Rixturey's Posts - Indigenous Caribbean Network
2024-03-29T06:33:26Z
Rixturey
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Modern Indian Boys - a poem
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2009-02-08:2030313:BlogPost:35313
2009-02-08T03:00:00.000Z
Rixturey
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Modern Indian boys meet General Custer at the principal's office in high school and this time lose the battle.<br />
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War dances are held in front of the 7/11 while holding on to a 40 oz. for good luck.<br />
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Gang colors are the new traditional regalia as they fight each other instead of the true enemy.<br />
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Manhood ceremonies are now called hazings or gang bangs.<br />
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Modern Indian boys cut their hair short and wear bandannas around their heads that are now symbols of honor and respect.<br />
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Modern Indian boys hunt…
Modern Indian boys meet General Custer at the principal's office in high school and this time lose the battle.<br />
<br />
War dances are held in front of the 7/11 while holding on to a 40 oz. for good luck.<br />
<br />
Gang colors are the new traditional regalia as they fight each other instead of the true enemy.<br />
<br />
Manhood ceremonies are now called hazings or gang bangs.<br />
<br />
Modern Indian boys cut their hair short and wear bandannas around their heads that are now symbols of honor and respect.<br />
<br />
Modern Indian boys hunt for best bargains and fly clothes at the mall.<br />
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Feathers and animal skins have been replaced by pants and shirts with famous name brands.<br />
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They ride horses of steel that pollute the world and do not procreate.<br />
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Modern Indian boys learn about recycling as a foreign concept not a traditional value.<br />
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Love songs on the flute are sung with a hip hop beat and rhyming slang of the ghetto of the mind.<br />
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Modern Indian boys are quickly forgotten just as all Indians have been. Victims of a genocide that they never learned existed.<br />
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<br />
©2000. Arlington, VA
Don Manuel and Grandfather Cyril Taylor
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-12-17:2030313:BlogPost:21553
2008-12-17T04:59:26.000Z
Rixturey
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Don Manuel (left) and Grandfather Cyril (Right)<br />
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This year we have lost 2 of our great spiritual leaders, Grandfather Cyril Taylor, Carib, in July, and Don Ángel Manuel Galagarza, Boricua, this past Sunday, December 13. When we lose an elder, we lose an encyclopedia of knowledge as well as their wisdom and strength for our community.<br />
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I had the privilege of accompanying the two Grandfathers, Grandmother Naniki Reyes Ocasio and Don Manuel's great…
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Don Manuel (left) and Grandfather Cyril (Right)<br />
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This year we have lost 2 of our great spiritual leaders, Grandfather Cyril Taylor, Carib, in July, and Don Ángel Manuel Galagarza, Boricua, this past Sunday, December 13. When we lose an elder, we lose an encyclopedia of knowledge as well as their wisdom and strength for our community.<br />
<br />
I had the privilege of accompanying the two Grandfathers, Grandmother Naniki Reyes Ocasio and Don Manuel's great grandson to Caguana in 2003. For Don Manuel, it was like returning home. He was warmly received by the staff who knew him well from his many visits there. His walk was a bit slow, but his eyes glowed with excitement and joy at being in a place he loved. Grandfather Cyril had never been to Caguana and he too felt like he was returning home. As we stood in the middle of the batey, it was like time and the world stood still as we prayed to the ancestors who we felt all around us. A normally crowded Caguana became silent and only held us it its loving embrace.<br />
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We returned to Don Manuel's house and enjoyed a relaxing day with the two grandfathers who seemed like they knew each other their whole lives instead of having just met.<br />
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They will be sorely missed.<br />
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Oma bajari beira arocoeles (with respect and in the spirit of our grandfathers)
Interpretation of a Taino Myth - Deminan Inaru Karey (Deminan and Turtle Woman)
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-12-15:2030313:BlogPost:20958
2008-12-15T04:46:58.000Z
Rixturey
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Awhile back I did some interpretations of myths that I had read in the writings of Ramon Pané. Here is my interpretation of the myth of Deminan and Turtle Woman.<br />
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As soon as they came to the door of Bayamanaco, the old man and saw that he carried cazabe (bread made from cassava flour), they said “Ahiacabo guarocoel!” which means, “We know our grandfather!” In the same way, Deminan Caracaracol, seeing his brothers ahead of him, entered to see if he…
