THE CANEY CIRCLE GUANARA AND THE KANSI SWEAT CEREMONY

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Tau My Relatives
Several years ago I published a step-by-step set of instructions on the Caney Circle Discussion Group, SOBAOKOKOROMO2 on how to build a Caney Spiritual Circle style guanara healing lodge, the type of lodge that we use not only for all manner of herbal and ritual healing but also for the sacred kansi (sweat-lodge) ceremony. I made this instruction public so that all of my brothers and sisters in the resurgence and anyone else who is comitted to the path of the cemi can create this experience at their own local place of residence. I purposely did not post the actual details of the kansi sweat ceremony because this is something that is taught in person and only to someone who is found competent to assume ths responsibility.

I have always been willing to share this sacred tradition with my brothers and sisters and hope that this path brings blessings to as many people as possible.

Taino Ti

cutting the bamboo

laying out the perimeter

The bottom end of each of the four primary support poles is annointed with sacrificial blood from a cut on the hand of the beike

post holes for the support posts

digging out the pit for the sibas (grandfather stones)

erecting the suporting framework

laying canvas roof covering

lining the inside wall with canvas and fiber tarps

The radiating pattern of the roof poles represents the Father solar spirit Yoka Hu who sends one sacred beam of inseminating sunlight straight down at the Earth Mother. The central pit represents the opening nto the womb of Ata Bey the Cosmic Matriarch. Thewhole structure is a sacred cosmogram of Taino reality with the great central ceiba tree whose roots are in the Coabay Underworld and whose branches are in the celestial Turey

Creating the door-flap

building the wedge-shaped framework of one of the roof-thatch supports

attaching the thatch on the roof-thatch support wedge

laying the thatch wedge on the roof

finished guanara

[maria]

wow! it looked like it went so smoothly!. Thank you for sharing the experience.

maria