Caribbean Indigenous Leaders Return to St. John

Three Indigenous Caribbean Chiefs meet on St. John, USVI. From left to right: Kasike R. Múkaro Agueibaná Borrero of the Guainía Taíno Tribe of Borikén; Ouboutou Annette Sanford of the Kalinago Nation of Dominica; and Kasike Anakaona Phillips of the Guainía Taíno Tribe of the Virgin Islands.

US Virgin Islands (UCTP Taíno News) – Three Indigenous leaders, along with other members of their respective communities traveled to St. John in the US Virgin Islands for a special series of events called “The Meeting of the Chiefs”. Kasike Anakaona Phillips of the Guainía Taíno Tribe of the Virgin Islands; Ouboutou Annette Sanford of the Kalinago Nation of Dominica; and Kasike R. Múkaro Agueibaná Borrero of the Guainía Taíno Tribe of Borikén (Puerto Rico), gathered together in solidarity for ceremonies; updates on their current situations in their respective lands; a meeting with the Superintendent of Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, Penelope Del Bene; a treaty renewal signing; , and film screenings. The events were organized by the Guainía Taíno Tribe of the Virgin Islands in collaboration with the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park. Additional support was provided by the United Confederation of Taíno People (UCTP). "I believe gathering the chiefs was vital, for it is only in unity that we reclaim our strength — to share our visions, reaffirm our sovereignty, and remind the world that the spirit of the Taíno still lives strong across our lands and waters," stated Kasike Phillips.

Among the first activities undertaken by the Indigenous delegation was a pilgrimage to a Taíno sacred site known locally as the Reef Valley Petroglyphs. These ancient carvings on the rockface are thousands of years old and currently under the protection and jurisdiction of the Virgin Islands National Park. The Reef Valley Petroglyphs are accessible to park visitors if they hike about 3 miles into the valley on maintained trails. At the petroglyph site, the Indigenous delegation, consisting of Taíno and Kalinago Peoples, conducted a ceremony which passed the responsibilities of the Guainía Taíno Tribe of the Virgin Islands’ Behike (medicine person) from Tesroy Phillips to Mateah Phillips. The ceremony was officiated by elder Behike Miguel Sague, the UCTP’s Ambassador to Cuba. The ceremony also included a naming for Kasike Anakaona Phillips. 

Kasike Phillips also noted that "We chose the petroglyph site for the ceremony because they are the voices of our ancestors carved in stone — sacred reminders that our story did not begin with colonization, and it will not end with silence. There, we honor the past and awaken the future" UCTPTN 07/15/2025