Awhile back I did some interpretations of myths that I had read in the writings of Ramon Pané. Here is my interpretation of the myth of Deminan and Turtle Woman.<br />
<br />
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2803903813?profile=original" alt="" width="360" height="253"/></p>
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As soon as they came to the door of Bayamanaco, the old man and saw that he carried cazabe (bread made from cassava flour), they said “Ahiacabo guarocoel!” which means, “We know our grandfather!” In the same way, Deminan Caracaracol, seeing his brothers ahead of him, entered to see if he would be able to get some cazabe.<br />
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Upon entering the house of Bayamanacoel, Caracaracol asked for cazabe. He (Bayamanaco) put his hand to his nose and threw upon (Deminan’s) back a guanguayo (spittle). This guanguayo was filled with cohoba which had just been made for that day. [Cohoba is some kind of powder that they take at times for purification and for other effects described below. Cohoba is taken in a reed about half as long as one’s arm, and they put one end in their nose and the other in the powder. Then they inhale through the nose and this greatly purifies them.]<br />
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Thus were they given this guanguayo, spittle, instead of the bread they make. He [Bayamanaco] left there very indignant because they had asked for it ... after all this, Caracaracol returned to join his brothers and he told them what had happened with Bayamanco(el) and of the blow that had been delivered to him by the guanguayo upon his back, which hurt terribly. Then his brothers looked at his back and they saw it was seriously swollen. This swelling grew so much that he was at the point of dying. They then sought to cut it off but were unable. Taking a stone axe, they opened it and out came a live female turtle.<br />
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Thus they built their house and took care of the turtle. All of the brothers used her in turn, and from her their sons and daughters were born.<br />
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An Account of the Antiquitites of the Indians, Diligently Gathered by Fray Ramon Pané, A Man Who Knows Their Language, by order of the Admiral [Christopher Columbus].From the translation by José Juan Arrom (to Spanish) and Susan C. Griswold (to English).
Atabey Guali Ara -- Mother Earth and the Human Child
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-10-12:2030313:BlogPost:15002
2008-10-12T16:36:12.000Z
Rixturey
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Young girl with cemi
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-09-16:2030313:BlogPost:12613
2008-09-16T12:30:00.000Z
Rixturey
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This image was suggested to me by my dear friend, Joanna Aviles-Soto. It is a chalk drawing (6 feet x 5 feet) and will be on display at the Kennedy Center until November. Then it will be "hosed down" to make room for another chalk drawing. Many people asked about the symbolism of the piece and there were "boricuas" who I didn't have to explain anything to. It was a long hot day but worth…
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This image was suggested to me by my dear friend, Joanna Aviles-Soto. It is a chalk drawing (6 feet x 5 feet) and will be on display at the Kennedy Center until November. Then it will be "hosed down" to make room for another chalk drawing. Many people asked about the symbolism of the piece and there were "boricuas" who I didn't have to explain anything to. It was a long hot day but worth it.
A prayer in Taino, Spanish and English
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-09-05:2030313:BlogPost:12117
2008-09-05T12:16:44.000Z
Rixturey
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This prayer was created for the celebration of the end of U.S. Naval activities on the island of Vieques by myself and Samuel "Koki" Paneto. We now share it with the wider indigenous community. Since we were studying the language by ourselves using resources from the Library of Congress, we combined some elements of Carib to get the grammar. This may not be correct, but it was a humble effort on our part to honor the ancestors.<br />
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_______________________<br />
<br />
Tau daitiaos<br />
<br />
Ha ya roco ro, araini bajar…
This prayer was created for the celebration of the end of U.S. Naval activities on the island of Vieques by myself and Samuel "Koki" Paneto. We now share it with the wider indigenous community. Since we were studying the language by ourselves using resources from the Library of Congress, we combined some elements of Carib to get the grammar. This may not be correct, but it was a humble effort on our part to honor the ancestors.<br />
<br />
_______________________<br />
<br />
Tau daitiaos<br />
<br />
Ha ya roco ro, araini bajar imugaru icoñekia uanemaritagua oa tuna matum narguti boricua binálebuca wazabara wa araguaku<br />
alágan richáguati hibaru labu soruca Lares<br />
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Guarico guakia ya bajaku, rakuno, sabaiko, achinao, koromo, ouon, turey, nacán<br />
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Da-ara guateke areito choreto beirakia agüeybana, karaya, turey, ariabu, huracán, guataúba, vagua, ama, cauta, yucubia, anani, balajú, arani, abuje, bogiaili, uatu, oubao.<br />
