These songs are the most frequently used ones in the ceremonies of the Caney Circle

Youtube song page

The songs are presented here in video form and below each video window is a text caption containing the lyrics for that song in the original form with a translation into English

The first six are presented in the Caney Circle dialect of the Taino language  

The last song is an original Andean tradition song in Spanish by Ecuadorian authors

 

CHANT TO THE FOUR DIRECTIONS

Lyrics:

SONG OF THE FOUR DIRECTIONS

 

Caney Ata, Caney Ata ah eh ah Caney Ata

Caney Baba, Caney Baba ah eh ah Caney Baba

 

(Temple of the Mother, Temple of the Mother ah eh ah Temple of the Mother

Temple of the Father, Temple of the Father ah eh ah Temple of the Father)

 

Cobo areyto ACHIANO ah!

Ah eh ah Caney Ata

Cobo areyto GUANAJO ah!

Ah eh ah Caney Baba

 

(the conch-shell sings out to the Spirit of the South ah!

Ah eh ah Temple of the Mother

The conch-shell sings out to the turkey spirit ah!

Ah eh ah Temple of the Father)

 

Caney Ata, Caney Ata ah eh ah Caney Ata

Caney Baba, Caney Baba ah eh ah Caney Baba

 

Cobo areyto KOROMO ah!

Ah eh ah Caney Ata

Cobo areyto MUKARO ah!

Ah eh ah Caney Baba

 

(the conch-shell sings out to the Spirit of the West ah!

Ah eh ah Temple of the Mother

The conch-shell sings out to the owl spirit ah!

Ah eh ah Temple of the Father)

 

Caney Ata, Caney Ata ah eh ah Caney Ata

Caney Baba, Caney Baba ah eh ah Caney Baba

 

Cobo areyto RAKUNO ah!

Ah eh ah Caney Ata

Cobo areyto BABAE ah!

Ah eh ah Caney Baba

 

(the conch-shell sings out to the Spirit of the North ah!

Ah eh ah Temple of the Mother

The conch-shell sings out to the Hummingbird spirit ah!

Ah eh ah Temple of the Father)

 

Caney Ata, Caney Ata ah eh ah Caney Ata

Caney Baba, Caney Baba ah eh ah Caney Baba

 

Cobo areyto SOBAIKO ah!

Ah eh ah Caney Ata

Cobo areyto GUARAGUAO ah!

Ah eh ah Caney Baba

 

(the conch-shell sings out to the Spirit of the East ah!

Ah eh ah Temple of the Mother

The conch-shell sings out to the Hawk spirit ah!

Ah eh ah Temple of the Father)

 

Caney Ata, Caney Ata ah eh ah Caney Ata

Caney Baba, Caney Baba ah eh ah Caney Baba

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CHANT TO ATA BEY

Lyrics:

SONG TO ATA BEY

 

Taino Ti Guakia Ata

Taino Ti Guakia Ata

 

(High praise to you Mother

High praise to you Mother)

 

Areyto areyto Turey

Areyto areyto Ata Bey

 

(May our ceremonial chant rise to the skies.

May it rise to the ears of Ata Bey)

 

Taino Ti Guakia Ata

Taino Ti Guakia Ata

 

Karaya Guariche anao

Karaya Guariche anao

 

(Moon Spirit, you flowery woman,

Moon Spirit, you flowery woman)

 

Taino Ti Guakia Ata

Taino Ti Guakia Ata

(The lyrics can be altered to say the word "bibi" instead of "ata" for "mother")

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CHANT TO YOKA HU

Lyrics:

SONG TO YOKA HU

 

Taino Ti Bo Matun

Guakia Baba Turey Toka

Taino Ti Bo Matun

Guakia Baba Turey Toka

 

(All honor and gratitude to you

Our Father Heaven-dweller)

 

Yoka Hu Bagua Maoricoti

Guakia Baba Turey Toka

Yoka Hu Bagua Ma Orocoti

Guakia Baba Turey Toka

 

(Yoka Hu [soul of the yuca plant]

He who stands over the Sea,

He who has no male ancestor

Our father, heaven-dweller)

 

Taino Ti Bo Matun

Guakia Baba Turey Toka

Taino Ti Bo Matun

Guakia Baba Turey Toka

 

 

