Taino Answer 8,000 Drum Call

UCTP Taino News – The Otomi Nation of Mexico has issued a call to “Indigenous First Nations, Peoples, Communities and Organizations of the World and all Humankind” in an effort to fulfill a prophecy that speaks of healing Mother Earth. Entitled the “Grand Ceremony of the 8,000 Sacred Drums”, Otomi spiritual leaders and allies will conduct a ceremony on March 21st 2008 at the Otomi Ceremonial center at 12noon, (local time) in the Temoaya, State of México.

In collaboration with the International Indigenous University, the Otomi have called for solidarity for this ceremony on previous occasions and this year, they have renewed their efforts to “begin a a true Healing of Mother Earth, of All the Species and of the Human Family”. The Otomi feel that the state of the Earth today represents a “total imbalance” and that there is a need to “re-unify” and “re-discover” our connection to the earth and “cosmic energy”. Taino leaders in Boriken (Puerto Rico) and the Diaspora have responded officially to the Otomi Nation, and have pledged solidarity with the 8,000 Drums event on Friday, March 21st.

See full story at http://www.uctp.blogspot.com/

Taino Cultural Presentation in NY

Taino TV Updated

UCTP Taino News – Taino TV, the internet video television channel of the United Confederation of Taino People has been updated with several video shorts featuring the Cacibajagua Taino Cultural Society. The videos were taken by Taino artist Reina Miranda at the November 2007 celebration of Puerto heritage at Hunter College in New York City hosted by the Comite Noviembre.

The footage featuring the recent presentation of Cacibajagua adds to the increasing collection of Taino-related media available at the Taino TV channel site. Videos shorts of cultural presentations, interviews, lectures and more can be found in the “Favorites” as well as the “Playlist” sections of the Taino TV channel internet page.

Taino TV is available free to the general public and viewers can visit and subscribe to the channel at http://www.youtube.com/Tainotv.

Second Annual Puerto Rican Artisans Fair Highlights Taino Culture

New York, NY (UCTP Taino News) - On Saturday, November 17, 2007, Comite Noviembre is sponsoring its second annual Puerto Rican Artisans Exhibition and Fair at Hunter College in New York City. Held in recognition of Puerto Rican Heritage Month, the event will transform Hunter College’s West Building into a “typical Puerto Rican Plaza” with artists, sculptors, and food venders from 11am – 5pm. This year, Taino culture will feature prominently in the celebration with a Taino opening blessing, and a special presentation of Taino music and song with members of the Cacibajagua Taino Cultural Society at 3:30pm.

A family workshop on “Taino history and music” will take place at 11:30am (Rm. W217) and a “Taino Petroglyph Pendant” workshop for children will be held at 12:35pm. All day several prominent Taino artists will be featured in the celebration’s exhibition including Aguilar Marrero, Reina Miranda, and Esperanza Martell.

Established in 1987, Comité Noviembre is the only collaboration of its kind in the United States that brings together the collective talents and resources of the some of oldest and most prestigious Puerto Rican organizations in existence.

Taino Music Sounds at NY Botanical Garden

Bronx, New York (UCTP Taino News) - Members of the Cacibajagua Taino Cultural Society - Roberto Mucaro Borrero, Maria Gil Diaz, and William Ruiz - enjoy the sights after four successful Taino music presentations at the 2007 Fiesta de Flores at The New York Botanical Garden 15-16 September 2007. The celebration of the "People and Plants of Latin America and the Caribbean" was held in conjunction with the NY Botanical Garden's exhibition "Caribbean Gardens: Journey to Paradise."

Fiesta de Flores at The New York Botanical Garden

Celebrate the People and Plants of Latin America and the Caribbean and Enjoy the Final Weekend of Caribbean Gardens: Journey to Paradise

Saturday–Sunday, September 15–16

On September 15–16, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Fiesta de Flores, a weekend festival at The New York Botanical Garden, commemorating the people and plants of Latin America and the Caribbean. Enjoy the beauty of the Garden while being treated to live music, dancing, delicious food specialties, storytelling, and more. Take in the tropics on a tour through the final weekend of Caribbean Gardens: Journey to Paradise, the lush exhibition of Caribbean island flora, such as hibiscus, passionflower, bougainvillea, orchids, and more, inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Discover what Garden scientists have been researching for the last century, originating from the first exploration in the Caribbean, and learn about current projects such as the Virtual Herbarium in the exhibition Plants and Fungi: Ten Current Research Stories.

Special Features:

Indigenous Taino Music
On the Conservatory Lawn
Saturday and Sunday, 12 and 1:30 p.m.
Journey to another place and time while listening to indigenous Taino music with members of the Cacibajagua Taino Cultural Society. Learn about this indigenous culture’s instruments and how the music is tied to the natural environment.

Special Presentation: Medicinal Plants of Indigenous Caribbean Cultures
Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
In the Conservatory GreenSchool
Join Roberto Mucaro Borrero (Taino), Senior Program Coordinator at the American Museum of Natural History, for an engaging presentation on the medicinal plants used historically and traditionally by the Caribbean’s indigenous peoples.

To see full program visit:

http://www.nybg.org/footer/press_releases_results.php?id_press_release=185

For directions:
http://www.nybg.org/visit_the_garden/directions.php

4/27/2007 - 9/16/2007
Caribbean Gardens: Journey to Paradise
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

Escape to exotic islands during this flower and cultural exhibition. Inside our historic glasshouse, stroll through a Spanish-style courtyard garden that’s bursting with the lush, tropical flora of the Caribbean. Immerse yourself in the fragrance and colors of hibiscus, passionflower, bougainvillea, oleander, orchids, and dozens more. Delve into diverse, fascinating cultures with Caribbean-inspired events. Dance to the beat of Caribbean music, indulge in the flavor of the region’s spices and fruits, and discover the vibrant history of its plants and people. Caribbean Gardens is accompanied by the botanical art exhibition Paradise in Print in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library.

Archive: Cacibajagua at the American Museum of Natural History, 1996

Cacibajagua at the American Museum of Natural History,
April 28, 1996

(click on poster to enlarge)