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Ocama yaya, guarico guakia -- aro, anigi, coaí, atuadini, igundani, araini, canti.<br />
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Taíno wakía-ka, ahiacabo guarocoel. Eneganeum uanembuca guakia anigiao uatu ha busica areito ayahuba araguaka wa’cayo Borikén ka choreto chalí rahua, coco, guaojeri, manicato<br />
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Han han katu<br />
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_____________________________<br />
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Estimados compañeros,<br />
<br />
Con un espíritu de amor, honor, respeto y belleza, recordamos hoy nuestros ancestros taínos y reconocemos el esfuerzo de liberación de nuestra gente y nuestra herencia honrable del jíbaro y del Grito de Lares.<br />
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Honramos las direcciones cardinales, la tierra, el cielo, y el centro del nuestras almas.<br />
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Celebramos los elementos que nos dieron en abundancia: el sol, la luna, el cielo, la noche, los huracanes, los truenos, el mar, los ríos, las montañas, las plantas, las flores, los peces, la medicina, los insectos, los aves, el fuego, y los demás.<br />
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Oye me, gran espíritu de los espíritus, traiganos amor, fortaleza, la felicidad, la bondad, sabiduria, paz y valor.<br />
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Somos Taínos y reconocemos nuestros ancestros. De esta manera, nosotros decimos que nuestros corazones son fuertes y celebramos con baile y música. Queremos que nuestra isla, Borikén, abunda de verdes jardines, se trate con respeto y que sea fortalezado con buen corazón.<br />
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Amen.<br />
_____________________________<br />
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Dear friends<br />
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In the spirit of love, honor, respect and beauty, today we remember our Taino ancestors and acknowledge the long struggle of our people, our inheritance of honorable jibaro and El Grito De Lares.<br />
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Come to us, spirit of the morning light, north, east, south, west, land, sky and center (self)<br />
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My people, come dance and celebrate with us, the abundance of the elements that are given to us: the sun, the moon, the sky, the night, the hurricanes, thunder, the sea, the rivers, the mountains, the plants, flowers, fish, medicine, insects, birds, fire and the earth.<br />
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Hear me, spirit of spirits, come to us -- love, heart, happiness, goodness, wisdom, peace, valor,<br />
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We are Taino and acknowledge our ancestors. In this way we are saying that our hearts are on fire and we make loud strong music and dance to see our nation, Borikén, have green abundant gardens, be fruitful, treated with respect and fortified.<br />
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Amen
My language is not dead
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-09-03:2030313:BlogPost:11976
2008-09-03T03:30:00.000Z
Rixturey
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<b>My language is not dead.</b><br />
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It lives in the rustling leaves of the ausubo, the tabanuco, the caoba and the sacred ceiba tree whose deep roots reach into the caves of my heart.<br />
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The yuca, maiz and batata still grow in the conucos where we once buried unmarked cemis to inspire the land to be even more fertile.<br />
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The sweetness of the guayaba fills me with memories of the joyous freedom and abandon of the time before the others arrived. The colibris, bijiritas and guatibiris flit about the…
<b>My language is not dead.</b><br />
<br />
It lives in the rustling leaves of the ausubo, the tabanuco, the caoba and the sacred ceiba tree whose deep roots reach into the caves of my heart.<br />
<br />
The yuca, maiz and batata still grow in the conucos where we once buried unmarked cemis to inspire the land to be even more fertile.<br />
<br />
The sweetness of the guayaba fills me with memories of the joyous freedom and abandon of the time before the others arrived. The colibris, bijiritas and guatibiris flit about the emerald green manigual while guaraguaos soar above in the resplendant blue sky searching for the truth.<br />
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Huracanes with their swirling winds cleanse the land of contamination. The yagrumos and palms bend and sway to the will of the torrent.<br />
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My people are the Boricua, people of the high lord and land of plenty, the Quisqueya, from the land of high mountains, the Ciboney from Cubanacan, the sacred light around the center, and the strong Caribs. The Jibaros and Guajiros sing and drum to the stars of night sky in their mountain retreats.<br />
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In my bohio of brick and steel, hamacas lull me to sleep while the sounds of the coquis fill the tropical night air.<br />
