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1 LA VOZ DEL PUEBLO TAINO (THE VOICE OF THE TAINO PEOPLE) VOLUME 4, ISSUSE 2 ¨ APRIL - JUNE 2001
Highlights
·
Focus on Taino Ancestral Remains at AMNH
·
Papal Bulls Presentation in Virginia
·
Lokono (Arawak) Language School in Guyana
Also Inside
1
Archeologist Speak Out Against Cultural Institutions ;
2
Taino Language ; UCTP Photo Gallery ;
3
Community Bulletin Board ;
4
CALENDER of EVENTS
La Voz del
Pueblo
Taino
La Voz del Pueblo Tainoâ (The Voice of the Taino People) is the Official Newsletter of the
United Confederation of Taino People - United States Regional Chapter
Volume 4, Issue 2, April – June 2001 ã All Rights Reserved
Boriké Taino Leader Speaks Out in NYC
Naniki Reyes Ocasio Takes Issue of Ancestral Remains and Sacred Sites to the Big Apple
NEW YORK, NY, – On May 12,
2001 the issue concerning the
desecration of Taino sacred sites and
ancestral remains was brought into
focus at New York’s American
Museum of Natural History.
Naniki Reyes Ocasio, a Taino
community leader, gave a special
presentation on the subject to an
eager audience during this exceptional
introductory session to these
controversial issues.
The daylong program also
featured a film screening entitled “A
Grave Matter” (focusing on Native
Hawaiian repatriation efforts), and a
moving theatrical presentation by the
critically acclaimed Coatlique
Theater Company.
Audiences were also treated to the
opening of a photographic and multi-
media arts display called “508 years –
The Contemporary Presence of the Taino
Indian in Boriken and Beyond”. This
special display featured photographs
of Holger Thoss and selected works
of several renowned Taino artisans
like Gina Rosario, Roger
Atihuibancex, the Cheverez Family
and others.
Naniki Reyes Ocasio at her mountain
home in Boriken, Photo: Holger Thoss
ã
Attendance during the program
was itself an interestingly diverse mix
of Taino and other Native American
activist, artist, academics, and a very
interested general public.
This historic presentation by
Naniki Reyes Ocasio began with an
opening prayer in honor of the
ancestors. After the heartfelt opening,
and thanking the American Museum
of Natural History for hosting the
dialogue, Naniki not only provided
an
in-depth look at the on-going
desecration of Taino sacred sites but
also sited examples of how the Taino
Community of Boriken (Puerto Rico)
is actively working toward a
resolution of the issue. Some
examples cited were the current letter
writing campaign and petitions being
gathered worldwide.
Throughout her presentation,
Grandmother Naniki also shared
with audiences some fundamental
aspects of Taino spiritual tradition
and how these ancient values relate to
this and other import issues today.
Other points raised were the basic
difference between colonial -
European and Taino (Indigenous)
philosophy, as well as the idea that
for Taino, the desecration of sacred
sites like Caguana Park in Utuado
and the public display of ancestral
remains is considered sacrilege and a
fundamental violation of our
“religious freedoms”.
Story continues on page 2
Taino and the issue of
Ancestral Remains
Continued from page 1