Guariko Guakia Busika Guakia

Para yukubia Yuca Taino

Guariko Guakia Busika Guakia

Para yukubia Yuca Taino

 

(Come and be with us. Give to us

the cleansing rain, health,

 and the nourishing yuca for your Taino children)

 

Taino Ti Bo Matun

Guakia Baba Turey Toka

Taino Ti Bo Matun

Guakia Baba Turey Toka

 

Coabay toka Bagua Toka

Ku toka Turey Toka

Coabay toka Bagua Toka

Ku toka Turey Toka

 

(You dwell everywhere, over the sea,

in the Earth, in the sky, and even in the Realm of the Dead)

 

Taino Ti Bo Matun

Guakia Baba Turey Toka

Taino Ti Bo Matun

Guakia Baba Turey Toka

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CHANT OF THE SACRED WORDS FULL MOON CEREMONY

Lyrics:

SONG OF THE FULL MOON CEREMONY

 

Guariche Guakia Ba

Areyto Gua-Turey

Guariche Guakia Ba

Areyto Gua-turey

 

(Our women have within them the rhythm of the Universe)

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CHANT OF THE TOBACCO RITUAL

This chant has no lyrics

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CHANT TO HURAKAN FOR THE GUANARA SWEATLODGE CEREMONY

(It is used to call the wild spirit of the whirlwind to enter the lodge and forcefully sweep the souls of the participants clean of all evil and impurity)

LYRICS

CHANT TO HURAKAN

Hurakan Hurakan Hurakan oh Hurakan

Hurakan Hurakan Hurakan oh Hurakan

Hurakan yauka maboya

sinatu tau tua maboya

( Hurakan kill, eliminate all evil entity. Purge us of all evil entity)

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CHANT OF ALL SPIRITS

Cemino Cemino guaku bo Cemino Cemino guaku

Loikia yere busika (eh) guakia bogua ta tiobo

(divine spirits, divine spirits of great magic, divine spirits, divine spirits of magic. 

All of you please bestow upon us life and Health)

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WOODPECKER SONG

Inriri ma sinatu

(the sacred woodpecker spirit eliminates all  divisive irritation)

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MIGUEL'S SPIRIT SONG

Kokuyu kokuyu da semisaki (uh) da semisaki (uh) kokuyu kokuyu

Da semisakino yere lae guaraguao yere lae guaraguao da semisaki (uh)

(Oh spirit of the cricket, my guardian totem, my guardian totem, Oh spirit of the cricket

My spirit guides are like soaring hawks, like soaring hawks are my spirit guides)

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SONG OF THE ANCESTORS

VASIJA DE BARRO

borrowed from the tradition of the Andean people of Ecuador

VASIJA DE BARRO

lyrics by:

JORGE CARRERA ANDRADE (poeta, escritor)

HUGO ALEMAN FIERRO (poeta, escritor)

JAIME VALENCIA (pintor, escultor)

JORGE ENRIQUE ADOUM (poeta, escritor)

Música: Gonzalo Benítez y Luis Alberto Valencia

Yo quiero que a mí me entierren /
como a mis antepasados /
en el vientre oscuro y fresco /
de una vasija de barro /


Cuando la vida se pierda /
tras una cortina de años /
viviran a flor de tiempo /
amores y desengaños /


Arcilla cocida y dura / 
alma de verdes collados /
luz y sangre de mis hombres /
sol de mis antepasados /


De ti nací y a ti vuelvo /
arcilla vaso de barro /
con mi muerte yazgo en ti /
a tu polvo enamorado /

(My wish is that when I die I be buried like my ancestors

in the cool dark womb of an earthenware vessel

When Life finally hides itself behind a curtain of years

There shall endure beyond it, it's love stories and disappointments

Oh clay, baked hard and solid, soul of distant green hillsides

light and blood of my countrymen, blazing sun of my ancestors

From you I was born and to you I shall return, oh clay, oh eartheware vessel

Upon my death I shall lie within you, in your love-struck dust)

This is the original painting by Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamín  that inspired the song VASIJA DE BARRO. It depicts a pregnant woman representing the fertile earth mother in the form of a clay pot with an unborn child in her belly. As the lyrics say "From you I emerge and back to you I shall return".

This is an image of an actual Arawakan burial on the Caribbean island of Aruba in which some selected bones of the deceased were interred in a large earthenware bowl