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The caciques lead the people to the batey and danced at the arieto singing the praises of Yucahu, the sacred, holy spirit of the land, whose breath brought us to life. We remember our great ones in song and dance: Agueybana, Anacaona, Caguax, Orocobix, Guarionex, Hatuey and Uroyoan.<br />
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As I visit the ancient bateys now covered by the cement of the Spanish plazas, I remember that my language is not dead.<br />
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___________________<br />
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The words listed below are in common usage in the Spanish as it is spoken in the Caribbean. It has been said that at least 40% of the words used in Spanish are either Taino, Aztec, Incan or Mayan. In the Caribbean, most typically the names of fruits, vegetables, plants, animals and place names (rivers, towns, hills, etc.) that remain in the original Taino language. Many of these words have found their way into the English language as well.<br />
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ausubo - tree native to the Caribbean<br />
tabanuco - hardwood tree native to the Caribbean -- analogous to mahogany<br />
caoba - tree native to the Caribbean<br />
ceiba - cottonwood tree native to the Americas<br />
yuca - cassava root used as a food staple<br />
maiz - corn<br />
batata - sweet potato native to the Caribbean; In Spain, this is the word for potato.<br />
conucu - raised garden mound<br />
cemi - stone representations of deities, myths or lineages<br />
guayaba - fruit native to the Caribbean<br />
colibri - hummingbird<br />
bijirita - bird native to the Caribbean<br />
guatibiri - bird native to the Caribbean<br />
guaraguao - red tail hawk native to the Caribbean<br />
Huracan - hurricane<br />
yagrumo - hardwood tree native to the Caribbean<br />
bohio - round dwelling made of royal palm leaves<br />
hamaca - hammock, bed<br />
coquis - tree frog native to Boriken (Puerto Rico)<br />
cacique - chief or leader of a tribal group<br />
batey - ceremonial space bounded by upright stones<br />
areito - song and ceremonial dances<br />
yucahu - major deity
Yo soy el Poder
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-08-30:2030313:BlogPost:11666
2008-08-30T02:30:42.000Z
Rixturey
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Created to show the roots of our strength.
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Created to show the roots of our strength.
Just read the posting by a dear friend, Miguel Sague. Due to an unfortunate accident, I was unable to attend the Jornada Indigena as intended. My participation in the Jornada was to be the creation o…
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-08-24:2030313:BlogPost:11094
2008-08-24T19:30:00.000Z
Rixturey
https://indigenouscaribbean.ning.com/profile/Rixturey
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Just read the posting by a dear friend, Miguel Sague. Due to an unfortunate accident, I was unable to attend the Jornada Indigena as intended. My participation in the Jornada was to be the creation of a chalk mural representing the continuation of our indigenous heritage into the present. During my enforced "stay-cation" I was able to flesh out my original sketch and present it here. The flag on the upper right is the bandera of Jayuya and represents…
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2803904086?profile=original" alt="" width="505" height="417"/></p>
Just read the posting by a dear friend, Miguel Sague. Due to an unfortunate accident, I was unable to attend the Jornada Indigena as intended. My participation in the Jornada was to be the creation of a chalk mural representing the continuation of our indigenous heritage into the present. During my enforced "stay-cation" I was able to flesh out my original sketch and present it here. The flag on the upper right is the bandera of Jayuya and represents the "Tres Picachos" or Three Peaks Mountains that are behind the Museo del Cemi. Thank you Miguel for sharing the events of the jornada.
Manigua
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-08-19:2030313:BlogPost:10586
2008-08-19T16:21:30.000Z
Rixturey
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The people of the forest -- Thank you to my relatives and a dear friend for letting me use their images.
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The people of the forest -- Thank you to my relatives and a dear friend for letting me use their images.
The Archeologist's Dream - Hummingbird in Cosmic Time
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-08-16:2030313:BlogPost:10406
2008-08-16T15:00:00.000Z
Rixturey
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This was done in 2002 -- again what would archeologists love to find and display even though they would have very little idea of the true meanings of the symbols. It was originally a goache drawing done from my imagination and manipulated in photoshop. I had also thought that the "cage" could be made into a ceremonial headpiece.
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This was done in 2002 -- again what would archeologists love to find and display even though they would have very little idea of the true meanings of the symbols. It was originally a goache drawing done from my imagination and manipulated in photoshop. I had also thought that the "cage" could be made into a ceremonial headpiece.
The hidden Atabey
tag:indigenouscaribbean.ning.com,2008-08-16:2030313:BlogPost:10318
2008-08-16T00:16:13.000Z
Rixturey
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