novia opto por la oracion en silencio y el tabaco en la mano.

The tobacco ceremony is a fundamental element of all the rites of the Caney Circle. Here I smoke a small Cuban Cohida and then I share it with the bride and the groom. They have the option of smoking it if they are moved to do so, or to simply hold it in their hands for a few moments and offer a brief prayer. In this case the groom smoked the cigar. The bride opted to offer a silent prayer while holding the cigar in her hand.  

Entonces comence a contar la narracion sagrada de los tainos con respecto a Deminan Caracaracol, y como al fin del cuento los cuatro jimaguas se combinan todos y se hacen uno, un solo hombre completo, que luego se junta en union matrimonial con la mujer tortuga y forman la primera familia forjada despues de haber emergido la humanidad de las entra~as de la cueva primordial, Casibajagua.

Then I began to relate the sacred Taino narrative of Deminan Caracracol, and how at the conclusion of the story the four quadruplet brothers combine into one single complete man, how later they join in conjugal union with Turtle Woman and form the first family that was forged after te great emergence of humanity from the depths of the primordial cave Casibahagua.

Despues de haberse contado la narracion sagrada de la primera boda los novios se cobijaron juntos bajo la misma cobija y fueron atados uno al otro a la cintura por una lazo matrimonial.

After the sacred narrative of the first wedding was re-told the bride and groom were both covered under one blanket and they were bound around the waist with a marriage ribbon

Y llego el momento del intercambio de comidas durante el cual la novia le ofrece un pedacito de casabe al novio prometiendo alimentar su cuerpo y su alma con su amor para siempre, y el novio le ofrece un pedacito de carne a la novia prometiendo la misma cosa.

Then the moment arrived for the exchange of foods, during which the bride offers the groom a small piece of casabe bread promising to feed and nourish both his body and his soul with her love forever, and the groom equally offers a small bite of meat to the bride promising the same.

Ese acto fue seguido por la accion de beber el agua que se adquiere de la potiza matrimonial. Los dos beben de la misma agua prometiendo beber de las mismas experiencias juntos, compartiendo los dos la misma vida en union sagrada.

That act was followed by the bride and groom both drinking water in glasses poured from the wedding vase. They both drink of the same water pledging to always drink of the same experiences together, both of them sharing from the cup of the same life in sacred union.

Los novios optaron por recitar algunas palabras muy bellas y muy poeticas uno al otro que ellos mismos habian preparado previamente.

The bride and groom opted to recite a few beautiful poetic words that they had composed earlier to each other.

La culminacion de la ceremonia llego en el momento que los novios se intercambiaro sortijas de boda.

The climax of the ceremony arrived when the bride and groom exchanged wedding rings

Los novios fueron presentados a la comunidad como marido y esposa, y un bello beso concluyo la ceremonia.

The bride and groom were presented to the community as husband and wife, and a beautiful kiss concluded the ceremony.

La recepcion fue extremadamente divertida, con musica y baile, y toda la alegria y alboroto de un verdadero evento trancendental en las vidas de un hombre y una mujer.

The reception was a lot of fun, with music and dance, and all of the joy and excitement of a true trancendental event in the life of a man and woman.

Yo me lleve tremenda sorpresa al enterarme que uno de los invitados, un muchacho llamado Sebastian, da la casualidad que es miembro de la magnifica familia Tayac, los lideres de la nacion indigena Piscataway de Maryland. Esa familia son jente conocida por nosotros por muchos a~os. El jefe es Billy Tayac. Su hijo, Mark Tayac, acude a todos los a~os sin falta a nuestro Pow Wow del COUNCIL OF THREE RIVERS AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER en Pittsburgh. Sebastian, sobrino de Mark, se me presento y al identificarse me informo que conoce a muchos de mis intimos amigos de Pittsburgh, Johnny Creed Coe y sus hijos, incluyendo a Sun Bear Coe, y tambien conoce a nuestros parientes espirituales tainos en el area de Baltimore/Washington DC, especialmente nuestra queridisima hermana Gina Robles.

I received a huge surprise upon being made aware that one of the guests,  a young man called Sebastian, as it turns out, is a member of the wonderful Tayac family, the leaders of the Piscataway Indigenous nation of Maryland. The members of that family are people we Pittsburgh natives know very well after many years of friendship. The chief's name is Billy Tayac. His son, Mark Tayac, participates in all of our Pow wows of the COUNCIL OF THREE RIVERS AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER in Pittsburgh. Sebastian, Mark's nephew, introduced himself to me and upon identifying himself he informed me that he knows many of my friends from the Pittsburgh Indian center, Johnny Creed Coe and his sons, including my great friendSun Bear Coe, and he also knows our spiritual relatives from te Baltimore/Washington DC area, especially our dear sister Gina Robles.

Bueno, que puedo decir...esta a sido una de las experiencias mas gratas de mi vida y le agradezco a Aku y a Jesse por haberme dado el gran honor de participar en su gran momento de emocion.

Well, what can I say...this has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and I am grateful to Aku and Jesse for giving me the honor of participating in their big moment of emotion.

Seneko kakona

Taino Ti

Miguel Sobaoko Koromo Sague

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Allof these comments are so beautiful and full of blessing. Thank you my relatives for sharing your feelings with me.

[Jeffry Mucaro Blake Johnson]

So beautiful!! Thank you Sobaoko Koromo and Dragonfly for sharing this lovely and loving moment with us all. The joy and deep connections just leap off the screen. Seneko kakona Dragonfly as you walk with your beloved in this life you all are creating together. Hahom brother Sobaoko Koromo for embodying Yaya, the balance of energizing Ioka Hu and nurturing creative Ata Bei, in this ceremony that we relive as we view it here. Grateful am I!

[KUBIBIRI’ RIVERA]

Que boda bella...  Que YaYa y los Ancestros los Bendigan a ellos dos, su unión y todos sus seres queridos, ahora y siempre... 

Amor, Abrazos, Paz y Bendiciones,

Seneko Kakona

Hahom Sister Bibi Aya

[KUBIBIRI’ RIVERA]

Takahi Tiao,    THANK YOU for coming to officiate and dance and play the guitar and sing with us by the bonfire... We were blessed to have you with us at such an important celebration... It was awesome to be able to speak with you on a spiritual level in which I was able to share some of my experiences... I am looking foward to seeing you next summer for the next important milestone... We hope to see you here again soon... I am glad you had a fun time... So did we... My husband, was so excited to have you come and do this and he can't wait to connect again... How interesting the way our ancestors work... You meeting Sebi here was far from coincidence... To me it was a confirmation to something I already knew... Human connections run deep and far. In Love and Light. We Are All One.   Hahom JESSE

[Joanna 'Aya' Soto-Avilés]

LOL... no es facil traducir!  Por el otro lado, me alegro mucho que fue una experiencia muy grata para ti. Lamento que no pude estar físicamente presente para la boda pero espero que esa vibración de energía tan bella bendice a todos que estuvieron presente, especialmente esa linda pareja.  Les mando mucho amor, abrazos, buenos pensamientos, buena energía y muchas bendiciones a todos...  :)

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Y todavia tengo que traducir todo esto al ingles UY!!!

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Mi hermana Bibi Aya... esto fue una experiencia muy grata para mi y todavia estoy vibrando de la energia que tuvo eso.

[Joanna 'Aya' Soto-Avilés]

Que boda bella...  Que YaYa y los Ancestros los Bendigan a ellos dos, su unión y todos sus seres queridos, ahora y siempre... 

Amor, Abrazos, Paz y Bendiciones,

Seneko Kakona,

Bibi Aya y Familia