Sacred Water

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Tau My Relatives
When our ancestors encountered the European invaders for the first time the tradition of regular bathing at the local stream was already a well-established aspect of their culture.
This tradition of daily water purification is one that still persists among our close relatives, the present-day Indigens of the South American tropical rainforest.

Photograph © Copyright 2007-2008 Jacek Palkiewicz, all rights reserved
Text © Copyright 2007-2008 Amazon-Tribes.com, all rights reserved, Amazon Indian Girls
http://www.amazon-tribes.com/Amazon-Indian-Girls.html

The Taino, like many Indigenous people all over the Americas, perceived the bathing places along the rivers and streams to be holy places. A holy place can be honored with traditional ceremony and spiritual offering. An important element in the ritual honoring of holy places by Indigenous people is by adding graphic art images to the place within the context of traditional ceremony. One of the most powerful and permanent manifestations of this tradition is the art of petroglyph. Petroglyphs are marks carved into rocks that represent a variety of important sacred concepts.

Indigenous people all over the Americas honored special sacred locations, especially along waterways that were used for transportation and bathing, with petroglyphs. I have personally experienced a number of these magical expressions of our ancestor's talent since my childhood. In the early 1980's I had the honor of encountering one of the most powerful examples of this sacred tradition which is located in western Pennsylvania when I embarked on a two-week canoe journey down the entire length of the Allegheny river from its source at the Allegheny Indian Reservation of Senecas in New York State to its confluence with the Monongahela river in Pittsburgh. On the bank of the river near French Creek there is a large boulder of solid sandstone which ancient Algonquians marked with cryptic shamanic images. when I saw this sacred rock in 1982 it was already badly defaced by centuries of disrespectful non-Natives who feel a need to desecrate this silent witness to the shamanic power of the ancients. Nevertheless it was posible for me to make out the original images past all of the more modern grafitti.

http://venango.pa-roots.com/indiangodrock1.html

We Tainos are fortunate that in our countries the ancient petroglyphs do not seem to have been defaced as violently and disrespectfully as the ones here in the mainland. The treasured drawings that adorn the huge boulder at "Piedra Escrita" near Jayuya in Boriken, like most of the petroglyphs in the Caribbean, maintain their pristine beauty and provide a profoundly moving spirit of blessing to the popular bathing spot situated as they are right in the middle of the beautiful stream. In spite of some almost inevitable littering by a few careless visitors, the site is surprisingly pristine, surrounded by the lush greeness of the tropical forest all around.
It is the wonder of this sacred spot that I visit every year like a periodic pilgrimage to bathe in the refreshing waters of the beautiful little river and receive the blessing of the petroglyph that descends from the huge stone above.
I have consistantly brought water from this sacred place back to my home in Pittsburgh every time I have visited it and last year my wife also collected some pebbles from the bottom as she waded in the gentle rush of water.
Bathing in that stream creates a connection between me and the bathing tradition of my ancestors and the bathing tradition of present-day relatives in the Amazon.
I feel that in addition to the daily ritual bath regimen that I urge all of my Taino relatives to follow http://caneycircle.owlweb.org/sacredwater.html every Taino should also make an effort to travel at least once in his or her life to that sacred place high in the central mountains of Boriken and imerse his or her body in the marvelous waters overshadowed by La Piedra Escrita.

[Anita Pagan]

I remember going there as a kid :) Running my fingers through the grooves of the carved designs and watching people jump off the stone.

Thanks for reviving these memories.

Do you happen to have photos of La Piedra where the designs are clear?

Bo'matum.
Nanu

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Tau Nanu
I will post a number of wonderful photos of this awesome little bit of your homeland soon. I am glad that this post brought back fond memories.
Taino Ti
Miguel

[Anita Pagan]

That it did.

You know, last time I was there I went with my mom. She's disabled now, but she walked at the time. She took us there and encouraged me to jump in the water. I didn't because there were these little bugs skimming on top of the water and they creeped me out.

I hope to return there someday...

Nanu

[bailamonte]

Nanu,
Please take a look at some of the fotos I just posted.
Bo'matum
Bailamonte

[maria]

Taino Ti:
Thank You so much for sharing Miguel. It is pricelist history.

Maria

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Bo Matun for the kind words Maria

[Iris Antongiorgi Concepcion]

Gracias muy buena informacion

[bailamonte]

I just returned from La Piedra Escrita. The sacred writings of our ancestors!!! A most magical experience!!!

[bailamonte]

I was able to get close ups. I was taken back in time!!!

[bailamonte]

La Piedra Escrita is to my left. My partner and I were the only ones there!!! He was moved as well!!!

[bailamonte]

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Bo Matun Bailamonte for the beautiful photos of Piedra Escrita that you posted here in this discussion. Blessings of the cemies and the jupias to you and your loved ones.
Taino Ti
Miguel