Las Mascaras De Caracol Tainas..........Taino Seashell Masks

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Todas las culturas indigenas tienen tradicion de mascaras. La inclinacion a recrear la imagen familiar del conjunto de ojos, nariz y boca tipico de la cara humana en un contexto artistico es primordial en el ser humano, por lo cual una de las manifestaciones artisticas mas frequentes en todas las culturas es la confeccion de mascaras. Los antiguos tainos se esmeraron en la creacion de mascaras impresionantes esculpidas en caracol de strombus gigas.

 

All Indigenous cultures have a mask-making tradition. The inclination to re-create the familiar combination of eyes, nose and mouth of the human face in an artistic context is primordial in the human being, as a result of which one of the most frequent artistic manifestations in all cultures is the crafting of masks. The ancient Tainos were experts in the creation of impressive masks sculpted from the shell of the stombus gigas sea mollusk. 

 Como se ve aqui en estos ejemplares, los antiguos tainos eran expertos en usar las estructuras tipicas de este precioso caracol para darle un caracter muy unico a sus creaciones.

 

As can be seen in these examples, the ancient Tainos were experts at using the unique structures of these beautiful seashells to lend singular character to their creations.

Nosotros en el Circulo Espiritual Indigena Caney nos dedicamos a reproducir esa tradicion de nuestros antepasados tainos, incorporando el uso de la mascara de caracol en la ceremonia del Solsticio. Es el behike en su papel de Guakar, el espiritu de los retos de la vida, quien se pone esa mascara cuando participa en la DANZA DEL TIBURON.

We in the Indigenous Spiritual Circle have dedicated ourselves to reproducing that tradition of ourTaino ancestors, incorporating the use of the sea shell mask in the Solstice Ceremony. It's the behike in his role as Guakar, the spirit of Life challenges, who wears this mask when he participates in the SHARK DANCE.

las mascaras de caracol, llamadas "guaizas" en el lenguaje taino, que nuestros antepasados crearon eran de diferentes dimensiones. Algunas eran muy peque~as y obviamente no se prestaban para cubrir el rotro. Esas no son las guaizas a las cuales nos referimos en este reporte. Aqui nos referimos exclusivamente a las guaizas de tama~o entero cuyo proposito era cubrir la cara del que la tenia puesta.

En el 2008 un grupo de tainos visitamos el MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN de Washington D.C. y en ese lugar nos encontramos un ejemplar tipico de una guaiza de caracol. Yo tuve la oportunidad de manipular esa careta y hasta ponermela sobre mi propia cara. Despues tomamos una foto de esta guaiza al lado de la guaiza que nosotros usamos en la ceremonia del Solsticio del Circulo Caney.

 

The sea shell masks, called "guaizas" in the Taino language, that our ancestors created came in different sizes. Some of them were very small and obviously were not designed to cover the whole face. Those are not the masks that we are talking about in this article. Here we are referring exclusively to the full-sized guaizas whose purpose was to cover the face of the person who was wearing it.

In 2008 a group of Tainos of which I was a part visited the MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN in Washington D.C. and at that place we were confronted with a typical example of a sea shell guaiza. I had the opportunity to handle this mask and I even placed it over my own face. Later we took a photo of that guaiza side-by-side next to the guaiza that we use in the Caney Circle Solstice Ceremony. 

 

 Fue para mi algo muy emocionante tener nuestra guaiza asi tan cerca de esa guaiza ancestral y como yo le dedique una oracion de communion, sabemos que la energia que emana de la antigua mascara se hizo parte de la nuestra y yo pude traer parte de esa energia conmigo cuando retornamos a nuestros hogares.

 

It was a very emotional moment for me when I saw our guaiza right there next to the ancestral guaiza, and since I dedicated a special communion prayer to them, we know that the energy that emanates from that ancient mask became part of ours and I was able to bring some of that energy with me back home.  

Seneko Kakona

Miguel Sobaoko Koromo Sague