A GATHERING TO HONOR A TAINO WOMAN ACTIVIST

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Marie Helene Laraque

In the decade of the 1970's when Native American activism was reaching its high point in the United States two important Indian movement newspapers chronicled the events of those days in a way that became renowned all over the world. These two publications were AKWESASNE  NOTES, published on the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation in upstate New York and its sister publication INDIGENA newspaper published in California. I had the honor of being one of the volunteer correspondent artists for both publications during those momentous years. My editor at INDIGENA was a Taino woman from Ayiti (Haiti) called Marie Helene Laraque. As a 21-year old Indigenous Art college student  for me this woman was an amazing example and model for everything I wanted to be. She not only made clear to me the path that I understood I needed to follow, but she also changed my life by clarifying in my mind and my heart my own personal identity as a Taino.

Marie Helene died all too young in the year 2000 but she left a legacy of Native activism and empowerment all along the west coast of North America from California up into western Canada.

Meet Siku Allooloo, Marie Helene's daughter:

Now, all these years later, her daughter, Siku Allooloo, has undertaken a project to bring the story of that remarkable woman to the public in the form of a film documentary.

As part of the kick-off of that project Siku invited a number of Tainos who had known her mother in those old days to the home of our own fellow Cuba Taino brother Jose Hatuey Barreiro on the Akwesasne reservation for a gathering. It was a supreme honor for me to be invited to this gathering where we participated in powerful ceremony and shared in camaraderie.

 

Jessica Hallenbeck of 

Lantern Films

I am so very grateful to Siku, who invited me, to Jose and his wife, who hosted us, to my friend and fellow Caney Circle behike Dayvanna Caraballo for travelling with me and to all of the beautiful souls who joined us there this past weekend.

Seneko Kakona