Reconnecting Taino/Arawak

[Ricky K]

Hi there, I'm very new here and still learning to navigate the forums and pages.

I was wondering if anyone had advice on where to start in terms of learning about Taino culture, especially if you have any book recommendations? I've been bookmarking all I can find here.

Both of my grandparents on my father's side were Caribbean - my dad just knows that his dad said he was native. I imagine that both of them were probably Afro-Taino, though I can't know the exact tribe for sure. They were from Jamaica (grandfather) and St. Croix (grandmother, raised in Puerto Rico).

Thank you <3

[Miguel Sague Jr]

There are a large number of books that may be of interest to you. Some of them are about Taino pre-colonial history. Others are about more recent history and even current events in the Taino Resurgence movement. There are also a number of special subjects, such as the one that I specialize in, which is Taino spirituality. If you are interested, I am willing to talk on the phone to share what I know and to give you some advise on how to find more info. My phone number isw 412 969 4009

[Ricky K]

Thank you for this! Apologies for not replying sooner - it's been on my mind for months. Could I please give you a call on Friday afternoon?

[Silla]

Reading like crazy helps a lot because, as you probably already noticed, people say ALL SORTS of things online. Educating yourself traditionally lets you be able to see better when someone is adding or clarifying information, or a personal/familial/community practice, versus someone straight up sharing misinformation.

The Tainos: Rise & Decline of the People who Greeted Columbus was my first read in the early 2000s. Historically great, but there is some information in it that has since been disproven, or was simply false, and until scientific data challenged it directly, it was widely believed. But I think starting with dated information and working forward to more modern information might help if you're a structured person seeking a starting place. I am a history enthusiast, so for me, that was a natural place to start my journey.

Once I understood the history, I moved on to spirituality and making sense of my family's stories and practices. I do recommend reading The Caney Indigenous Spiritual Circle wordpress blog to expose yourself to terms and spiritual practices. I always recommend remembering that, like any other culture, different communities within a nation/Larger community have different practices. So while I personally enjoy and found it educational, I can tell you not all yukayekes practice everything there, not all of them have the education, willingness, or connection. And some simply have their family beliefs, and they stick by them. But I genuinely think it is such a valuable source of information and deserves to be read.

I saw that  Miguel Sangue Jr commented- it is written by him and members of his community. I think calling him is a fantastic place to start with in-depth things if you are comfortable with talking on the phone. 

[Ricky K]

Thank you for the recommendations! I'll add these titles to my list of books to check out. I'm not sure what order I plan on learning things in - I've studied history a little bit, but it isn't my main passion.

[Dr. Rene Santos Lasanta]

If I may make a suggestion. Start reviewing the books as if you didn't know anything about Taino. Amazon allows you to sample books if you have a kindle account. That's what I do. After I review if it doesn't have the info I am looking for I delete. No cost to sample.

[Dr. Rene Santos Lasanta]

De nada. 

[Dr. Rene Santos Lasanta]

Taikaraya Ricky, The books that I purchased to learn about Taino and Boriquen history and the information that found was on Amazon. They have a lot of books for you to chose from. I have Kindle so I download and read.

I suggest: "History of Puerto Rico from the Taino's to today.

                Taino colonizers and Yoruba slave: Synthesizing their theology.

                 Boricua Power: A Political History of Puerto Ricans in the United States, Sánchez, José      Ramón (2007). 

These are just a few of the books I have in my collection. I hope this gives you a place to start.

Baba Rene' 

[Dr. Rene Santos Lasanta]

As far as finding your roots you can start with Family Search(Mormon's). It's free to research with them. They have the largest information on genealogy in the world. I started my search in 2005 and have been able to discover 13 ancestral generation on my father's side. I did a direct search in 2005 was able to find the origin of my Last name. They went as far back as 1502 in the city of Navarro, Spain. It's time consuming but it's worth the sacrifice.

Baba Oluwatoke